14 DAY TRIAL // As the entire film industry is preparing for what is, without a doubt, the most important night of the year, the Oscars 2014, another, less mediated but just as important a ceremony has already taken place: the Golden Raspberry Awards 2014, better known as the Razzies.
The Razzies are the creation of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation and were started in 1980 as the antidote for the Oscars. As you probably know, whereas the latter celebrate excellence in film, the Razzies “honor” the worst in the same industry.
Nominees include the worst performances by leading men and ladies, worst scripts, worst ideas for sequels and, of course, the worst movies of the year. The nominees crop for 2014, chosen from releases of 2013, was dominated by Adam Sandler and his ill-fated comedy “Grown-Ups 2.”
Oddly enough, he didn’t win anything at the ceremony, which lasted just one hour and took place just across the street from the Dolby Theater where the Oscars will be held, at the IgnitedSpaces in Hollywood. Sandler was considered favorite, but it was “Movie 43” that took home top “honors.”
That would be the movie with so many stars on the bill, so many directors and so many writers that even listing half of them here would be a true trial on your patience.
The first trailers for it promised one insane and quite very shameless comedy, but the actual end-result was so mangled that critics compared the experience of watching it to “stepping in dog poop.” And that was one of the less harsh critiques.
“Movie 43” won Worst Screenplay (which included at least 19 screenwriters), Worst Director (13 of them) and Worst Picture. Thus, it became the big winner of this year’s Razzie ceremony.
“After Earth,” Will Smith’s latest movie with his son Jaden, which was compared by critics to a recruiting session in Scientology, also took home 3 awards, for Worst Supporting Actor (Will Smith), Worst Lead Actor (Jaden Smith) and Worst Screen Combo (Will and Jaden). The duo’s efforts were described during the ceremony as “being stranded on Planet Nepotism.”
Kim Kardashian, who has been itching to break into film (and will probably do so in her fiancé Kanye West’s “Yeezus” film, now believed to be in the works) for years, can add a Razzie to her list already. It’s not and Oscar, but at least it’s golden. She won Worst Supporting Actress for her cameo on Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor,” for which she basically played herself.
Disney’s “The Lone Ranger,” considered one of the most expensive and spectacular flops of 2013, didn’t go home empty-handed either, winning Worst Remake / Rip-Off or Sequel.
Here is the complete list of winners. Though the Razzie Foundation always encourages nominees to “Own Their Bad,” it rarely happens that they do – unless they’re Sandra Bullock, and they actually show up for the Razzie ceremony to collect their award, 24 hours before attending the Oscars and winning Best Actress. Sandy is cool like that.