Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Endlessly Rewatchable’ Perfect Movie Lost to Kevin Costner at the Oscars

Guillermo del Toro calls Goodfellas perfect, but it did not win Best Picture at the Oscars. Here’s why the Academy favored Dances With Wolves.

Left Image Via Warner Bros. , Right Image Via MGM

Guillermo del Toro considered Goodfellas to be a perfect movie, but it lost the Best Picture award at the Oscars to Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves in 1991. Martin Scorsese’s hard-hitting mob drama being beaten by a Western epic became one of the most controversial outcomes in the Academy’s history.

It was Costner’s debut behind the camera and featured a heartfelt historical saga. On the other hand, Goodfellas was a movie that redefined gangster movies and inspired a new generation of directors. In a statement to Far Out Magazine, here’s what del Toro said about Scorsese’s crime classic:

A movie that can be rewatched endlessly and remains fresh and surprising. Perfect in every aspect, behind and in front of the camera.

The director’s high praise only reinforces what cinephiles have believed for a long time about Goodfellas being a cinematic revolution. So why didn’t it win? Let’s break it down.

Why the Oscars Favored Kevin Costner’s Western Over Goodfellas

Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves | Credits: Tig Productions

At the 1991 Oscars, Dances With Wolves swooped in and won 7 awards out of 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Kevin Costner’s tale of a Union soldier who learns the ways of the Lakota Sioux tribe was a romanticized yet sincere look at America’s past.

At the time, this premise resonated with the Academy’s taste for an emotional narrative set against a grand and historical backdrop. Moreover, Costner, being both the first-time director and the leading man in the movie, made for a great underdog tale.

The movie’s message of unity, redemption, and hope checked the box for all the sentiment that tends to perform well with Academy voters, especially when you compare it to violent narratives like Goodfellas, because Martin Scorsese’s directorial work was provocative, with profanity-laden dialogues.

While critics and cinephiles admired the film, many Academy members, especially older voters, may have found it too jarring. It wasn’t an ‘Oscar-friendly’ movie, and won just one Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci.

Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas Receives High Praise From Guillermo del Toro

Robert De Niro in Goodfellas | Credits: Warner Bros

Years after the Oscar night, Goodfellas has not only solidified its place in cinema’s history, but also influenced some of the best filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro. He has been a vocal admirer of the movie, who believes that through the feature, Martin Scorsese gave “birth to the 21st century in one of the most influential films of the last two decades.” 

And that’s no exaggeration, because from the opening scene to its explosive finale, Goodfellas changed how we view storytelling. The non-linear structure mirrored Henry’s chaotic mind, and the movie wasn’t just about the mob; it felt like the mob!

Scorsese’s direction was both innovative and immersive, and some of his shots from Goodfellas are still referenced for teaching film students. More than three decades after the Oscar showdown, the movie remains an undisputed classic. So, what do you think, did the Academy get it wrong?

You can watch Goodfellas on Peacock Premium and Dances with Wolves on Pluto TV (USA).