# Best Picture nominees at the 2000 Oscars: all five films

> All five Best Picture nominees at the 2000 Oscars, from American Beauty to The Sixth Sense, in one of the strongest years of the 1990s.

Source: https://rankiew.app/blog/oscars-2000-best-picture-nominees
Published: 2026-10-04
Author: Rankiew
Tags: oscars, oscars 2000, best picture, american beauty, oscar history

The 72nd Academy Awards took place on March 26, 2000, and closed a remarkable year for American film. A suburban satire, a death row drama, a true story about journalism and one of the most famous twists ever fought for the top prize.

# The five Best Picture nominees of 2000

## 1. American Beauty (1999) · Winner

::film[American Beauty|1999]

A suburban father in a midlife crisis turns his life and his family upside down.

- **Director:** Sam Mendes
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you like dark satires of suburban life.

**Oscars:** Winner: Best Picture

## 2. The Cider House Rules (1999)

::film[The Cider House Rules|1999]

A young man raised in a Maine orphanage leaves the doctor who taught him to see the world.

- **Director:** Lasse Hallström
- **Genre:** Drama

**Worth it if:** you enjoy classic, gentle coming-of-age dramas.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 3. The Green Mile (1999)

::film[The Green Mile|1999]

A death row guard in the 1930s meets a gentle prisoner with an inexplicable gift.

- **Director:** Frank Darabont
- **Genre:** Drama, Fantasy

**Worth it if:** you are ready to cry over a prison drama with a touch of magic.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 4. The Insider (1999)

::film[The Insider|1999]

A tobacco executive turns whistleblower with the help of a 60 Minutes producer.

- **Director:** Michael Mann
- **Genre:** Thriller, Drama

**Worth it if:** you like tense true stories about journalism.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

## 5. The Sixth Sense (1999)

::film[The Sixth Sense|1999]

A child psychologist tries to help a frightened boy who says he sees dead people.

- **Director:** M. Night Shyamalan
- **Genre:** Thriller, Horror

**Worth it if:** you want a chilling thriller with a famous twist.

**Oscars:** Nominated: Best Picture

# What won Best Picture at the 2000 Oscars?

American Beauty won Best Picture at the 2000 Oscars, and Sam Mendes won Best Director for his first feature film.

# Which one is your favorite?

Pick your favorite on Rankiew: rate every film, write reviews, build lists and start clubs to talk movies with friends.

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**More from the series:** [Oscars 2025: every nominee and winner, category by category](/blog/oscars-2025-all-nominees)