Summary:
-
Before the Oscars, the Razzies crowned the worst in cinema—Madame Web took Worst Picture, Dakota Johnson Worst Actress, and Jerry Seinfeld Worst Actor.
-
Started in 1981, the Razzies celebrate the gloriously awful with Sandra Bullock and Francis Ford Coppola among past “winners.”
-
Despite stumbles like retracting a nomination for a child actress, the Razzies aim to keep a human touch while honoring the year’s biggest flops.
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for 12-year-old Firestarter actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, while previous wins for Bruce Willis and Shelley Duvall were rescinded after health revelations and tales of on-set mistreatment surfaced.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.
