Summary:
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The Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies, highlighted the year’s worst films and performances, with Madame Web winning Worst Picture and Dakota Johnson and Jerry Seinfeld receiving Worst Actress and Actor awards respectively.
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The awards show, founded in 1981 as a satirical take on the Oscars, has faced backlash in the past, most notably in 2023 when a nomination for 12-year-old actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong was retracted following public outcry.
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Despite the controversy, the Razzies continue to celebrate cinematic failures with a mix of humor and heart, as evidenced by this year’s awards which are available to view on YouTube.
Before Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for the Oscars this Sunday, the Golden Raspberry Awards—better known as the Razzies—stole the spotlight on Friday, gleefully crowning the year’s most spectacular cinematic trainwrecks. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Madame Web snagged Worst Picture, with Dakota Johnson earning Worst Actress for her role in the flop, while Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted scored Worst Actor for Seinfeld and Worst Supporting Actress for Amy Schumer.
This satirical spin on the Oscars, a tradition sparked in 1981 by film buff John J.B. Wilson at a party roasting the industry’s duds, has grown into an annual celebration of the gloriously awful. The Razzies’ official website sums it up perfectly: “In the world of 2025, bad is good, dumb is smart, ghastly is great,” and for stars like Sandra Bullock—who once claimed her prize in person—or Francis Ford Coppola, who embraced his Megalopolis trifecta of Worst Director, Screenplay, and Picture with a cheeky Instagram post, a Razzie is a twisted badge of honor.
But it’s not all laughs and ironic applause—the Razzies have had their share of stumbles. The Hollywood Reporter notes that backlash in 2023 forced them to retract a nomination for 12-year-old Firestarter actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, while previous wins for Bruce Willis and Shelley Duvall were rescinded after health revelations and tales of on-set mistreatment surfaced. Co-founder Mo Murphy defended their mission, saying, “We stop, we reflect, and we rectify,” aiming to keep a human touch amid the mockery.
From Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga’s dubious honor as Worst Onscreen Couple to the full 45th Annual Razzies spectacle available on YouTube, this year’s awards “toast” 2024’s standout flops with a mix of biting humor and surprising heart—proof that even in failure, there’s a story worth telling.
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