Golden Raspberry Awards
Golden Raspberry Award | |
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![]() The Golden Raspberry Award statuette. | |
Awarded for | Failure in cinematic achievements |
Country | United States |
Presented by | Golden Raspberry Award Foundation |
First awarded | March 31, 1981 |
Website | razzies |
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known in short terms as Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzie Awards' satirical annual ceremony has preceded its polar opposite, the coveted Academy Awards, for four decades. The term raspberry is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry". The statuette itself is a golf ball-sized raspberry atop a mangled Super 8 mm film reel spray-painted gold, with an estimated street value of $4.97. This is an award that encourages well-known filmmakers and top notch performers to "own their bad."
The first Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held on March 31, 1981, at John J. B. Wilson's living-room alcove in Hollywood, to honor the worst films of the 1980 film season. The 39th ceremony was held on February 23, 2019.
Contents
History[edit]
American publicist John J. B. Wilson traditionally held potluck parties at his home in Hollywood on the night of the Academy Awards.[1] In 1981, after the 53rd Academy Awards had completed for the evening, Wilson invited friends to give random award presentations in his living room.[1][2] Wilson decided to hold the event, after seeing a 99-cent double feature of Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu.[3] He gave attendees ballots to vote on the worst.[3] Wilson stood at a podium made of cardboard in a tacky tuxedo, with a foam ball attached to a broomstick as a fake microphone, and announced Can't Stop the Music as the first Golden Raspberry Award Winner for Worst Picture.[3][4] The impromptu ceremony was a success and the following week a press release about his event was picked up by a few local newspapers, including a mention in the Los Angeles Daily News with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please".[1][2][4]
Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards.[4] The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance, and the 3rd awards ceremony had doubled that number.[4] By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN and two major wire services covered the event.[1] "We finally figured out you couldn't compete with the Oscars on Oscar night, but if you went the night before, when the press from all over the world are here and they are looking for something to do, it could well catch on," Wilson told BBC News.[1]
Format[edit]
Members of the Golden Raspberry Award Organization (composed of film journalists, filmmakers and very opinionated film buffs from around the world) vote to determine the recipients.[5] Voting members hail from all 50 U.S. states and every continent with the exception of Antarctica.

The ceremony is modeled after the Academy Awards but done with deliberate intent to be low end and tacky.
Recipients who have accepted their award[edit]
Recipients who have accepted their Golden Raspberry Award include Tom Green (Worst Actor/Worst Director), Halle Berry[6][7] and Sandra Bullock (Worst Actress), Michael Ferris, J. D. Shapiro (Worst Screenplay), Paul Verhoeven (Worst Director), eight-time Oscar Winner Alan Menken, Dinesh D'Souza, Fifty Shades of Grey Producers Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.
Contenders for worst and best[edit]
Several people have gotten Razzie nominations for being the worst at the same time they got nominations from other organizations for being the best.
Razzie and Oscar[edit]
Three people won both the Razzies and Oscars the same weekend: Alan Menken in 1993, Brian Helgeland in 1998, and Sandra Bullock in 2010, although all three for different films.[8] Two actors had performances in the same movie scoring Oscar and Razzie nominations, James Coco (Only When I Laugh) and Amy Irving (Yentl).[9] The Aerosmith song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", as part of the original soundtrack to the 1998 film Armageddon, was nominated for both an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song, as was the Trisha Yearwood song "How Do I Live" from the 1997 film Con Air and the Tony Bennett song "Life in a Looking Glass" from the 1986 film That's Life!.
Wall Street (1987) is the only film to date to win both an Oscar and a Razzie. Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor,[10] however Daryl Hannah's performance was not as well received, which earned her a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.
Razzie and Golden Globe[edit]
Neil Diamond, winner of the inaugural Worst Actor Razzie for 1980's The Jazz Singer, was nominated for the Golden Globe in the same role.
Razzie and Saturn Award[edit]
In 1981, Stanley Kubrick was nominated both for a Razzie Award as Worst Director at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards[11] as well as for a Saturn Award for Best Director at the 8th Saturn Awards[12] for the same film: The Shining. In 2002, Natalie Portman was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress and for the Saturn Award for Best Actress for the same role in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.[13] Cassandra Peterson was nominated for Worst Actress at the 9th Golden Raspberry Awards and for Best Actress at the 16th Saturn Awards for her role as Elvira in the 1988 film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.
Razzie and international awards[edit]
In 2017, Darren Aronofsky, director of Mother! was nominated for both the Worst Director Razzie at the 38th Golden Raspberry Awards and the Golden Lion at the 74th Venice International Film Festival.[14][15]
Categories[edit]
Current Awards
- Worst Picture: 1980 to present
- Worst Director: 1980 to present
- Worst Actor: 1980 to present
- Worst Actress: 1980 to present
- Worst Supporting Actor: 1980 to present
- Worst Supporting Actress: 1980 to present
- Worst Screenplay: 1980 to present
- Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel: 1994 to present, except 1996 and 1999
- Worst Screen Combo: 2013 to present
- The Razzie Redeemer Award: 2014 to present
Retired
- Worst Original Song: 1980 to 1999, 2002
- Worst New Star: 1981 to 1998, except 1989
- Worst Musical Score: 1981 to 1985
- Worst Visual Effects: 1986 to 1987
- Worst Screen Couple: 1994 to 2009, 2011 to 2012
- Worst Screen Couple/Worst Screen Ensemble: 2010
- Worst Screen Ensemble: 2011 to 2012
Special categories[edit]
Special categories have also been introduced for specific years. Such special awards include:
Anniversary Awards[edit]
Every decade-closing ceremony includes an award for the worst actors and movies of the decade—though the 2000 ceremony put the actors as worst of the 20th century instead. Special prizes for the 25th anniversary of the Razzies awards were also given out in 2005.
Other types of awards[edit]
The Razzie Redeemer Award[edit]
The Razzie Redeemer Award is presented to a former nominee or winner who has subsequently made a come back from critical and/or commercial failure. The award was introduced in 2014. Winners include Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, A Safe Hollywood-Haven, and Melissa McCarthy.
Worst Career Achievement[edit]
This award has been given five times, to Ronald Reagan in 1981, to Linda Blair in 1983, to Irwin Allen in 1985, to "Bruce the Rubber Shark" from Jaws[19] in 1987, and to director Uwe Boll[20] in 2009 who received this for his achievement as "Germany's answer to Ed Wood".
Governor's Award[edit]
This is a special award given by Razzie Award Governor John J. B. Wilson to an individual whose achievements are not covered by the Razzies' other categories. It was awarded in 2003 to Travis Payne for "Distinguished Under-Achievement in Choreography" in the film From Justin to Kelly.[21]
Barry L. Bumstead Award[edit]
This award is given to a critical and financial failure that would've been nominated if it had received an eligible release. It was awarded in 2015 to United Passions,[22][23] to Misconduct in 2016,[24] in 2017 to CHiPs and in 2018 to Billionaire Boys Club.
Ceremonies[edit]
- 1980: 1st Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1981: 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1982: 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1983: 4th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1984: 5th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1985: 6th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1986: 7th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1987: 8th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1988: 9th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1989: 10th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1990: 11th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1991: 12th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1992: 13th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1993: 14th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1994: 15th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1995: 16th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1996: 17th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1997: 18th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1998: 19th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 1999: 20th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2000: 21st Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2001: 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2002: 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2003: 24th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2004: 25th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2005: 26th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2006: 27th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2007: 28th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2008: 29th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2009: 30th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2010: 31st Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2011: 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2012: 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2013: 34th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2014: 35th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2015: 36th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2016: 37th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2017: 38th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2018: 39th Golden Raspberry Awards
- 2019: 40th Golden Raspberry Awards
Criticism[edit]
The Razzies have received criticism, including from news sources such as Indiewire [25] and The Daily Telegraph,[26] for several issues, including that members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation are not required to watch the nominated movies,[25] and that seemingly anyone can join the Golden Raspberry Foundation, so long as they pay a paltry $40,[25] which is different from the invitation-only Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[27] Critics take issue with the Razzies picking "easy targets" and mainstream films instead of those perceived as less popular but more deserving productions,[28] continuing to appeal to celebrities, seemingly for publicity and attention, over other, worthier films and performances.[25]
Sam Adams of Indiewire has said the Razzies are "like hecklers hurling insults at comedians or a concertgoer yelling out 'Whoo!' during a quiet song, they're not-so-secretly crying out to be noticed. The Razzies, properly enough, avoid pouncing on the little guy; they don't trash no-budget indies no one has seen for having bad lighting or terrible sound".[25] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph has said "the Razzies' ongoing failure to train its sights on anything but the most obvious targets means it grows more tired and redundant by the year".[26] CraveOnline's William Bibbiani stated that the Razzies follow "a cheap shot of pranksterism", and "with only a handful of exceptions, only seen fit to nominate the most infamous movies of the year, and not necessarily the worst."[28]
See also[edit]
- Academy Awards
- Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
- The Golden Turkey Awards
- List of films considered the worst
- List of people who have accepted Golden Raspberry Awards
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Lindrea, Victoria (25 February 2007). "Blowing raspberries at Tinseltown". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ a b Larsen, Peter (20 January 2005). "The Morning Read – So bad, they're almost good – A love of movies lies behind the Razzies". The Orange County Register. p. 1.
- ^ a b c Germain, David (Associated Press) (26 February 2005). "25 Years of Razzing Hollywood's Stinkers". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel Company. p. 7D.
- ^ a b c d Marder, Jenny (26 February 2005). "Razzin' The Dregs of Hollywood Dreck – Film: Cerritos' John Wilson Marks His Golden Raspberry Awards' 25th Year With A Guide To Cinematic Slumming". Long Beach Press-Telegram. p. A1.
- ^ Marrs, John (25 February 2009). "'They have no excuse to be as bad as they are' – The Golden Raspberry awards aren't just a refreshing antidote to the Oscars, they can help sell films too. John Marrs talks to the Razzies' founder, John Wilson". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
- ^ Bushby, Helen (27 February 2005). "Berry gets worst actress Razzie". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ Razzie Channel (13 January 2011), Halle Berry accepts her RAZZIE® Award, retrieved 23 May 2016
- ^ "Razzie Award nominations: Can Sandra Bullock win worst AND best actress?". Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ "Quiz: Which role was nominated for a Razzie and an Oscar?". 26 January 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ Gorney, Cynthia (12 April 1988). "Douglas and Cher Win Acting Honors". Washington Post.
- ^ [Razzie Awards (1981) Razzie Awards for 1981] at IMDB.com
- ^ Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA on IMDB.com
- ^ Awards for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones on IMDb
- ^ "Mother! (2017 Film) Background | GradeSaver". www.gradesaver.com.
- ^ Murrian, Samuel R. (8 August 2017). "Watch: Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Pfeiffer in the Nerve-Jangling Mother Trailer". Parade.
- ^ Chris Tookey (21 February 2011). "Over-priced, over-hyped – and they even make you feel ill. Are 3-D films the biggest rip-off in cinema history?". Daily Mail. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- ^ "M Night Shyamalan's Last Airbender wins Razzie Awards". BBC News. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
- ^ "38th Razzie Award "Winners" Announced". Rotten Tomatoes. 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- ^ Razzies.com, visited 2007-04-30.
- ^ John Wilson (21 January 2009). "Razzies 2008 Nominees for Worst Career Achievement". Retrieved 22 January 2009.
- ^ "Razzies.com – Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation". razzies.com. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ "Razzie Awards Mock 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' Redeem Sylvester Stallone". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ^ Razzie Channel (20 April 2016), 36th Razzie's – Barry L Bumstead Award Goes To…United Passions!, retrieved 24 February 2017
- ^ Heller, Corrine. "Razzies 2017 Winners Announced: Batman v Superman "Loses" Worst Picture But Still "Wins" Big". E Online. E!. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Sam Adams (5 January 2015). "Why the Razzies Are the Worst Awards Ever". Criticwire.
- ^ a b "Why I hate the Razzies". Telegraph.co.uk. 1 March 2016.
- ^ "How to Become a Member". Oscars.org – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^ a b "Which Easy Targets Did The Razzies Pick This Year? - CraveOnline". 13 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
External links[edit]
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