The Razzies: Have They Strayed?

The Razzies have always been a refreshing reminder of the fare out there that some outstanding  people push with outstanding impunity. These awards showcase the importance of good writing and good directing. It pokes and pushes idols and calls out the lowest common denominator race to the bottom that many in the industry seem to be so intent in engaging in.

Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas got slammed with four raspberries: Worst Film, Worst Actor, Worst Ensemble and Worst Screenplay. Yet, it is odd that this movie got nominated at all, given the “mission” of the Razzies in calling out on the Emperor’s clothes and yet pours it on a movie that did not break $3M at the box office. Michael Bay, on the other hand, got Worst Director for Transformers: Age of Extinction, which grossed almost a quarter of a billion dollars. Now, that’s more like it. The other notable was Worst Remake: Annie.

The Razzies came up this year with a “Redeemer Award” to mend its own past in search of respectability, and gave it to Ben Affleck, past winner for Gigli. This seems like an ass-kiss award and, again, goes against the purported mission of the award. 

Highlighting lows such as Sex Tape, A Million Ways to Die in the West and many others is a wake up call and service to the industry’s filmmakers. When Sandra Bullock won a Razzie (All About Steve) and an Oscar (The Blind Side) in the same year, it showcased how bad movies are made by good actors.  When Cameron Diaz gets a Razzie for Sex Tape and The Other Woman, or Charlize Theron gets nominated for A Million Ways… the message really is “you can do better.”

As Terence Fletcher would say: “There are no two words more harmful in the English language than good job.”

UPDATE ON AWARD RACE STANDINGS and THE 2014-15 AWARD SEASON, BLOW BY BLOW