The Ben Shapiro Show

Episode: Ben Reviews Oscar's "Best Picture" Nominations

Date: March 14, 2026
Host: Ben Shapiro

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ben Shapiro dives deep into the 2026 Oscars’ Best Picture race, reviewing all ten nominees so “you didn’t have to.” He offers his unvarnished, often biting, conservative perspective on each film’s content, artistry, and political undertones. Ben rates each movie on a five-star scale, breaking down notable aspects, plot threads, and industry context, while highlighting the current ideological state of Hollywood’s awards circuit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. One Battle After Another

(Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro)

• Ben’s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
• Summary: Shapiro derides this film as "incoherent," "discombobulated," and "dog" (05:40). He views it as blatant left-wing agitprop, glorifying leftist violence and painting white nationalists as secretly running the country.
• Core Critique:
  • “It’s a left-wing piece of agitprop glorifying left-wing violence.” (06:08)
  • Claims the plot revolves around radicalism and open borders, with unsubtle and heavy-handed politics.
  • Despite Anderson’s reputable direction, Ben sees “nothing to recommend about this film other than Paul Thomas Anderson knows how to shoot a film.” (08:26)
• Notable Moment: “If that's your kind of thing, then enjoy... It's not even sort of paranoid. It's obvious. There's no tact to it. No subtlety.” (09:22)

2. Hamnet

(Chloe Zhao)

• Ben’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
• Summary: Retelling the domestic life of William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne, Ben finds it slow, speculative, and emotionally manipulative.
• Performances: Praises Jesse Buckley (Anne) and Emily Watson (Mary), while noting Paul Mescal has little to do.
• Critique:
  • “It's all speculative. Like all of it is speculative in the same way Shakespeare in Love is speculative.” (12:19)
  • “I just felt manipulated by it, to be honest with you.” (14:05)

3. Sinners

(Ryan Coogler)

• Ben’s Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
• Summary: A blues-driven, supernatural, racially charged film set in 1932 Mississippi; Shapiro finds it entertaining but politically heavy-handed and vulgar.
• Plot: Black twins open a blues joint before facing off against vampiric stand-ins for white America.
• Core Critique:
  • “The movie’s a race war. But it’s between vampires who want to suck the blood out of black music and also physically suck the blood out of black people.” (17:12)
• Praise: Notes entertaining music and visuals.
• Memorable Scene: Describes a musical routine uniting past ancestors and future rock stars through blues music.

4. Marty Supreme

(Written by Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein; Timothée Chalamet, Kevin O’Leary, Gwyneth Paltrow)

• Ben’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Summary: An intense drama about a self-destructive table tennis player; Ben finds it “the best of these films," despite calling its take on Jewish culture "pretty ugly".
• Performances:
  • “Timothée Chalamet plays... a truly terrific performance.” (22:00)
  • “Kevin O’Leary actually turns in a pretty good performance here.” (23:09)
• Critique: The central character is deeply unlikable and the film engages with themes of ambition and morality with ambiguous results.
• Quote: “At the very least, it's a thinker... this movie makes you think.” (29:02)
• Prediction: “I think that in a fair artistic world, it probably win Best Picture... but I don’t think it will, because its politics are too unclear.” (29:54)

5. Begonia

(Yorgos Lanthimos)

• Ben’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Summary: A black comedy/thriller, Ben finds Lanthimos’ political satire overt and tiresome.
• Plot: Emma Stone plays a pharma CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists; turns out she actually is an alien manipulating humanity.
• Critique:
  • “All the social commentary is directly on the nose. It's hitting you in the face with a brick. That is what Begonia is.” (31:25)
  • “Corporate America is a bunch of aliens who wish to suck from you their vital life forces... at the end she destroys all of humanity...” (34:10)

6. The Secret Agent

• Ben’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
• Summary: Brazilian political drama about dictatorship-era persecution; “left me absolutely flat.”
• Comparative:
  • “There are better versions of films like this... The Secret in Their Eyes... a much better film.” (36:59)

7. Train Dreams

(Directed by Clint Bentley)

• Ben’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Summary: A slow, visually driven narrative about frontier life—“a Terrence Malick film that’s not directed by Terrence Malick.”
• Critique:
  • “Nothing happens for the whole movie... not my thing.” (39:20)
• Notable: “I'm very much driven by sort of character and plot... this one didn't have much of either.” (40:50)

8. F1

(Brad Pitt, Carrie Condon, Javier Bardem)

• Ben’s Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
• Summary: A motorsport action film reminiscent of Top Gun: Maverick; fun but derivative and light on substance.
• Core Comment:
  • “It's a weaker version of Top Gun Maverick. A much weaker version of Top Gun Maverick.” (41:39)
  • “In a better year, there’s no way this gets nominated for anything.” (43:00)

9. Frankenstein

(Guillermo del Toro; Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz)

• Ben’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Summary: The year’s “most disappointing film” for Ben; he criticizes its slow pace and deviation from classic themes.
• Critique:
  • “Guillermo del Toro sort of weirdly makes the Frankenstein monster a sex pot, which is kind of a weird choice.” (44:23)
  • “We have yet to see the definitive Frankenstein film.” (46:48)

10. Sentimental Value

(Directed by Joachim Trier; Elle Fanning)

• Ben’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
• Summary: Another “art about art” film focusing on a dysfunctional family and filmmaking; Ben calls it “incredibly self-indulgent.”
• Critique:
  • “I know it’s a lot to ask that we like at least one character in a movie, but it is my requirement...” (49:50)
  • “I love movies, but these constant self-referential attempts to treat the creation of art as the highest good is... somewhat annoying.” (50:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Best Picture race overall:
  “I think it’s a very mediocre group of films overall... I thought it was a very weak year for movies, frankly.” (52:01)

• On heavy-handed politics:

  • “Extreme. People have praised the acting [in One Battle After Another]. I don’t see why.” (07:51)
  • “The racial politics undergirding [Sinners] are really, really ugly.” (16:41)

• On artistic ambiguity:

  • “[Marty Supreme] is a thinker... it's got a moral take that I don't think is right. And I think again, it's kind of stereotypical... but it's definitely fascinating.” (29:02)

• On Hollywood self-obsession:

  • “Actors are very important. Art is very important. 2 out of 5. Big Meh.” (47:40)
  • “Constant self-referential attempts to treat the creation of art as the highest good is, I find it, on a moral level, somewhat annoying.” (51:07)

Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• 05:40 – Shapiro begins in-depth Oscar nominee reviews
• 06:08-09:22 – “One Battle After Another” scathing breakdown
• 12:19 – Speculative aspect of “Hamnet” called out
• 17:12 – “Sinners” and its vampiric race allegory
• 22:00-23:09 – Performance highlights in “Marty Supreme”
• 29:54 – Ben’s speculative Oscar prediction
• 31:25 – “Begonia” social commentary critique
• 36:59 – Compares “Secret Agent” to better films
• 41:39 – "F1" as a derivative spectacle
• 44:23-46:48 – “Frankenstein” disappointment dissected
• 49:50-51:07 – Frustration with “Sentimental Value” and art-obsessed films
• 52:01 – Summary of the year’s film quality

Final Takeaway

Ben Shapiro’s Oscars roundup is a themed fusillade against what he perceives as Hollywood’s political agenda, favoring narrative subtlety, moral clarity, and sympathetic characters. He finds the 2026 Best Picture field uninspired, with “Marty Supreme” as his reluctant top pick, but laments its likely loss due to its ambiguous politics. The episode is animated by Ben’s signature rapid-fire delivery and sarcastic flair, offering an unapologetically critical (occasionally caustic) alternative to mainstream awards commentary.