The Academy Awards are this Sunday, and people are placing bets and getting generally riled up about who will be taking home Oscars. If time has taught us anything, however, it's that it's best to keep your cool this time of year, because in like 10 years you are going to be seriously embarrassed about that 'American Beauty' movie poster you had in your bedroom in high school. Ugh. Why?! Of course, that's not the only time Oscar fever has led people to get caught up in something that is actually quite embarrassing. Here are a few of our favorite examples.

  • 1

    Ghost

    Paramount
    Paramount
    loading...

    HAHAHA YES! It's hard to believe (despite the poster's insistence) that 'Ghost' was actually nominated for Best Film. If you don't understand why, try to imagine yourself relating the plot to somebody. Include the actors' names.

  • 2

    Jerry Maguire

    TriStar
    TriStar
    loading...

    How good you thought 'Jerry Maguire' was is actually just how good Cameron Crowe is at manipulating your emotions. People were crazy about this movie. CRAZY. Not that we're all complaints -- if Crowe hadn't wrapped his hands around all of the heartstrings, we would have never gotten Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s amazing acceptance speech. He also may never have made 'Snow Dogs.' Also, remember Mira Sorvino? The last time anyone saw her was on an episode of 'House.'

  • 3

    Titanic

    Paramount
    Paramount
    loading...

    15 years later, thinking about how badly we wanted to see this movie still makes us cringe. Now even Kate Winslet admits she wasn't very good. That doesn't mean if you pointed a letter opener at our throats we wouldn't be able to sing at least part of the (Oscar-winning) Celine Dion song.

  • 4

    Shakespeare in Love

    Miramax
    Miramax
    loading...

    How did this beat 'Saving Private Ryan' for Best Picture again? It probably boils down to people like old timey dresses and mild British accents. This movie was charming, but do you actually even remember it?

  • 5

    The Sixth Sense

    Hollywood Pictures
    Hollywood Pictures
    loading...

    When this movie was nominated for best picture, we were all like "Yeah! It was so good the way that M. Night Shyamalan guy tricked us." Little did we know how many more lame tricks he had in store. Maybe that was the biggest trick of all.

  • 6

    American Beauty

    DreamWorks
    DreamWorks
    loading...

    This movie is actually pretty hilarious, if we could just do away with the neighbor with a camcorder thing. Unfortunately, at the time that flying piece of garbage totally enthralled everybody, and now we will have to be embarrassed forever.

  • 7

    Crash

    Lionsgate
    Lionsgate
    loading...

    We never liked this movie. Much like we never liked being beaten over the head with a large rubber mallet.

  • 8

    Juno

    Fox Searchlight Pictures
    Fox Searchlight Pictures
    loading...

    Here's a line from this movie: "This is your third test today, Mama Bear. Your eggo is preggo, no doubt about it!"

    Watching this movie is like reading a passage from the world's most annoying blog. Only it's 96 minutes long instead of five paragraphs.

  • 9

    Avatar

    20th Century Fox
    20th Century Fox
    loading...

    James Cameron did it again! The lesson to be learned here is don't fall for anything this man has made unless it's 'True Lies' or anything he made before 'True Lies.' Otherwise you will soon find yourself feeling like a gigantic idiot.

More From TheFW