The Razzies, formally referred to as the Golden Raspberry Awards, is a semi-parodic award ceremony that highlights the worst accomplishments in film. It originated in the living room of publicist John J. B. Wilson and quickly became a popular trend that was eventually covered by major news organizations. The Razzies have more or less the same categories as the Academy Awards, with some significant differences.
Interestingly, not every person awarded a Razzie has rejected the “honor.” These include actors Sandra Bullock and Halle Berry, director Paul Verhoeven, and composer Alan Menken (better known for his eight Academy Awards). The Razzie Awards are fun, tongue-in-cheek, and patently irreverent, but there have been several nominations that just don’t fit the bill.
10 Worst Screenplay Nomination: Despite Critical Disapproval, Annie (1982) Was A Hit With Audiences
The Broadway musical version of Annie swept the Tony Awards in 1977, winning seven out of ten nominations. In comparison, the movie version obtained a lukewarm reception, garnering only a few nominations at the Oscars and Golden Globes.
Despite critical disapproval, Annie (1982) was a hit with audiences, earning a place among the ten highest-grossing films of 1982. And yet, Annie was nominated for Worst Screenplay at the Razzies, as well as Worst Director, Supporting Actress, and Director. Aileen Quinn won her Razzie for playing the adorable title character, which was even more shocking.
9 Worst Actress Nomination: Jennifer Lawrence Embodies Her Role In Mother! (2017) To Pitch-Perfection
Darren Aronofsky’s maverick style of filmmaking is well-known. Many of his movies are widely acclaimed, including Requiem For a Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010), and The Wrestler (2008). Mother! (2017), on the other hand, was so bizarre that it completely alienated most viewers, in part due to its controversial allusions to religion. What’s inconceivable is that Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for a Worst Actress Razzie. The Washington Post stated that “Lawrence’s magnetic powers can’t keep Mother! from going off the rails.”
8 Worst Actor Nomination: Barbra Streisand’s Performance As The Title Character In Yentl (1983) Is Engaging
Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is a short story by Nobel Prize-winner Isaac Bashevis Singer adapted to cinema in the form of a quasi-romcom musical directed by and starring Barbra Streisand. Yentl (1983) was a financial triumph, with most reviewers directing their praises at Streisand’s directorial vision.
Streisand subsequently obtained the Golden Globe for Best Director. Her acting performance may not have been as popular with critics, but Streisand most certainly didn’t deserve a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor (the gender disparity is because Yentl spends most of the movie disguised as a man).
7 Worst Picture Nomination: Friday the 13th (1980) Is The Origin Point Of The Slasher Subgenre
Friday the 13th (1980) looks like a cheesy mishmash of slasher movie tropes, but only if one doesn’t account for the fact that this movie is the origin point of the slasher subgenre itself. Contemporary critics panned Friday the 13th, but it has accrued a significant cult following over the past few decades.
The movie fared spectacularly at the box office, proving that there are occasions, however rare when viewers realize the value of novel cinema more than reviewers. Friday the 13th‘s Worst Picture nomination at the first-ever Golden Raspberry Awards seems almost comical in hindsight.
6 Worst Director Nomination: The Wachowskis Achieved What They Set Out To Do In The Matrix Reloaded And The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Matrix (1999) is an era-defining movie in every sense of the term. It introduced audiences to a bleak world controlled by machines, but one whose human inhabitants refuse to sacrifice their existence, no matter how despondent it might be. The sequels were comparatively less appreciated by both audiences and critics, many of who consider them to be impoverished extensions of the original. Regardless, the Wachowskis managed to achieve what they set out to do in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). As such, their nomination for Worst Director is thoroughly unwarranted.
5 Worst Actress Nomination: Faye Dunaway’s Joan Crawford In Mommie Dearest (1981) Was Admired Even By The Movie’s Harshest Critics
Faye Dunaway is one of the most accomplished actresses of her generation, receiving three Golden Globes, an Oscar, an Emmy, and a BAFTA award for various performances. Unfortunately, her role as legendary Hollywood actress Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981) raised more than a few critical eyebrows.
Mommie Dearest earned a whopping nine nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards, winning five. Faye Dunaway’s Worst Actress win is inexplicable given that even the harshest critics admired her performance.
4 Worst Sequel Nomination: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Satisfied Most Fans Of The Franchise
Wonder Woman (2017) was released to general acclaim — critics enthusiastically commended Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Diana Prince as well as Patty Jenkins’ directing style. The sequel, Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), wasn’t nearly as fortunate.
With that said, Wonder Woman 1984 takes “some big swings,” “offering enough vibrant escapism to satisfy fans of the franchise.” Many sequels are notorious for failing to reach the precedents set by their predecessors, but nominating Wonder Woman 1984 for a Worst Sequel Razzie doesn’t do justice to either the story or its protagonist.
3 Worst Picture Nomination: The Blair Witch Project (1999) Redefined The Very Meaning Of Horror
The Blair Witch Project (1999) kindled the fading embers of the found-footage subgenre into a raging cinematic inferno, eventually giving rise to countless copycats, tributes, parodies, and meta-mockumentaries.
The Blair Witch Project turned out to be ludicrously successful, making nearly $250 million — thousands of times its paltry production budget. Reviewers applauded it for reframing the concept of horror with its “avant-garde artifacts,” so a Golden Raspberry Worst Picture nomination for The Blair Witch Project makes less than zero sense.
2 Worst Actress Nomination: The Shining (1980) Falls Apart Without Shelley Duvall’s Wendy Torrance
Stephen King admittedly disliked Kubrick’s adaptation of his 1977 novel because the film departs heavily from the author’s thematic vision. Regardless, The Shining (1980) is currently recognized as one of the best movies made in the 80s.
The film’s visceral tension, blood-curdling cinematography, and Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance have been particularly praised. On the contrary, Shelley Duvall’s riveting performance in The Shining earned her a Razzie nomination for Best Actress. Wendy Torrance is the perfect antithesis to her husband Jack’s manic frenzies — the entire narrative falls apart without her integral presence.
1 Worst Original Song: AC/DC’s Big Gun Evokes The Passion And Intensity Of The Band’s Earlier Work In Last Action Hero (1993)
Last Action Hero (1993) is a parody of the action movie genre. But even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star-power wasn’t potent enough to save this spoof from critical contempt — the film couldn’t recoup its budget at the box office.
However, Last Action Hero‘s soundtrack included songs by Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, as well as AC/DC, arguably among the most important rock bands in history. AC/DC’s “Big Gun” evokes the passion and intensity of the band’s earlier work, even if the song isn’t as memorable. In any case, it doesn’t merit a Razzie nomination for Worst Original Song.
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