Top 20 Razzie Award Winning Movies
#20: “Howard the Duck” (1986)
Star Wars Han Solo Film HIRES Ron Howard, FIRES Lord & Miller – The CineFiles Ep. 26
We’re obviously living in the golden age of Marvel movies now, but things were looking pretty touch-and-go back in the mid ‘80s with the release of “Howard the Duck.” The movie was and still is universally derided, its preponderance of duck-themed puns and the suggestion of a human-duck relationship aging even worse in the decades since. It rightfully earned all four Razzies it was awarded, including Worst Picture, Screenplay, Visual Effects, and New Star for those operating the incredibly stilted Howard. And honestly, it probably could’ve won Original Song for the titular track at the end. All in all, “Howard the Duck” is a quack-tastrophe.
#19: “Wild Wild West” (1999)
Top 10 Times Animal Actors Went Wild On Set
Speaking of Worst Original Song, Will Smith and “Wild Wild West” won for its own titular track, but we’ll let you be the judge of that one. Smith picked up another “honor” for Worst Screen Couple alongside Kevin Kline, and the movie rounded things out with accolades for Worst Screenplay, Worst Director, and Worst Picture. There’s probably some campy fun to be had in there - somewhere - but many would argue that the “Wild Wild West” we got is flimsy, bizarre, and honestly, probably even hornier than “Howard the Duck.” Whereas “Wild Wild West” won five Razzies, “The Matrix,” the movie Will Smith passed up to star in it, won four Oscars, putting the movies at almost exact opposite ends of the spectrum in awards consideration.
#18: “Basic Instinct 2” (2006)
Speaking of bad, horny movies, “Basic Instinct 2” is… well… bad and horny. Whereas the first movie can be enjoyed for its trashy, erotic-thriller vibe, the sequel gets nothing about the formula right, falling directly into pure schlock. Funnily enough, the first movie was nominated for three Razzies, including Michael Douglas for Worst Actor, but whereas that one came home empty handed, the follow-up netted four, including Worst Actress for Sharon Stone. Stone also picked up a nomination for Worst Screen Couple for… well… we actually don’t wanna say. Suffice it to say, though, the Razzies can get pretty mean with some of their categories.
#17: “Movie 43” (2013)
Top 10 Abrupt Movie Endings That Just
How an anthology movie with this many talented people involved can be so bad is beyond us. Seriously, the actors include - but aren’t limited to - Halle Berry, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Kristen Bell, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Stone… you get the idea. Though they try to elevate the god-awful material, they were doomed to get nominated for Worst Screen Combo. Who won, you ask? Will Smith again alongside son Jaden for “After Earth.” “Movie 43” somehow squeaked by with only three Razzie wins, including Worst Screenplays - all of them - Worst Directors - all of them - and the coup de grâce, Worst Picture. Honestly, the Razzies should’ve invented another forty categories for this to win to keep it numerically appropriate.
#16: “Striptease” (1996)
Though Demi Moore has had a long career, it was arguably never the same after “Striptease.” She picked up two Razzies for her performance: Worst Screen Couple alongside Burt Reynolds and Worst Actress. Though she shared the latter prize with her turn in “The Juror,” it’s probably this one that’s doing the heavy lifting. The movie wasn’t spared in many of the other categories either, also nabbing Worst Screenplay, Worst Original Song, Worst Director and Worst Picture. The only trophy it didn’t take home was Reynolds for Worst Supporting Actor. But he was going up against Brando for “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” so that’s understandable.
#15: “Mommie Dearest” (1981)
Now here’s a movie that’s probably not as bad as the Razzies would have you believe. Though, to be honest, it ain’t that good either. “Mommie Dearest” stars legendary screen actor Faye Dunaway as another legendary screen actor Joan Crawford, depicting her fraught relationship with her daughter Christina. It sounds like something more suited for the Oscars, but alas, reviews were not kind, with many criticizing its dramatic efficacy. Dunaway received Worst Actress for her efforts, as did Diana Scarwid in the Supporting category. Not only did “Mommie Dearest” win Worst Picture of 1981, too, but in 1990, it won Worst Picture of the Decade, even beating out our old pal Howard. It just goes to show, nothing in Hollywood is a sure thing.
#14: “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015)
Top 10 Problems with Fifty Shades Movies
Despite the franchise earning over $1 billion at the global box office, the “Fifty Shades” movies have a fair amount of detractors, including the Razzies. While the two sequels took home three such awards combined, the first outdid them with a whopping five on its own. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson each took home two for Worst Actor and Actress, respectively, and Worst Screen Combo. As fine actors as they’ve grown to become, their accolades here are unsurprising considering the general lack of chemistry between them. The movie also won for Worst Screenplay and Worst Picture, the latter of which it actually shared with the “Fantastic Four” reboot, which we’re not gonna argue.
#13: “Freddy Got Fingered” (2001)
Freddy Krueger vs Pennywise
With a title like that, you gotta know the Razzies would be all over this one. For a while from the mid ‘90s to early 2000s, Tom Green looked to be a serious up-and-coming shock comic, but that all came to a screeching halt with the release of “Freddy Got Fingered.” Very little of its humor lands, and can seldom be enjoyed more than in a schadenfreude, beautiful car-crash kind of way. Naturally, Green won for Actor, Director, Screenplay, and Screen Couple alongside “any animal he abuses.” True to his persona, though, Green appeared at the ceremony to accept his awards, saying, “When we set out to make this film we wanted to win a Razzie, so this is a dream come true for me.”
#12: “Swept Away” (2002)
While the Razzies will often split an actor’s single nomination between multiple bad movies, it’s not often that an actor wins two different awards for two different movies. In addition to earning Worst Supporting Actress for “Die Another Day,” Madonna also won in the lead category that year for “Swept Away,” sharing the honor with Britney Spears for “Crossroads.” It also turned out to be something of a family affair at the ceremony, too, as Madonna’s then-husband Guy Ritchie won for Worst Director. A remake of the mediocre yet much better 1974 Italian movie of the same name, “Swept Away” certainly found itself stranded amidst a slew of the wrong kind of awards.
#11: “Saving Christmas” (2014)
The Razzies aren’t above getting political with their nominations, and that can sometimes extend to faith-based films. While Kirk Cameron’s “Saving Christmas” definitely has a specific target audience in mind, it’s hard to argue with the shoddy filmmaking craftsmanship across the board. Poorly acted, shot, edited, scored - you name it - “Saving Christmas” is the equivalent of nog that’s long since gone bad. In addition to Worst Picture, Cameron picked up Razzies for Worst Actor and Worst Screen Combo alongside his own ego. It sometimes makes you wonder who’s coming up with these nominations, but in this case, we’re not really ones to disagree.
#10: “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” (2012)
Top 10 Razzie Award Winning Movies
Surprisingly, “The Twilight Saga” only picked up one Razzie prior to “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” but like the Oscars did with “The Lord of the Rings,” the Razzies saved their awards onslaught for the final installment. Indeed, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” won a whopping seven such trophies, including Worst Picture, Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, Worst Director and Worst Screen Ensemble. As for the lead actors, Taylor Lautner won for Supporting and Screen Couple alongside Mackenzie Foy as Renesmee, which probably has to do with their characters’ unconventional relationship. Kristen Stewart shared Worst Actress with her performance in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” whereas Robert Pattinson was spared Worst Actor thanks to Adam Sandler in “That’s My Boy.”
#9: “Showgirls” (1995)
With so many erotic movies on this list, you gotta wonder if the Razzies have something against sexiness. Then again, “Showgirls” really is something else. While the movie has developed something of a cult following since, most wouldn’t defend its campy nature and oddly scripted characters. Though it could’ve been “Saved by the Bell” star Elizabeth Berkley’s big-screen break, she instead got a slew of negative reviews and Worst Actress for her troubles. Meanwhile, Paul Verhoeven won for Worst Director, and actually became the first recipient to attend the Razzies and accept the award in-person. Unfortunately for him, the Razzies apparently didn’t remember the classy gesture, and instead labeled “Showgirls” Worst Picture of the Decade once the ‘90s were up.
#8: “I Know Who Killed Me” (2007)
Top 10 Award Winning Horror Movies
Lindsay Lohan was quite the moviestar back in the 2000s, but if any single movie derailed her career, it was definitely this lame thriller. In “I Know Who Killed Me,” Lohan plays identical twins, and the Razzies, never missing an opportunity to make fun of someone, awarded her Worst Actress twice and Worst Screen Couple with herself. That’s not where the creativity ended, however, as the institution also gave the movie Worst Remake or Rip-off on the grounds that it was a rip-off of “Hostel,” “Saw,” and “The Patty Duke Show.” In case any of you Gen-Xers and younger are wondering about that last one, it’s an old sitcom about identical cousins, which honestly makes more sense than “I Know Who Killed Me.”
#7: “The Emoji Movie” (2017)
Top 10 Razzie Winning Movies We Secretly Love
This was the animated travesty everyone saw coming from a mile away. And while we normally wouldn’t recommend judging a book by its cover, we were absolutely spot-on with this one. Whereas some movie concepts have done a lot more with a lot less, “The Emoji Movie” is essentially a slapdash of better kids fare with a far less convincing presentation. Of its five nominations, “The Emoji Movie” won four in the categories of Worst Picture, Director, Screen Combo and Screenplay, making it the first full-length animated movie to do so, let alone be nominated in those categories. Honestly, if we had to describe this one using a single emoji, it’d be the smiling piece of poop.
#6: “Catwoman” (2004)
Michelle Pfeiffer VS Zoë Kravitz VS Anne Hathaway as Catwoman
Much like “Howard the Duck” forever made people apprehensive about adapting the character in live-action, “Catwoman” may have irreparably damaged the prospect of the classic comics character receiving a solo movie ever again. It’s a bafflingly impurrrrfrect mess, and more than deserved its awards for Worst Picture, Director and Screenplay. One bright spot that came from the superhero super-disaster, however, was Halle Berry making like Paul Verhoeven and Tom Green before her by accepting her Worst Actress statuette in-person. Not only did she appear with her Best Actress Oscar in tow, but she gave an acceptance speech that’s probably a better performance than her Catwoman one. Honestly, it only makes us love her more.
#5: “The Last Airbender” (2010)
The Razzie Award Nominations are in! Are these really the Worst movies of 2017?
“The Last Airbender” is the movie that pissed off an entire fanbase like no other. Not only does it get basic details like character names wrong, but it’s resoundingly unexciting, wasting a $150 million budget on some of the most underwhelming visuals you’ll ever see. Once on top of the movie world just a decade before, M. Night Shyamalan’s career reached a new low with this one, and his awards for Worst Screenplay, Worst Director and Worst Picture were just the raspberries on top. Oh, and remember that sole Razzie win for “Twilight” prior to “Breaking Dawn – Part 2?” Yeah, it was shared in conjunction with Jackson Rathbone’s performance in this one, but we think we all know which movie really earned it.
#4: “Cats” (2019)
Cats vs. Dolittle: Which is WORSE?
Talk about wasting a big budget on bad effects. Easily one of the worst movie musicals ever made, “Cats” was the definitive crappy movie of 2019, and for the Razzies, it was like, well, catnip. The film - if you want to call it that - led the pack with nine nominations and six awards. Though we wouldn’t have been surprised if the whole cast was singled out, James Corden and Rebel Wilson specifically were crowned in the Supporting categories. Meanwhile, Tom Hooper, who’d won the Best Director Oscar for “The King’s Speech” less than a decade prior, got the Razzie equivalent for this one. Oh, and it goes without saying that “Cats” was also Worst Picture. Obviously.
#3: “Gigli” (2003)
Now this just might be the “Cats” of romantic comedies. Granted, some good did come from “Gigli” in the form of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship, which we’ve seen the return of in the 2020s, but nowhere is their real-life chemistry to be found here. Naturally, Affleck and Lopez both picked up Worst Actor and Actress, respectively, with the former sharing the award with his performances in “Daredevil” and “Paycheck.” But again, this is a “Gigli” award all the way. Affleck and Lopez also won for Worst Screen Couple, and the movie cleaned up with wins for Worst Director, Screenplay, and Picture. Honestly, though, if the Razzies had been aware of “The Room” back then, “Gigli” might’ve been spared.
#2: “Battlefield Earth” (2000)
Forget “The Last Airbender” - this was the epic movie franchise that never was. Why? Because the first - and only - movie is absolutely terrible. A passion project for star John Travolta, “Battlefield Earth” is an adaptation of the novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Unfortunately for all those involved and anyone who’s witnessed it, that passion didn’t pan out. Travolta split a Worst Actor award with his performance in “Lucky Numbers” and Worst Screen Couple with any other “Battlefield Earth” actor. The movie obviously won Worst Picture. Retroactively, it also won Worst Drama in the Razzies’ first twenty-five years in existence and Worst Picture of the Decade. This brings its total to nine Razzies, which was a record until our number one entry. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions. “Holmes & Watson” (2018) This Hugely Disappointing Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly Teamup Earned All Four of Its Razzies “Cocktail” (1988) Alongside “Rain Man,” Tom Cruise Remains the Only Actor to Appear in the Best & Worst Pictures in the Same Year “The Love Guru” (2008) The Razzies Didn’t Kill Mike Myers’s Career, but They Didn’t Help “The Postman” (1997) This Forgotten Kevin Costner Flick Cleaned Up at That Year’s Razzies “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) The First Sequel Currently Leads the Franchise With Three Razzies
#1: “Jack and Jill” (2011)
Top 10 Movie and TV Characters Named Jack
Whether or not you think another movie on this list is more deserving, “Jack and Jill” is statistically the most hated movie in Razzie history. Not only was this gratingly unfunny family comedy nominated in all ten categories, but it won for each, becoming the first film to do so. Not only did Adam Sandler win both Worst Actor and Actress as the titular twins, but he was also recognized in the Worst Screen Couple, Screenplay and Picture categories, bringing his individual total to five. Though the Razzies neglected to award a Worst Picture of the 2010s, we all know what it would be.
