While the Oscars celebrate the best in motion pictures, the infamous Razzie Awards have fun celebrating those less successful movies. The annual awards highlight the worst movies, actors, directors, and screenplays of the year just to keep Hollywood on its toes.
There have been some very deserving movies to have “won” Razzies in the past, but some feel undeserving of being called the worst. Though they might not be the greatest things ever made, these Razzie winners have their merits and actually do some things right.
10 Heaven’s Gate
Heaven’s Gate is one of the most notorious flops in movie history. The ambitious period drama from Michael Cimino was such a financial disaster that it ruined the studio that released it and almost single-handedly ended the era of auteur filmmakers.
However, that bad publicity might be why the film was awarded Worst Picture and Worst Director Razzies more so than the quality of the film. Though overly long and messy, the film looks magnificent and tells a bold Western story. Opinions of the movie have improved greatly over time.
9 Fantastic Four
Josh Trank, coming off the success of Chronicle, was given the reigns of the iconic Fantastic Four franchise. His take inexplicably went for a darker and grittier version of Marvel’s “first family”. Along with behind-the-scenes drama, the end result was a dull and disjointed mess.
While Trank’s read on the material seemed to be all wrong, he is still a talented filmmaker who was able to draw some memorable moments from the film. The first act, including the body-horror transformation sequence of the heroes, features some strong stuff.
8 Freddy Got Fingered
Tom Green has never been considered a highly-acclaimed member of the film business, but Freddy Got Fingered, which he wrote, directed and starred in, was so savagely ripped apart by critics that some ranked it among the worst movies ever made.
The film cleaned up at the Razzies, winning nine awards including Worst Picture. However, in recent years, the film has been reevaluated as an ambitious meta-comedy. Some have even claimed it was a brilliant prank by Green on the studio. Looking at it that way, it’s actually pretty fun.
7 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
Michael Bay managed to transform (pun intended) a popular toy line into an action-packed blockbuster with the fun Transformers movie in 2007. For the sequel, Bay seemed to indulge all of his worst instincts and ignore logical storytelling.
The film won Worst Picture and Bay won Worst Director at the 2010 Razzie Awards. However, Bay did deliver on one thing he always delivers on – explosions. The final action sequence set at the pyramids is the kind of bonkers mayhem that makes Bay’s movies so fun.
6 Wild Wild West
Following the massive success of Men in Black, Will Smith reteamed with director Barry Sonnenfeld for a remake of the western television show Wild Wild West. The movie attempted to integrate some of the science-fiction fun of Men in Black into the story which made for a big, weird mess.
The movie and its director took home Razzies and it was seen as one of the first blemishes on Smith’s career. However, there is fun to be had with the silly movie and Smith is his usual charismatic self. He sells a lot of the dumbness of the movie with his charm.
5 Gigli
Gigli has gone down as a cautionary tale for why co-stars should not date each other. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were in a highly publicized relationship at the time of this film’s release. To make matters worse, the film ended up being terrible and the two stars had no chemistry.
The movie’s embarrassment continued at the Razzies where the film and its stars all got awards. While there’s a lot wrong with this film, it did manage to draw the talents of Al Pacino and Christopher Walken. When these two icons pop up in their wild cameo roles, the film briefly comes to life.
4 Hudson Hawk
Passion projects, when done poorly, can really spell disaster for those involved. Such was the case with Bruce Willis and his film Hudson Hawk. Willis used his star power to write and star in this crime comedy and that star-power almost evaporated as a result.
The film won Worst Picture and Willis won Worst Screenplay for the flop. However, it is a movie that, upon revisiting, really doesn’t seem so bad. It’s a flawed movie to be sure, but it has a light and fun sense of humor. The early heist set to “Swinging on a Star” is enough to make it watchable at least.
3 Rocky IV
Sylvester Stallone has long been a “favorite” of the Razzie Awards having won several Worst Actor trophies and earned several more nominations. Even the Rocky franchise was not safe from their scorn as this fourth entry.
Stallone went home with the Worst Director trophy for Rocky IV. But while he certainly embraced the cheesiness of the franchise with this film, it is still a whole lot of fun. Ivan Drago is a great villain, the death of Apollo Creed still stings, and it is the inspiring sports story this franchise does best.
2 Showgirls
In the mid-90s, a lot of movies were coming out that explored the gritty side of adult entertainment. But while Boogie Nights is still considered a masterpiece, Showgirls developed a different kind of reputation.
The movie comes from acclaimed director Paul Verhoeven but his pedigree did not stop it from becoming a laughingstock. The film won seven Razzies but has since gone on to become one of those “so bad it’s good” movies. It’s guaranteed anyone who watches this movie will at least have a good time.
1 Mommie Dearest
Mommie Dearest is a bizarre drama supposedly based in reality based on the autobiography of Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of famed actress Joan Crawford. The film stars Faye Dunaway as Crawford who is depicted as an abusive and unhinged mother.
The movie was a box office hit despite the mixed reviews. It not only won the Worst Picture award upon its release, but also won the Worst Picture of the Decade. However, the movie has become a cult hit thanks to its wild and outrageous story and Dun away manic performance. The laughs it gets might not always be intentional, but it is remembered fondly.
