6 Best Oscar Best Original Screenplay Winning Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 10, 2026

The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay has crowned some of cinema’s most inventive, incisive, and boundary-pushing storytelling. In Pulp Fiction (1994): The lives of two hitmen, a boxer, and a gangster’s wife intertwine in a nonlinear tale of crime and redemption. Another standout is The Usual Suspects (1995): A small-time con man recounts an elaborate story of a heist gone wrong to a skeptical customs agent.

Get Out (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 98% Metacritic 85

A young Black man visiting his white girlfriend's family estate uncovers a horrifying secret.

Directed by Jordan Peele · 1h 44m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar154 wins & 214 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, FXNow, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 93% Metacritic 89

A heartbroken man undergoes a procedure to erase all memories of his former girlfriend, with unexpected consequences.

Directed by Michel Gondry · 1h 48m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar73 wins & 111 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Beauty (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 87% Metacritic 84

A suburban father's midlife crisis and unexpected job loss trigger a radical reevaluation of his life.

Directed by Sam Mendes · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars112 wins & 102 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Usual Suspects (1995)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 87% Metacritic 76

A small-time con man recounts an elaborate story of a heist gone wrong to a skeptical customs agent.

Directed by Bryan Singer · 1h 46m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars37 wins & 17 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Pulp Fiction (1994)

IMDb ★ 8.8 RT 92% Metacritic 95

The lives of two hitmen, a boxer, and a gangster's wife intertwine in a nonlinear tale of crime and redemption.

Directed by Quentin Tarantino · 2h 34m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar69 wins & 72 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Network (1976)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 90% Metacritic 83

A washed-up news anchor's on-air breakdown is cynically exploited by network executives desperate for ratings.

Directed by Sidney Lumet · 2h 02m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars20 wins & 27 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Original Screenplay Winning Movies

Get Out (2017)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

American Beauty (1999)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Network (1976)

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