The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzie Awards' satirical annual ceremony is predated by its progenitor, the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, by five decades. The term ''

raspberry The raspberry is the edible fruit of several plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the Rosaceae, rose family, most of which are in the subgenus ''Rubus#Modern classification, Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Ras ...

'' is used in its irreverent sense, as in "

blowing a raspberry Blowing a raspberry, also known as giving a Bronx cheer, is to make a noise similar to flatulence that may signify derision. It is made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing. A raspberry when used with the tongue is not used in any ...

". The statuette is a golf ball-sized raspberry atop a Super 8mm film reel atop a 35-millimeter film core with brown wood shelf paper glued and wrapped around it—sitting atop a jar lid spray-painted gold. The Golden Raspberry Foundation has claimed that the award "encourages well-known filmmakers and top-notch performers to own their bad." The first Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held on March 31, 1981, in John J. B. Wilson's living-room alcove in Hollywood, to honor the perceived worst films of the 1980 film season.

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

has the most Razzies, with 12.

History

American

publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...

John J. B. Wilson had been seeing a 99-cent double feature of '' Can't Stop the Music'' and '' Xanadu'' and thought in his drive home that those movies deserved awards for their low quality, and subsequently started thinking of all the other films that disappointed him in 1980, particularly as he had watched hundreds of productions in his job making trailers. So, the following year, in the potluck parties he usually held at his home in Hollywood on the night of the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

s, after the 53rd Academy Awards had completed for the evening, Wilson passed ballots regarding the worst in film to the attendees, and invited his friends to give random award presentations in his living room. Wilson stood at a lectern 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. 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 The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California, after the unrelated ''Los Angeles Times'', and the flagship newspaper of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado ...

'' with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please". Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards. The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance, and the 3rd awards ceremony had doubled that number. By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN and two major wire services covered the event. Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage: "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," he said to ''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

''. In 2022, a dedicated award category, Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie, was created after Bruce Willis starred in a number of poorly received low-budget films. On March 30 of that year, Willis's family announced that he had been diagnosed with

aphasia Aphasia, also known as dysphasia, is an impairment in a person's ability to comprehend or formulate language because of dysfunction in specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine, but aph ...

. The Golden Raspberry Awards subsequently retracted the award category, saying it was inappropriate to award a Golden Raspberry to someone whose performance was affected by a medical condition. At the same time, the Awards retroactively retracted their 1980 Worst Actress nomination of Shelley Duvall in '' The Shining'', stating "We have since discovered that Duvall's performance was impacted by

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's treatment of her throughout the production".Razzie Awards Backtrack, Rescind Bruce Willis Award – and Shelley Duvall Nomination as Well
'' The Wrap''. Retrieved April 1, 2022. In 2023, following backlash for nominating 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress, the Golden Raspberry Awards rescinded the nomination and said individuals under age 18 would no longer be nominated. The Razzies themselves later won the category for the blunder.

Format

Members of the Golden Raspberry Award Organization pay for membership, and number 650 from 19 countries. After three editions held during Wilson's potluck Oscar parties, Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage, and the fourth edition happened at Los Angeles' Third Street Elementary School. The ceremonies have generally been scheduled in this way, with both nominations and awards revealed in the day before the Academy Awards, ever since, with only two exceptions; the 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards had the nominees announced the day before the Academy Award nominees, but the ceremony took place on April 1, April Fool's Day. In 2020, there were plans for the milestone 40th Golden Raspberry Awards to be celebrated with a bigger, televised ceremony in March, but the ceremonies were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, with the winners revealed online. Worst Supporting Actress at 29th Razzie Awards

Recipients who have accepted their award

Paul Verhoeven was the first person to go to the ceremony to receive his awards for the movie '' Showgirls''. Other recipients who have accepted their Golden Raspberry Award include Tom Green (Worst Actor/Worst Director), Halle Berry and

Sandra Bullock Sandra Annette Bullock (; born July 26, 1964) is an American actress and film producer. The List of highest-paid film actors, highest-paid actress of 2010 and 2014, Sandra Bullock filmography, Bullock's filmography spans both comedy and drama, ...

(Worst Actress), Michael Ferris and J. D. Shapiro (Worst Screenplay),

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Alan Menken, numerous accolades including winning eight Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, Tony ...

, Dinesh D'Souza, and '' Fifty Shades of Grey'' producers Dana Brunetti and

Michael De Luca Michael De Luca (born August 13, 1965) is an American film studio executive, film producer and screenwriter. He is also the former president of production at both New Line Cinema and DreamWorks. De Luca has been nominated for three Academy Aw ...

Contenders for worst and best

Several people and/or films have received Razzie nominations while simultaneously receiving award nominations and other cultural honors from different organizations, sometimes for the same work or role.

Razzie and Oscar

Three people have won both a Razzie and an Oscar the same weekend: composer

in 1993, screenwriter Brian Helgeland in 1997, and actress

in 2010, though all three won for different films (e.g., Helgeland won a Razzie for ''

The Postman ''The Postman'' is a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which h ...

'' and an Oscar for '' L.A. Confidential''). Three actors have received Oscar and Razzie acting nominations for the same role: James Coco ('' Only When I Laugh''),

Amy Irving Amy Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer, who has worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Born in Palo Alto, Cali ...

('' Yentl''), and Glenn Close ('' Hillbilly Elegy''). Nineteen Worst Picture nominees have been nominated for an Oscar (with only four of them "winning" the Worst Picture Razzie), with ''

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

'' being the only film in 2002 that won in any Oscars category: Best Sound Editing.

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' became the first, and so far, only animated film to be nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie. The film was nominated for Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million at the 17th ceremony, but it was also nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score at the 69th Academy Awards. '' Blonde'' became the first NC-17 rated film to be nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie. The film was nominated for the most Razzies with eight at the 43rd ceremony: winning only two (including Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay), while the film's main star Ana de Armas was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

at the 95th Academy Awards. As of 2024, 77 films have been nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie.

Razzie and Tony

'' Newsies'' was nominated for Worst Picture at the 1993 ceremony, and

won Worst Original Song for "High Times, Hard Times"''.'' The 2011 stage adaptation, which did not include "High Times, Hard Times", was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Musical, and Menken won Best Original Score.

Other types of awards

Razzie Redeemer Award

The Razzie Redeemer Award is presented to a former nominee or winner who has subsequently made a comeback from critical or commercial failure. The award was introduced in 2014. Winners include

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

, Mel Gibson, "A Safe Hollywood-Haven",

Melissa McCarthy Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Melissa McCarthy, numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Award ...

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

, Colin Farrell, Pamela Anderson and Fran Drescher.

Worst Career Achievement

This award has been given five times, to

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in 1981, to Linda Blair in 1983, to

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen; June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

in 1985, to "Bruce the Rubber Shark" from '' Jaws'' in 1987, and to director

Uwe Boll Uwe Boll (; born 22 June 1965) is a German filmmaker. He came to prominence during the 2000s for his adaptations of video game franchises. Released theatrically, the films were critical and commercial failures; his Alone in the Dark (2005 film), ...

in 2009 who received this for his achievement as "Germany's answer to Ed Wood".

Governor's Award

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''. It would again be awarded in 2021 to the year 2020 for "The Worst Calendar Year EVER!"

Barry L. Bumstead Award

This award is given to movies with particularly high budgets that bombed at the box office. It was awarded in 2015 to '' United Passions,'' to ''

Misconduct Misconduct is wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts. It is an act which is forbidden or a failure to do that which is required. Misc ...

'' in 2016, in 2017 to '' CHiPs'' and in 2018 to '' Billionaire Boys Club''.

Records

By Films in a Single Year

The following nominees received at least 10 nominations in a single year: The following winners received at least 6 awards in a single year:

By Films Overall

The following nominees received at least 10 nominations overall: The following winners received at least 6 awards overall:

By Person

The following people received at least 10 nominations overall: The following winners received at least 5 awards overall:

Ceremonies

*1980: 1st Golden Raspberry Awards *1981: 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards *1982:

3rd Golden Raspberry Awards The 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards were held on April 11, 1983, at an Academy Award, Oscar night potluck party to recognize the worst the film industry had to offer in 1982 in film, 1982. Winners and nominees Films with multiple nomina ...

41st Golden Raspberry Awards The 41st Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, was an awards ceremony that identified the worst the film industry had to offer in 2020 in film, 2020, along with the first two months of 2021 in film, 2021, according to votes from members of the Go ...

*2021: 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards *2022: 43rd Golden Raspberry Awards *2023: 44th Golden Raspberry Awards *2024: 45th Golden Raspberry Awards

Criticism

The Razzies have received criticism, including from news sources such as '' IndieWire'' and ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', for several issues, including that members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation are not required to watch the nominated films. The awards follow a different set of rules than the invitation-only

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

does. Critics take issue with the Razzies picking "easy targets" and critically panned mainstream films instead of those perceived as less popular but more deserving of notice, and continuing to appeal to celebrities, seemingly for publicity and attention. 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". Robbie Collin of ''The Daily Telegraph'' wrote, however, that "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".

CraveOnline Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial D ...

's William Bibbiani stated that the Razzies follow "a cheap shot of pranksterism", and "with only a handful of exceptions, the Razzies have only seen fit to nominate the most infamous movies of the year, and not necessarily the worst." In 2018, Scott Meslow, writing for '' GQ'', accused the Razzies of being "pretty lazy, very sexist, and a little racist" in their choices, reiterating criticism that voters were overreliant on films already widely perceived as notorious, and further asserting they disproportionally nominated films directed by and starring

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...

and films marketed towards women. In 2021, Liam Gaughan of the ''

Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

'' wrote, "It’s easy to find fault in any awards nominations, be it Oscars or Razzies, but the greater issue that the Razzies face is that making fun of bad movies is no longer original. Film criticism, essays and satire all live in abundance on the internet, from both established publications and non-professionals." Daniel Cook Johnson of '' MovieWeb'' echoed a similar sentiment, writing, "Wilson and Murphy's insulting event may have been a wonderfully snarky and skewering enterprise back in the '80s when there was much less film criticism and audience reactions to recent movies. But now, there's little reason for such an invalid vehicle, and the retirement option should be recognized before their relevance and shaky reputation are completely gone." The Razzies have also seen significant criticism from both within the industry and its own voting body for including underage actors and actresses in their ballots and nominations, with many noting the outcome of their careers and later personal and legal issues. Among those who were nominated or won include Aileen Quinn (at age 11) for ''Annie'' (winner), Gary Coleman (at age 14) for '' On the Right Track'' in 1982,

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...

(at age 14) for '' Getting Even with Dad'', '' The Pagemaster'', and ''Richie Rich'' in 1995, Jake Lloyd (at age 11) for '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', Jaden Smith (age 15) for ''

After Earth ''After Earth'' is a 2013 American science fiction apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film, action-adventure film co-produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who co-wrote the script with Gary Whitta. The film w ...

'' (winner), and Ryan Kiera Armstrong (at age 12) for ''Firestarter''. Maddie Ziegler, though 18 years old when nominated, won Worst Supporting Actress for ''Music'', released in 2021, for a role she played at 14 years old during filming in 2017. After backlash in 2023, the Razzies announced they would no longer nominate individuals under age 18.

Notes

References

External links

*
Razzie Awards
page on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Razzie channel on YouTube

{{Golden Raspberry Award Years American film awards Lists of worsts Awards established in 1981 Ironic and humorous awards Award ceremonies