Overrated....simply put.

Rating: 5/10 (14 March 2010)

Some movies manage to split the public and critics' opinions right down the middle but still manage to do well at the box office and get tons of awards notice and high ratings. "Gladiator" is one of the biggest examples of this, and I am in the camp that finds this to be a weak film.
2000 was fairly weak year for movies, but this isn't an excuse for "Gladiator" winning the Best Picture Oscar. You still had great films that were completely snubbed like "Almost Famous" (my choice), Billy Elliot, Cast Away, Wonder Boys, and among the nominees, Traffic. These films represented the few glimmering moments of film in 2000.
Gladiator has actually grown on me with repeated viewings but it is still by no means a great or even good movie. I feel that Russell Crowe did not deserve the Oscar over his entire category and while I am not a huge fan of him as an actor or from what his persona perceives, he did give good performances in "L.A. Confidential", "Romper Stomper", "The Insider", and "Cinderella Man" and these went relatively unnoticed (save for "The Insider"). The movie just didn't feel like a Best Picture winner either. It had all of the right ingredients but it came out stale and bland.