Sometimes a Hollywood A-lister, known for their enormous acting range, can bring down an entire film. Nicholas Cage’s appalling and overacted melodrama in “The Wicker Man” has been listed as one of the worst performances in all of showbiz history. There has been some defense for Cage’s acting, stating that the nature of the film called for it. All in all, “The Wicker Man” was a cinematic failure.
It failed to generate enough box office sales to completely cover its budget. Furthermore, the film received five nominations for Worst Movie, Worst Actor (to Cage), Worst Screenplay, and Worst Remake.
“The Emojis Movie”
Considering the source material for this film, we’re really surprised they managed to come up with a storyline at all. With that in mind, it is not unexpected that the film was awarded not just one Golden Raspberry but four Golden Raspberry wins, including awards for the Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.
As said, we’re in no way surprised. What can you expect from a film that tries to put together a story based on the emoticons that have become part of daily messaging? It broke another record – being the first animated film to win a Golden Razzie.
“Morbius”
Okay…okay…before all the “Morbius” fans start taking out their pitchforks, it is true that the Golden Raspberries have not been decided for 2022 yet. Considering that this film, with a budget of $80 million, has landed itself five Golden Raspberry nominations, it is without question that “Morbius” is a cinematic failure.
So, the film fans can just pack away their pitchforks for now…until the end of March. Currently, it is up for Worst Actor, Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Let’s just hope it doesn’t win all of them because there are some good contenders this year.
“Battlefield Earth”
Even some of the greatest actors have starred in some of the worst movies. Sometimes, those movies are so bad that their career never fully recovers. The same could not be truer for John Travolta, who, up until “Battlefield Earth,” had had a stellar career. Then came “Battlefield Earth,” and we all wished the actor could remove it from his credentials.
Sadly, Travolta couldn’t just blame it on the production of the movie. The actor scooped his own Golden Razzie for Worst Actor, while the film was nominated for eight Razzies and walked away with seven wins.
“Can’t Stop the Music”
This film may have disappeared from popular cultural memory, but any list of cinematic failures of Golden Raspberries needs to pay homage to the past, and a not better example would be the very first movie to claim the Golden Raspberry trophy. While there certainly have been grander failures than this Village People backstory, it was the first winner of the Golden Razzie for Worst Picture.
It also was a complete flop at the box office. Its budget was $20 million, but the film only managed to bring in a tenth of that---maybe its Razzie win was deserved.
The “Twilight” Franchise
At the 31st, 32nd, and 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremonies, installments from the “Twilight” franchise, such as “Eclipse,” “Breaking Dawn: Part 1”, and “Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” respectively, landed themselves nominations for the Worst Picture. And then, finally, at the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, “Breaking Dawn: Part 2” won the award as the worst picture, forever cementing the franchise’s reputation as being one of the worst.
Actor Taylor Lautner and actress Kristin Stewart didn’t help matters as they scooped their own awards for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Actress, as well as nominations in previous years.
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Director, Michael Bay, can only get down on his knees and thank director Dennis Dugan for releasing “Jack and Jill” in 2011, the same year that he released the third installment of his “Transformers” franchise, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” Despite its $200 million budget, it did not save the film from being nominated for eight Golden Raspberries, including Worst Picture and Worst Cast nominations.
Is it a coincidence that Shia LeBeouf also quit the franchise afterward? Probably not. However, the film earned over $1.124 billion at the box office, so Bay couldn’t have minded the nominations too much.
“The Postman”
Many of you might have forgotten this film, but we know one person who hasn’t – Kevin Costner. As Costner was none other than the movie’s main actor and director, the Hollywood actor probably hopes that no one remembers the 18th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony. Though there were plenty of awful bad contenders in 1998, such as “Anaconda” and “Batman & Robin,” for the five nominations “The Postman” received, it won every one of them.
And considering that Costner narrowly escaped taking home a Golden Razzie for “Waterworld,” the actor should probably listen to his agent – or hire a new one.
“The Scarlett Letter”
Considering that the film stars the likes of critically acclaimed Gary Oldman and Robert Duvall and since it is based on the classic novel by the same name, you would have expected this film to have been nominated for Golden Globes and Oscars.
Sadly, it earned four nominations for Golden Raspberry awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screenplay (that should be no black mark against Nathaniel Hawthorne as it was loosely based on the source material). Sorry, Hawthorne – perhaps, Hollywood will do better next time.
“Movie 43”
Since this movie is technically not a movie but an anthology of films, it could be said that “Movie 43” should have walked away with 14 Worst Picture awards – one for each of its terrible short films. Even the title “Movie 43” suggests there was not much thought into coming up with something that could connect the entire anthology together.
What is more indicative of the film’s subsequent failure was that it took a decade simply to get into production, and several of its original cast did everything to escape from starring in the film.
“Waterworld”
This may remind you very much of another dystopian movie based on earth, but this one is much wetter and drenched in terrible dialogue and acting. The plot of the movie is relatively straightforward – the icecaps have melted, and earth is one big sea, and the main character is roped into a quest of finding dry land.
Even its budget of $175 million more than 20 years ago could not redeem Kevin Costner’s film “Waterworld.” During the 16th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, “Waterworld” earned four nominations, and Dennis Hopper managed to take the Golden Razzie home for Worst Supporting Actor.
“The Lone Ranger”
Originally, this film was intended to pay respect to a classic Western film of the same name. We’re pretty sure that the original wants no connection to this remake. For one thing, we’re not quite sure the main actor, Johnny Depp, knows what film he is supposed to be in. He might have believed he was on the set for another of the “Pirates” franchise, but somehow ended up on dry land and the farthest from water and a boat.
“The Lone Ranger,” the 2013 remake, picked up five nominations for Golden Raspberries, winning the Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel award.
“Inchon”
There is only one consolation for the producers and director of the film “Inchon” – and that is that it was not nominated for the most Golden Raspberries in 1983. As said, it is the only consolation. Apart from it taking home Golden Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Director (tie with “The Pirate Movie”), Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay, the epic-war film based on the Battle of Inchon has gone down in history as one of biggest box office flops in all of showbiz history.
Despite its budget of $46 million in 1983, the film brought in a lousy $5.2 million.
“After Earth”
Nepotism doesn’t always pay. In fact, nepotism rarely pays. Though director M. Night" Shyamalan has given us “Signs” and “The Sixth Sense,” he also gave us “After Earth” and an unhealthy dose of nepotism. Will Smith gave us one of his worst acting performances to date, but that is nothing compared to his son’s, Jaden Smith’s, performance.
It was so bad it was that Jaden Smith’s acting career never truly took off, and only recently has Will Smith’s career made a bit of a comeback, but Smith may have blown that chance after his handclapping performance at the Oscars last year.
“Armageddon”
Michael Bay films are often well-loved by audiences and the Golden Raspberries. “Armageddon” is no exception. No matter how many Golden Razzie nominees the said film manages to collect, audiences will flock to watch the Bay blockbuster. The film still grossed $550 million at the box office.
At the 19th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, “Armageddon” was nominated for a total of seven nominations, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (which Bruce Willis won the award for), Worst Actress, and Worst Song. Ironically, Aerosmith’s iconic “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was also nominated for an Oscar.
“Rambo: First Blood Part II”
Admittedly, 1985 was not a good year for Sylvester Stallone. Between “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rocky IV,” the films managed to earn 16 Golden Razzie nominations. At least “Rocky IV” helped out “Rambo: First Blood Part II” by taking home more awards.
Unfortunately, it could not save the latter film from taking home the Worst Picture award. Stallone won the Worst Actor for his role in both movies. Though they were cinematic failures in the eyes of the Golden Razzies, both movies brought in $300 million apiece.
“Wild Wild West”
Many of us have fond memories of “Wicky Wicky Wild West.” Maybe that was quite an exaggeration with the word “fond,” but we certainly have memories of the motion picture’s song that was performed by none other than the main actor. While western-steampunk movies are just outright exciting, “Wild Wild West” – the film – left a similar impression as the motion picture song – we were none too impressed.
Unsurprisingly, at the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film received nine nominations and won five of them, including Worst Picture and Worst Director. Sadly, the western-steampunk genre hasn’t quite seen a revival again.
“Swept Away”
Even the great British director Guy Richie, who is known for adding a unique spin to the gangster genre, could not make a great actress out of Madonna. Instead, it was Madonna’s terrible acting abilities that forever tainted Richie’s directing career, earning him the Worst Director award at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony.
The film also picked up Worst Picture, Worst Actress, and Worst Screen Couple. Perhaps, Richie was out of his depth directing a romantic adventure, but we blame the singer as her win of the Golden Razzie was determined by her performance in “Die Another Day.”
“Catwoman”
We must give Halle Berry credit for turning up to accept her Golden Razzie award as Worst Actress. Berry had just blown us away with her stellar performance in “Monster’s Ball,” so we know that “Catwoman” was not a reflection of her true acting abilities, but the film simply dazzled at the 25th Golden Razzies.
It also picked up awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Still not convinced, it also walked away with a handful of Stinker Awards. A major pitfall of the film was its terrible dialogue trying to incorporate cat puns during action scenes.
The “Fifty Shades” Franchise
Honestly, we are quite impressed with this one. Unlike the fan fiction on which the “Fifty Shades” franchise was based, the “Fifty Shades” franchise got stronger with every film, whereas the same could not be said for the films of its fan-fiction predecessor. That being said, the first film, “Fifty Shades of Gray” was the perfect example of a movie that is a cracker at the box office for its explicit content but struggles to dazzle the critics.
At the 36th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, the film earned itself Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst Onscreen Couple.
“The Last Airbender”
Considering “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was an entertaining but surprisingly intelligent story about three children who go on an incredible adventure, it is quite unexpected that, as a film, it received such poor critical reception. Director M. Night Shyamalan cannot go and blame it on poor source material, which so many other films can make a case for.
It went home with Golden Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Director. If you think the Golden Raspberries are being particularly harsh, then what will you say when you hear that Rotten Tomato critics gave the film 5%?
“Freddy Got Fingered”
From the title of this motion picture, we’re guessing that the film wasn’t intended to change people’s lives or send its audience members a heartfelt message. It had one purpose – to be a goofy, light-hearted, but crude comedy. And perhaps, the crude element was what landed it a total of eight Golden Razzie nominations.
At the ceremony on March 23, 2002, “Freddy Got Fingered” won five of those eight, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Onscreen Couple, and Worst Director. One honorable mention of the film is that actor/director Tom Green demonstrated good sportsmanship and collected his awards.
“Pearl Harbor”
Generally, epic war movies are treated with some regard that puts them safely out of the hands of Golden Raspberry nominations. Not when they are directed by Michael Bay. The LA director may strike gold at the box office, but he is a familiar contender for Golden Raspberries.
The only thing that saved “Pearl Harbor” from scooping in a handful of awards for the war epic was that there were seriously terrible movies that year including Tom Green’s “Freddy Got Fingered” and Mariah Carey’s one serious attempt at acting in “Glitter.” “Pearl Harbor” was still nominated for six Golden Razzies.
“Holmes & Watson”
Any film aiming to be roughly based on the characters of Sir Arthur Conan’s Doyle that stars Will Ferrell and his partner-in-crime, John O’Reilly, is bound to raise eyebrows. And “Holmes & Watson” does that, but we can’t be sure that Doyle – what’s left of his almost 100-year-old corpse – wasn’t rolling in his grave after seeing this one.
Needless to say, “Holmes & Watson” cleaned up at the Golden Raspberries, winning the awards for Worst Picture and Worst Director for 2018. Even the box office figures show audiences weren’t too happy about their favorite detective being made a laughingstock.
“Star Trek: The Final Frontier”
Sadly, we cannot say that this was the ‘final’ film in the “Star Trek” franchise. Fortunately, the 1991 installment managed to rescue the franchise, but not after “The Final Frontier” had done some real damage two years earlier. At the 10th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, it won Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Actor. To add to the burn, it also received a nomination for Worst Picture of the Decade.
Staunch Trekkies can only sigh a breath of relief that there were much more terrible contenders for Worst Picture of the Decade, but that was a close shave.
“Hudson Hawk”
Even Hollywood A-listers such as Bruce Willis have a couple of acting credentials they wish would drop off the public’s radar. Except, the Golden Raspberry committee is always on the lookout for terrible productions. One such is a blowback to the past – “Hudson Hawk,” about a cat burglar who seems more concerned about his looks and who becomes embroiled with a criminal gang and the CIA.
At the 12th Golden Raspberries, “Hudson Hawk” received awards for the Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. The screenplay was none other than courtesy of the acting lead, Willis.
“Cool as Ice”
Truthfully, we did not have high expectations for this one. The main reason for our doubts in the first place is that the main role was played by Vanilla Ice. Now, Ice – if we can refer to him by this name – whose claim to fame was creating (or better sampling music), never made a decent musician or rapper.
A coming-to-age story about Ice playing a wannabe rapper giving a rude awakening to a sleepy American town did not set the bar high, but it failed to impress audiences even then as it was nominated for seven Golden Razzies.
“Shining Through”
For its decorated cast, this film certainly did not shine through – except unless you mean at the 13th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony. What is interesting is that the movie is set during the Second World War, but it fails to deliver a convincing storyline. And when we say fails, we mean seriously fails.
For the year 1992, the film tied with “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,” winning three awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Melanie Griffith won the award for “Shining Through” and “A Stranger Among Us” and Worst Director.
“Striptease”
R-rated movies tend to appear on the Golden Raspberry radar more than films that shy away from baring it all. And considering its name, “Striptease,” the movie pretty much shouts its explicit nature to audience members. Of course, there is some contrived plotline that involves the FBI, criminal elements, and a custody battle.
There is also Demi Moore (a regular Golden Razzie winner/nominee) and a film that struggles to know whether it is a comedy or a thriller. Speaking of Moore, the actress only got the part because she would bare all, so not much promise of exquisite acting.
“Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot”
It is hard for us to take this film seriously. And it seems like we were not the only ones. With its outrageous storyline, poor dialogue, and dismal acting, we’re hardly surprised that “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot” did not bag all the Golden Razzies for 1992. The only explanation is that the other nominees must have been really bad.
The mere fact that a mother gets away with embarrassing her son while he is trying to prevent someone from taking his life, and she ends up preventing it from happening, is just one of the aspects making this film a cinematic failure.
“Rocky IV”
What would the Golden Razzies be without Sylvester Stallone? As this New York actor has taken home the most Golden Razzie awards, it goes without saying that whatever Stallone is doing, he needs to stop doing it. One thing Stallone should not have done was “Rocky IV.”
The film won five Golden Razzies that year including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst New Star, and Worst Musical Score. Another thing that could not have made Stallone any happier was not only being awarded Worst Actor of 1985, but he was the director of “Rocky IV.”
“Gigli”
In filming history, no movie has been more unsuccessful than “Gigli,” and no film which has been more popular for being so bad. It originally drew audiences because Bennifer – Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck – were a super couple at the time, meaning numerous viewers were curious to see what the super couple had in store for them.
What they had in store for viewers was some of the worst dialog ever and cringeworthy scenes. Little wonder it scooped up at the Golden Raspberries and Stinker Awards and barely made a tenth of its budget back at the box office.
“Dirty Love”
What happens when you make an ex-playmate the lead of your romantic comedy? “Dirty Love” happens, and most audience members take a trip to the edge of their sanity. The dialog seems to fit an absurd reality dating show, while the events which take place are beyond ludicrous.
The film may not have been trying to take itself seriously, starring Jenny McCarthy and ex-model Carmen Electra, but then the creators cannot be surprised at earning Golden Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and obviously, Worst Actress.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
This film probably has divided viewers. Nolan purists who were obsessed with “The Dark Knight” trilogy struggled to see their caped crusader in Zach Snyder’s rendition. However, Zach Snyder has a loyal fanbase, and they would stick by his works no matter what. Then, there was “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and audience members were not sure what to make of it.
There are still some convinced of its merit. The Golden Raspberry committee did not have the same opinion. The movie tied with “Zoolander 2” for having the most nominations at the 37th Golden Raspberries.
“Diana: The Musical”
2022 was not a good year for film; since it was only last year, that is not good news for us. While the musical aptly called “Diana: The Musical” was aiming to capture the essence of public figure and princess Diana – or use the Princess’s fame to bring the film to glory – it failed.
It won five Golden Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Somehow, the content didn’t translate well to the musical format. Even “Space Jam 2” and “Karen” directors must have said a prayer of thanks when “Diana: The Musical” cleaned up.
“Karen”
This film was inspired by a popular meme about white women who employ all sorts of outlandish and prejudiced behavior towards black people for vindictive, discriminating means. It could have been done well. Perhaps, in the hands of a capable director and cast, this film might have done something to show us the exact nature of a Karen. But it didn’t.
The movie may have been rushed to a quick release so it could use political division to double its earnings. But all the film managed to earn was five Golden Raspberry nominations and much criticism.
“The Hottie and the Nottie”
No list of cinematic failures would be complete without “The Hottie and the Nottie.” Clearly, this production was “the Nottie” as it walked away with three Golden Razzies, including Worst Actress and Worst Onscreen Couple. Honestly, expectations were not high for this film. And it is still considered one of the worst film productions to date.
The only mystery is how it did not win the Gold Razzie for Worst Picture and Worst Director. That means there are worse films out there and bigger cinematic failures. Seriously, the bar must be really low if that is the case.
“The Lonely Lady”
A familiar name of the Golden Raspberry Awards is Pia Zadora, and to help the actress along, we have “The Lonely Lady.” Since the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, this film has gone down as one of the worst in history. Currently, the film enjoys a rating of 3.1 on IMDB and an audience score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes.
At the Golden Raspberries, it was nominated for an astounding 11 awards and managed to win six of them. At least, Zadora took it in her stride, saying, “I would have hated to be nominated and not won” (Waters, 1986).
“Howard the Duck”
We could say that Willard Huyck’s “Howard the Duck” pioneered the superhero genre as it played around with the concept of a superhero comedy. Except for one thing, the superhero is a duck from Duckworld. Considering the graphics available in 1986, unsurprisingly, it won the Golden Razzie for Worst Visual Effects.
It was not only its effects that let it down but its storyline, earning it the Golden Razzie for Worst Screenplay, Worst Picture. Huyck may not have had all his ducks in a row, but he escaped the Worst Director Award.
“The Love Guru”
No one really takes Mike Myers or Jessica Alba seriously. Since the “Austin Powers” franchise, Myers is associated with crude humor that makes use of obvious puns and inappropriate innuendos. Whereas “Austin Powers” is bad, “The Love Guru” takes these usual traits to another level, including naming a character Jacques "Le Coq" Grandé.
With its lewd storyline and inability to even subtly make a crass joke, the film won the Golden Razzie for Worst Screenplay, Worst Picture, and Worst Actor (of course, Myers). Even talented actor Ben Kingsley appeared in the film and earned a nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.
“Under the Cherry Moon”
Certainly, the title of this film promises you a compelling and tender love story. The fact that it is also a musical does not put audience members off. I mean, “La La Land” and “Grease” have both combined the romantic and musical genres. Except when you hear that the main actor is none other than a musician, Prince.
Not only is the musician the actor, but the director too. And Prince is where things go wrong for “Under the Cherry Moon.” The film walked away with five Golden Razzies tied with “Howard’s Duck” in 1986.
“Indecent Proposal”
A popular choice for the Golden Razzies is the genre of R-rated thrillers, especially the ones produced during the early 1990s. “Indecent Proposal” is one of those thrillers, as the name suggests. During the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film was nominated for seven awards and, during the ceremony, left with three of them, including Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay.
Interestingly, Demi Moore, a typical Golden Razzie contender, once again was nominated for the Worst Actress award, but it was her co-star Woody Harrelson who ended up with the Golden Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor.
“Ghosts Can’t Do It”
There was enough scandal around the relationship between the director, John Derek, and actress, Bo Derek, to make viewers’ ears prick when “Ghosts Can’t Do It.” Fortunately, for the controversial showbiz couple, the movie was so rotten – scoring only 12% on Rotten Tomatoes from audience members – viewers paid attention to something other than the couple.
The movie, with its odd supernatural but somewhat superficial appeal, left much to be desired in viewers. It earned four Golden Razzie wins, including Worst Picture and Worst Director. Interestingly, ex-president Donald Trump won a Golden Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor for his role.
“Color of Night”
What would the 1990s be without R-rated thrillers? The genre certainly became cliché during this era, but as the Golden Raspberries tended to point out – and prey on – was the lack of robust storytelling. Well, it is hard to come up with a storyline that works around all of the border bits. Well, “Color of Night” came up with one, and we promise you it won’t deliver anything convincing. Little wonder it won the Golden Razzie for Worst Picture.
Interestingly, the film also made Golden Raspberry founder John Wilson's book for “The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made”.
“Leonard Part 6”
The title doesn’t give away much, and while in some cases, that would be a good thing, in the case of “Leonard Part 6”, it’s a bad thing. Too much curiosity might just make viewers accidentally watch this movie and pray that they hadn’t.
“Leonard Part 6” is a parody espionage film featuring Bill Cosby, who was also one of the screenplay contributors. Not only did it earn several Golden Razzie nominations and wins, but it was a major box office flop. In fact, it was so bad that co-writer Bill Cosby wanted nothing to do with it.
“Showgirls”
This film is so bad, it has actually made a resurgence in popular culture for being one of those movies to watch simply because it is so bad. Elizabeth Berkley was hoping to get her big break after starring in the teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” so she took off her clothes and gave it her all.
Perhaps, she shouldn’t have tried so hard as her role felt overacted, as she was given a direct line to earning the Golden Razzies for Worst Actress and Worst New Star. Truthfully, the failure of “Showgirls” was not all Berkley’s fault.
“Cocktail”
We will overlook that Tom Cruise was only 26 in “Cocktail,” so we will forgive him for earning a Golden Razzie nomination for his performance in the film. This time, we can really say that Cruise was not working with much because, in the same year (1988), he won an Oscar for his performance in “Rain Man.”
While the title implies the story is supposed to be about bartenders, it ends up being about the shallow and empty lives of the rich and the supposed bartenders who seduce them. Lacking a compelling storyline, the film won two Golden Razzies.
“Basic Instinct 2”
The first one was controversial enough, and despite earning a few Golden Razzie nominations, it managed to escape gracefully, with some film critics coming to its defense. Nonetheless, the first one remained on shaky ground, which was quickly dismantled by its sequel.
The first one was a huge success at the box office. The second one struggled to make half of its own budget. And then, at the 27th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, the film was brutalized. It won the Worst Picture, and Sharon Stone won Worst Actress. Even the Stinker Awards gave the film its own nominations.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
There are plenty of points to praise about the second installment of the “Transformers” franchise. It did make a killing at the box office and even got a nod at the Oscars for Best Sound Mixing. However, there are also plenty of negative points about “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” It earned a total of seven Golden Razzie nominations.
Unsurprisingly, Megan Fox was nominated for Worst Actress, and even less surprising, Michael Bay was nominated for Worst Director. And at the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, Bay took home the trophy for that year’s Worst Director.
“I Know Who Killed Me”
We’re pretty sure that Lindsey Lohan tried to revive her acting career that has once looked so promising, but after “I Know Who Killed Me,” was simply never going to happen. While her acting career looked wretched before the release of this film, it looked completely doomed once the public had got hold of this one – especially the Razzie public.
“I Know Who Killed Me” received a total of eight Golden Razzie nominations and managed to do what few films have done before – win seven of them. One interesting Razzie the film collected was Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie.
“Jack and Jill”
To this date, there has been no film that has been more unsuccessful – or more successful, depending on the way you see it – in all 39 years of Golden Raspberry history. If Adam Sandler, producer and screenplay writer of the film, needs any reason to quit writing or production, this should be the first one.
It may not have bombed at the box office, but it won 10 Golden Razzies, including Worst Screen Ensemble, Worst Screen Couple, Worst Screenplay, Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Actress (which Adam Sandler took both awards for).
“Fantastic Four”
Superhero films might be all the range, but that doesn’t mean they are beyond scrutiny. Despite having a talented cast, such as Miles Teller and Kate Mara, the film failed to impress critics. It was not only the critics who had something to say, but its box office earnings were hardly something to boast about.
At the 36th Golden Raspberries, the film won the Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel awards. As said, the ensemble is made up of some talented actresses and actors, and they continue to demonstrate their acting range despite working with poor material.
“Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party”
Even political films are not exempt from earning Golden Raspberries. In 2016, political commentator Dinesh D’Souza used film as a means to share his political views, but in reality, it was simply an attempt to target the conservative’s political rivals. Judging from the name “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party,” it’s not hard to see what D’Souza’s real intentions were.
Did it work? Politically, we don’t know. Artistically, definitely not. The film won the Golden Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Actor. Perhaps, D’Souza should clearly stick to politics.
“Cats”
It is not a secret that the Golden Raspberries do not consider Sylvester Stallone movies as the apex of art, so it is saying something when another film beats “Rambo: Last Blood” in almost every category. Interestingly, “Cats,” based on the original Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, is a classic highbrow considering that it was originally a musical and play and originally a book of poetry dedicated to cats.
However, when translated to film, it flopped, and it flopped badly. Out of the nine Golden Razzie nominations it earned, it won six of them, including Worst Picture and Worst Director.
“Saving Christmas”
This is probably not the film you want to watch around Christmas, simply because it is so bad it might put you off the whole celebration. Starring Kirk Cameron as Kirk Cameron, who faces trials and tribulations as he tries to save Christmas.
Considering that the film won Golden Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay, Worst Screen Combo, and Worst Actor, we’re guessing that Cameron did not indeed save Christmas, but in fact, he might have ruined it – unless you stay clear of watching this film during the festive season.
“Little Nicky”
Thank goodness, there were much, much worse contenders for the Golden Raspberries at the 21st Awards ceremony because a lot of people had their money on “Little Nicky.” Nicky, played by Adam Sandler – a familiar nominee to the Golden Razzies circuit – is the spawn of Satan and an angel. And somehow, they managed to come up with a storyline where Nicky is the hero because he stops hell from freezing over.
Well, that is taking the expression a bit too far. “Little Nicky” earned nominations for the usual suspects: Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.
“Grown Ups 2”
While the first one offered a message relevant to modern times, the second one simply offered meaningless crude jokes. At the 34th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, “Grown Ups” managed only to be nominated for a single Golden Razzie, but the follow-up was up for nine nominations.
Only thanks to there being much worse films did “Grown Ups 2” safely leave without any awards. Let it be a rule that director Dennis Dugan should never team up with Adam Sandler again because the pair seem to know what it takes to earn Golden Razzies.
“Norbit”
When a film scores 9% among Rotten Tomato critics, we know something must be severely lacking with that movie. Once again, Eddie Murphy is up for taking on numerous roles and dressing in wigs and a fatsuit. Audiences were patient with “The Nutty Professor,” but Norbit was clearly more than they could handle.
At the 28th Golden Razzies, the film was nominated for seven awards, but it seems like the weakest point of the movie was, in fact, Eddie Murphy and all the roles he decided to play. Eddie Murphy won Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst Supporting Actor.
“Transformers: The Last Knight”
It is unsurprising that yet another installment in the “Transformers” franchise made the list of cinematic failures. Honestly, director Michael Bay wouldn’t probably have called the film a failure because it made about $600 million at the box office, but production houses did pour $217 to $260 million into the piece, so it cost a big chunk.
No matter how big its budget was, the film wasn’t buying any Golden Raspberry committee members. They weren’t too impressed with the film, as it landed ten nominations. Despite being nominated in every category, “Transformers: The Last Knight” did not win any awards.
“Son of the Mask”
The original will go down in film history as being one of the coolest and most original films. The sequel – not so much. One of the major pitfalls of the sequel was the acting was in the hands of a less capable actor than Jim Carrey, namely Jamie Kennedy. While Kennedy did not take home the Golden Razzie for Worst Actor of 2005, he did earn a Stinker for that role.
The film was nominated for seven Golden Razzies. It did win the Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel award, which it certainly deserved after it destroyed the legacy of a legendary superhero movie.
“Mommie Dearest”
Generally, heartfelt depressing movies clean up at the Oscars. They typically do not make the Golden Razzie lists – unless they lack being heartfelt altogether. One such movie is “Mommie Dearest,” a tribute film that aims to pay homage to the classic actress Joan Crawford. The only thing is that the movie seems to be overly depressing and needlessly so.
Do not be misled by the title, there is nothing dearest about this depiction of Crawford’s mother. “Mommie Dearest” punishment for depressing us was being nominated for nine nominations and taking home five of those, including Worst Picture.
“The Dukes of Hazzard”
Simply looking at its cast, this film is not aiming for stellar reviews. With the likes of Jackass daredevil Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, who is doomed to be forever known for the “American Pie” franchise, country musician Willie Nelson, and Jessica Simpson, it is surprising that “The Dukes of Hazzard” did not clean up at the Golden Razzies.
During the 26th Awards ceremony, the movie went into the ceremony with seven nominations, but fortunately for the cast and production crew, the film did not go home with any awards. The reason being – there were just much worse productions.
“The Wicker Man”
Sometimes a Hollywood A-lister, known for their enormous acting range, can bring down an entire film. Nicholas Cage’s appalling and overacted melodrama in “The Wicker Man” has been listed as one of the worst performances in all of showbiz history. There has been some defense for Cage’s acting, stating that the nature of the film called for it. All in all, “The Wicker Man” was a cinematic failure.
It failed to generate enough box office sales to completely cover its budget. Furthermore, the film received five nominations for Worst Movie, Worst Actor (to Cage), Worst Screenplay, and Worst Remake.
“BloodRayne”
Most people won’t remember “BloodRayne”; for one simple reason, it hardly made any impact at all. It certainly did not make an impact at the box office, earning $3.7 million after production houses spent $25 million on “BloodRayne.” Some movies based on video-game adaptations, such as the “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill” franchises, have been incredibly successful, and that is why people have heard of them, but this was not the case with “BloodRayne.”
Going into the Golden Razzies for 2005, it was nominated for five categories, and to make matters worse, it received nine nominations at the Stinkers.
“Butterfly”
This film is a throwback to the past, specifically to the 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony. Interestingly, it was one of Pia Zadora’s breakout roles, earning her a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress. The Golden Raspberries were not too kind to “Butterfly” and Zadora. In 1983, the film was nominated for ten categories and won four of them.
As said, the Golden Razzies were not at all kind to Zadora as she won both Worst Actress and Worst New Star awards. This would not be the last time Zadora featured at the Golden Razzies.
“Little Man”
Often critics and viewers do not see eye to eye in their opinions of films. In the case of “Little Man,” this is not the case. However, audience members were a bit delayed to realize that the film was not made of the good stuff. It had some reasonable cast members, such as Kerry Washington, but unfortunately, the general disaster of the film was so bad even reasonably good actors like Kerry Washington won a Golden Razzie for Worst Screen Couple.
The film also walked away with Worst Actor awards (one apiece for Marlon and Shawn Wayans).
“Bewitched”
Somehow, a romantic comedy about a man dating a witch is not enough to convince the Golden Raspberry committee, even if it stars a talented actress such as Nicole Kidman. Did we mention that it also starred Will Ferrell? Even if Kidman is a capable actress, it still did little to stop her from being part of the duo that was nominated for Worst Screen Couple.
Ferrell was the other half of this couple, but he also was nominated for Worst Actor. “Bewitched” was nominated for Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel.
“Nothing But Trouble”
If you’re looking for some good, light entertainment, you might consider watching this 1990s comedy horror, “Nothing But Trouble.” The best you can hope for is some light entertainment, but there is a price to pay. As it is a comedy horror, it borders on grotesque, and the Golden Razzies were not having any of it.
During the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, the film went into the ceremony with six nominations, including one for Worst Actress for Demi Moore. Fortunately for Moore, her ex-husband Bruce Willis had stolen the show, and the film “Hudson Hawk” won three awards.
“The Bodyguard”
Not every film that is nominated for Golden Razzies is completely awful. Sometimes, they have some standout features even if the overall picture is severely lacking. One such film is “The Bodyguard.” With its musical numbers featuring the incredible singing of Whitney Houston, the movie offers spectacular performances – but they are limited to the songs.
Overall, the film was nominated for seven Golden Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Actress. You can see the Razzies were having fun with this one as Kevin Costner’s new haircut was nominated for the Golden Razzie for Worst New Star.
“Newsies”
Die-hard Christian Bale fans probably don’t remember this film and probably won’t want to, especially since “Newsies” is a musical and not one of the best in showbiz history. Though Bale has had several phenomenal performances, even he could save the film from being nominated for five Golden Raspberries and a stinker award.
The film was nominated for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Supporting Actor (for Robert Duvall), and Worst Original Song. It may have only won the award for Worst Original Song, but we’re pretty sure die-hard fans don’t want to see Bale singing.
“A Madea Family Funeral”
Men dressing in drag is a surefire way to put the spotlight on your production and get the Golden Razzies' attention. You would think that creator/director/actor Tyler Perry would know this on the 11th film. To be fair, the “Madea” franchise still brings in the money no matter how many seem to come out.
“A Madea Family Funeral” made a profit of $55.8 million, so we can see why Perry is not complaining. However, the film was nominated for seven Golden Razzies at the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, four of which were credited to Perry.
“The Haunting of Sharon Tate”
Most of us were not even aware of this film’s existence, probably until it received four Golden Raspberry nominations. Considering that actress/musician Hillary Duff is portraying a classic actress already is a sign of how things could go wrong for this film. Whether it is audience members or critics, they all agree on one thing – that the film is bad.
The film was rated 27% by viewers and 19% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It is also unsurprising that Duff was up for the Worst Actress Award. Fortunately, for Duff and director Daniel Farrands, there were worst productions in 2019.
“Zeroville”
Actor James Franco, or should we rather say, director, James Franco - which one is it, exactly? – has a tendency of directing movies and starring in them or rather has a tendency of needing movies to star in. One such is “Zeroville,” which lived up to its name – at the last first half. When it came to the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards, the truth of Franco’s acting and directing came to light.
“Zeroville” received three nominations, two credited to Franco – one for Worst Director and the other for Worst Actor. Perhaps, Franco should refrain from directing his own movies.
“Gotti”
John Travolta’s career never quite was the same, and “Gotti” was the final proof that we needed. At the 39th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, the film received six nominations, and fortunately, on the night, it did not win any. Since the movie took eight years to finally come together, it could be that “Gotti” failed simply because there had been too many hands involved in the final outcome.
That being said, Travolta was up for a nomination for Worst Actor, indicating that it was not simply all of the production’s fault.
“The Mummy” (2017)
Do you remember that classic archaeology-meets-action movie, which was super fun and reminded of us of the good old days of “Raiders of the Last Ark”? Yeah, that movie was awesome. It's remade, not so much. It is little wonder the film was up for the Worst Prequel/Remake/Rip-off/Sequel, as it ruined a loved classic for many of us.
Even though the cast is made up of a number of talented individuals such as Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, and Russell Crowe, the remake was up for eight Golden Razzie nominations, and actor Tom Cruise won the award for Worst Actor.
“Dirty Grandpa”
In 2013, there was “Bad Grandpa.” Three years later, there was “Dirty Grandpa.” It is hard to know which was the dirtier of the two, but easier to say which was worse. Though it starred capable actors such as Robert De Niro and Zac Efron as its leads, “Dirty Grandpa” was a critical failure.
It received five nominations, including Worst Picture, two for Worst Supporting Actresses, Worst Screenplay, and even Robert De Niro earned a Golden Razzie for Worst Actor. As we said, it was plenty dirty – which certainly didn’t help matters.
“Pixels”
If you can get your head around the storyline, then perhaps, you might enjoy this one. While the film, “Pixels” did quite well at the box office, making more than double its budget from ticket sales, the critics were not buying its far-fetched storyline that aliens would send video game characters to destroy the human race.
Why not simply come as aliens? Are the aliens videogame characters? What is happening in this movie? Unsurprisingly the film was nominated for Worst Screenplay as well as Worst Actor, Worst Picture, and Worst Supporting Actress, a total of six Golden Razzie nominations.
“Transformers: Age of Extinction”
If director, Michael Bay, were to release another installment to the “Transformers” franchise just because it belonged to the franchise, it would automatically get a Golden Razzie nomination. Is the franchise cursed, or does Michael Bay need to go back to film school?
At the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, “Transformers: Age of Extinction” was up for seven awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Director, and Worst Supporting Actress. Considering that it was up against “Saving Christmas” director Darren Doane and won shows that Bay should really go back to film school.
“That’s My Boy”
There are a handful of actors, actresses, and directors that, no matter what they do, seem to land a Golden Razzie nomination if not a win. One of those happens to be Adam Sandler. It is not that no matter what Sandler does that he ends up in the Golden Razzie spotlight, it is that he keeps doing the same thing. “That’s My Boy” is no exception.
Let’s say it did not break the box office but came close to breaking the Golden Razzies. It was nominated for seven categories, and unsurprisingly Sandler won the award for Worst Actor.
“Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace”
It is well-known that the prequels of the “Star Wars” franchise did not live up to the quality of the original ones. “Not live up” to is an understatement. The first installment of the prequels “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” was almost a complete disaster in cinematic history (except, of course, when you consider it made $1 billion at the box office).
At the 20th Golden Raspberries, the film was nominated for seven categories. Actor, Ahmed Best, won the award for Worst Supporting Actor. If you remember Jar Jar Binks, you understand why Best was the worst.
“The Island of Dr. Moreau”
This film was doomed before it was even released to the public. The number of shenanigans and what Richard Stanley had to go through to remain part of its vision is stranger than fiction. Unsurprisingly, the end product was wretched, and it did not escape the notice of the Golden Raspberry Committee.
At the 17th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, it was nominated for six categories. One of the most surprising turn of events was that legendary actor, Marlon Brando, won the Worst Supporting Actor award. Did Sacheen Littlefeather also go up to collect Brando’s Golden Razzie? Now, that would be something.