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!
2004: Catwoman
No matter how good stretch leather looks on the gorgeous Halle Berry, it just wasn’t enough to distract audiences from how bad this film was. No plot? No dollars. No dollars? No film studio. What does that mean? Don't make another film, Hollywood, except if it’s a la Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises and you're actually a director who knows what they're doing.
While Halle Berry did her character justice, the writers just didn’t seem to make it work for the comic-book hero. The “lone bright spot” had a tough time carrying the film, and for that reason, it won 2004’s Golden Raspberry for Worst Picture. However, there was one good thing that came out of it: (bedroom) wall posters of Halle Berry in leather!
2003: Gigli
Queen of rom-coms herself, everyone bows down for the Maid in Manhattan, Jennifer Lopez. It seems that often, love is blind, and blinding – particularly regarding careers. Lopez should’ve left Ben Affleck on the block she picked him up from and strutted her stuff on the movie circuit solo. Why? Well, when reviews of her performance alongside her then-boyfriend make the comment that they “lack chemistry”, you know something’s up.
Mixing a mob story and a romantic comedy is the unconventional love story that Hollywood really shouldn’t have dabbled in. Our favorite review is the one by Newsweek, “after the schadenfreudian thrill of watching beautiful people humiliate themselves wears off, it has the same annihilating effect on your will to live.” Ladies and gentlemen, the 2003 Golden Raspberry hath been served.
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.
2000: Battlefield Earth
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.