John, John, John. It really is an awful shame when big stars stoop and create films that aren’t even mediocre. The award for Worst Picture in the millennium year went to Battlefield Earth. The film, inspired by the church of Scientology, was actually based on the 1982 novel by L. Ron Hubbard (the head honcho of Scientology!).
The film didn’t just win Worst Picture, but also Worst Picture of the Decade! And 2000 had only just ushered in a new decade. While the film only covers the first half of Hubbard’s novel, reviews and box office failure meant any plans for a sequel were thrown straight into the trash. And thank god for that.
2002: Swept Away
2002’s Golden Raspberry goes to Guy Ritchie's film, Swept Away. Starring then-wife and musical legend Madonna, the film is a remake of the classic 1974 romantic Italian film. A fan of the original, critic Roger Ebert was unimpressed with Ritchie’s attempt, noting that Madonna didn’t do her role justice: “Striking a pose is not the same as embodying a person, and a role like this one requires the surrender of emotional control, something Madonna seems constitutionally unable to achieve.”
Having the dishonor of being the Worst Picture of 2002, it really was swept away quickly from box office billboards, grossing under $600,000 in the U.S., despite a $10 million budget!
2001: Freddy Got Fingered
Just from this god-awful title, we know this isn’t going to be good, nor is the verdict for the film. The writing and directing debut of MTV comedian Tom Green, Bob Waliszewski from Plugged In remarked that “Tom Green has created a new underbelly for the underbelly”. What embarked on a journey as a surrealist black comedy which mirrored the director’s own struggle to reach fame, turned into a total fallacy.
The part that has critics scratching their heads? The fact that the film managed to earn just a little more than the budget, pulling in $14.3 million. Funnier still, this Razzie-awarded film went on to achieve something of a cult film status. Mind = blown. Much like Freddy’s.
1999: Wild, Wild West
Now, 1999 meant a few things for Will Smith – it meant creating a film that was to be awarded the Razzie for that year, as well as turning down the lead role in a film which would’ve made him a cult film superstar. That film, you ask? He turned down The Matrix. To be honest, we can’t see anyone but Keanu Reeves playing Neo now, so…maybe it was for the best?
In lieu of starring in The Matrix, Smith decided he was better off playing in a Hollywood Western comedy, alongside the smoking hot Mexican actress, Salma Hayek. Whilst it was a light-hearted comedy, it did have a killer title song – who can forget Will Smith’s catchy rap? Enjoyable, but just not exactly Oscar-worthy. Watch it when you’ve got nothing else to do or need some background noise. Oh, and it managed to rake in over 200 million USD, so not too shabby at all!
1998: Spice World
A film made purely to make some bank, given the success of arguably Britain’s most famous girl-group, it wasn’t exactly meant to be a showstopper.
Perhaps it deserved the Golden Raspberry Award for 1998, but for every teenage girl (and boy) dancing in their rooms to their catchy tunes, it was basically the epitome of their adolescence. Fun, fabulous and a little ridiculous – yes, we’re talking about the Claymation scene – sure it might get the Razzie, but it captured a few hearts!