Controversial Netflix film could become the lowest-rated Oscar winner for 20 years

As the Oscars 2025 draw ever closer, heralding the grand finale of award season, the debate around the front-runner for best film grows fiercer – but there’s an awkward distinction waiting for one nominated movie, if it wins. And it would put it on the same footing as Crash in 2006, the much-maligned best picture winner that proved victorious over Brokeback Mountain. Despite a competitive category, Netflix’s musical crime drama Emilia Pérez about a trans former Cartel boss has been the movie on most people’s lips – especially when it broke Bafta records, emerged as the biggest winner at the Golden Globes and then raked in the most Academy Award nominations this year with 13.

And that’s on top of its triumphant premiere at Cannes in May, often considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. However, if Emilia Pérez does scoop the main gong at this year’s Oscars, it will actually be the lowest rated best picture winner since Crash, according to review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. It currently holds a 73% critics’ score, exactly the same as that of Crash almost two decades ago.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. For context, last year’s best picture winner Oppenheimer has a rather more impressive 93%, while recent victors Everything Everywhere All at Once and CODA are both on 94%. Green Book, which won in 2019 and was also considered an erroneous pick in the aftermath, is the nearest recent winner to Emilia Pérez’s low Rotten Tomatoes score at 77%.

However, when it comes to the audience rating, Green Book has a healthy 91% – the same as Oppenheimer and CODA. Everything Everywhere All at Once’s fans were more subdued than the critics, giving it 79% – but Emilia Pérez’s is a shocking 18%, a full 55% lower than its not especially high critics’ score. In contrast, Crash’s audience reception translated into an 88% rating, higher than the critics and a huge 80% higher than Emilia Pérez’s.

Quite a lot has happened which could explain both why fans have rejected Emilia Pérez and how it’s ended up with the lowest critical score of a (potential) best picture winner in 20 years, though. The controversial movie has been hit with plenty of criticism, with GLAAD calling Emilia’s transition from her former life as crime boss Manitas ‘a profoundly retrograde portrayal of a trans woman’.

French filmmaker Jacques Audiard has also been slammed for telling a Mexican story as a non-Spanish speaker, with minimal Mexican input (actress Adriana Paz is the only Mexican performer with a main role) and a self-admitted lack of research (“I didn’t study much.”). Some fans have also dismissed the songs in the musical, written by Camille and composer Clément Ducol, as nonsensical and lacking in quality – although the film is still nominated for best original score as well as two nods for best song.

Most recently, lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s campaign to become the first openly trans performer nominated at the Oscars has seemingly imploded too after the unearthing of several incriminating tweets – some of which she claims are fabricated, others of which she has apologised for after ‘caus[ing] hurt’. The movie also stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. Parasite (2020) – 99%. Moonlight (2017) – 98%.

Spotlight (2016) – 97%. Argo (2013) – 96%. The Hurt Locker (2010) – 96%. 12 Years A Slave (2014) – 95%. The Artist (2012) – 95%. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2023) – 94%. CODA (2022) – 94%. The King’s Speech (2011) – 94%. Oppenheimer (2024) – 93%. Nomadland (2021) – 93%. No Country For Old Men (2008) – 93%. The Shape of Water (2018) – 92%. Birdman (2015) – 91%. Slumdog Millionaire (2009) – 91%.

The Departed (2007) – 91%. Green Book (2019) – 77%. Crash (2006) – 73%. Emilia Perez (2025) – 73%. While The Brutalist seems to have moved to pole position in the best picture race, with just under four weeks to go, many are still hedging their bets over which film will be garlanded as the year’s best at the Oscars. The highest-rated past best picture winners on Rotten Tomatoes are Parasite, Casablanca, All About Eve and On the Waterfront, all of which are currently tied on 99%.

The lowest is 1929’s The Broadway Melody, which won the second-ever Oscar for best picture, after Wings the year before. Emilia Pérez is streaming on Netflix now. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.