17th Golden Raspberry Awards
The 17th Golden Raspberry Awards, a satirical ceremony honoring the worst films and performances of the previous year, took place on March 23, 1997, in Hollywood, California, to recognize the lowest achievements in the 1996 movie industry.[1] Nominations for the event were announced on February 10, 1997, with Striptease leading the pack by earning seven nods, including for Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Demi Moore), Worst Director (Andrew Bergman), Worst Screenplay (Andrew Bergman), Worst Screen Couple (Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds), Worst Supporting Actor (Burt Reynolds), and Worst Original Song ("Pussy, Pussy, Pussy (Whose Kitty Cat Are You?)").[1][2] The Island of Dr. Moreau followed closely with six nominations, highlighted by nods for Worst Picture and Worst Supporting Actor (Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer).[1] Other films like Barb Wire (five nominations) and multiple entries from actors such as Sylvester Stallone (Daylight) and Tom Arnold (three films: Big Bully, Carpool, and The Stupids) also drew significant criticism.[1] At the ceremony, Striptease dominated by securing six awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Demi Moore, tied with her performance in [The Juror](/page/The Juror)), Worst Director (Andrew Bergman), Worst Screenplay (Andrew Bergman), Worst Screen Couple (Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds), and Worst Original Song.[3] Additional winners included Tom Arnold (Big Bully) and Pauly Shore (Bio-Dome) tying for Worst Actor; Marlon Brando (The Island of Dr. Moreau) for Worst Supporting Actor; Melanie Griffith (Mulholland Falls) for Worst Supporting Actress; Pamela Anderson (Barb Wire) for Worst New Star; and Twister for Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million.[3] The event underscored ongoing Razzie traditions of lampooning high-profile flops, with no major winners in attendance to accept their spray-painted trophies.[1]Overview
Ceremony details
The 17th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony took place on March 23, 1997, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California, the evening before the 69th Academy Awards.[4][5] The event was organized as an annual satirical banquet by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation to recognize the worst films and performances from 1996.[6] The nominations process began with a ballot of potential candidates announced on January 23, 1997, followed by voting among members to select the official nominees, which were announced on February 10, 1997.[6][1] Unlike the glamorous, televised Oscars, the Razzie ceremony featured no formal host and maintained a low-key, irreverent format with no red-carpet arrivals or celebrity attendees claiming their "honors" in person.[4] The event was not broadcast live or televised, emphasizing its parody nature as a counterpoint to major industry awards shows.[4][7] Winners were determined through a voting process conducted by approximately 475 members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, consisting of film professionals, journalists, publicists, and enthusiasts, who submitted ballots by mail, fax, or early internet methods.[4][6] This subjective, fan-influenced system focused on high-profile underperformances, with trophies—inexpensive gold-painted raspberries atop Super 8mm film reels—presented as humorous symbols of cinematic failure.[4]Background and context
The Golden Raspberry Awards, commonly known as the Razzies, were founded in 1980 by publicist and film enthusiast John J.B. Wilson as a satirical counterpoint to the Academy Awards, poking fun at cinematic mediocrity and excess through mock honors for the worst achievements in film.[8] The inaugural ceremony took place on March 31, 1981, in Wilson's Hollywood living room alcove, and the event has since been held annually the day before the Oscars to maintain its role as a humorous prelude to Hollywood's most prestigious night. By design, the Razzies emphasize self-deprecating humor, encouraging industry figures to embrace their missteps rather than take the awards too seriously.[8] The 17th Golden Raspberry Awards, held on March 23, 1997, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, recognized films released in 1996—a year that exemplified the film industry's dual nature of blockbuster triumphs and high-profile disappointments.[9] That year saw massive successes like Independence Day, which grossed over $300 million domestically and became the highest-earning film of the era, and Twister, a disaster spectacle that capitalized on special effects trends to pull in more than $241 million.[10] In contrast, productions such as Striptease, despite generating $113 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, faced backlash for its sensationalized adaptation of Carl Hiaasen's novel and Demi Moore's polarizing performance, marking it as a commercial success but a critical and cultural letdown. Similarly, The Island of Dr. Moreau suffered from notorious production chaos, including director changes and on-set conflicts involving stars Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, ultimately bombing with just $27 million against a $40 million budget and earning widespread derision.[11] By the time of the 17th ceremony, the Razzies had evolved to include more pointed categories that reflected growing awareness of Hollywood's formulaic pitfalls, such as the Worst Screen Couple award introduced at the 15th edition in 1995 for 1994 films, which targeted mismatched on-screen pairings like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire.[12] Additionally, special categories like Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million had emerged as recurring honors starting with the 17th ceremony in 1997, spotlighting commercially viable but script-weak entries such as Twister to critique how big-budget successes could still falter in storytelling.[12] These developments underscored the Razzies' maturation into a platform that not only lampooned outright failures but also dissected industry excesses, with nominations frequently zeroing in on high-profile underperformers to highlight misplaced hype and creative overreach.[13]Awards and nominations
Acting categories
The acting categories of the 17th Golden Raspberry Awards recognized the most lackluster performances from 1996 films, with nominations announced in February 1997 and winners revealed during the ceremony on March 23, 1997, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.[1][3] These awards targeted lead and supporting roles, as well as on-screen pairings deemed particularly unconvincing or chemistry-deficient, drawing attention to high-profile flops like Striptease and The Island of Dr. Moreau. In the Worst Actor category, a tie occurred between Tom Arnold for his roles as Clay Byers in Big Bully, Franklin Laszlo in Carpool, and Stanley Stupid in The Stupids, and Pauly Shore for Bud Macintosh in Bio-Dome, marking only the second such deadlock in Razzie history after 1981.[3][5][9] Other nominees included Keanu Reeves as Eddie Kasalivich in Chain Reaction, Adam Sandler as Archie Moses in Bulletproof and Happy Gilmore in Happy Gilmore, and Sylvester Stallone as Kit Latura in Daylight.[9] Demi Moore won Worst Actress (tie) for her roles as Erin Grant in Striptease and Annie Laird in The Juror, performances criticized for their exaggerated emotional range in the film's satirical take on exotic dancing and legal thriller tropes.[3][14] The other nominees were Pamela Anderson as Barb Wire in Barb Wire, Whoopi Goldberg for her roles in Bogus, Eddie, and Theodore Rex, Melanie Griffith as Betty in Two Much, and Julia Roberts as Mary Kelly in Mary Reilly.[9][1] Marlon Brando received the Worst Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Dr. Moreau in The Island of Dr. Moreau, a role marred by reports of on-set difficulties and a prosthetic-heavy appearance that many viewed as self-parody.[3][14] Nominees also encompassed Val Kilmer as Montgomery in The Island of Dr. Moreau and John Henry Patterson in The Ghost and the Darkness, Burt Reynolds as Congressman David Dilbeck in Striptease, Steven Seagal as Dr. Travis Baron in Executive Decision, and Quentin Tarantino as Richard Gecko in From Dusk Till Dawn.[9] Melanie Griffith took home Worst Supporting Actress for playing Katherine Hoover in Mulholland Falls, where her performance in the neo-noir thriller was faulted for lacking depth amid the ensemble cast.[3][9] The category's other nominees included Faye Dunaway as Mrs. Dubrow in Dunston Checks In and Lee Bowen in The Chamber, Jami Gertz as Dr. Jo Harding in Twister, Daryl Hannah as Betty in Two Much, and Teri Hatcher as Rikki Barnes in 2 Days in the Valley and Claudette Rocque in Heaven's Prisoners.[9] The Worst Screen Couple award went to Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds as Erin Grant and Congressman David Dilbeck in Striptease, highlighting their mismatched dynamic in the film's comedic yet uncomfortable interactions.[3][14] Additional nominees featured Pamela Anderson's "enhancements" in Barb Wire, the animated duo Beavis and Butt-head in Beavis and Butt-head Do America, Marlon Brando and Nelson de la Rosa in The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Matt LeBlanc with the horse Ed in Ed.[9]Technical and creative categories
The technical and creative categories of the 17th Golden Raspberry Awards highlighted subpar direction, scripting, musical contributions, and emerging talents in 1996 films, often lampooning choices that prioritized spectacle over substance. These awards, voted on by members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, underscored creative missteps in high-profile productions, with Striptease dominating by securing wins in multiple areas.[15] Andrew Bergman received the Razzie for Worst Director for his work on Striptease, a satirical adaptation of Carl Hiaasen's novel that was criticized for uneven pacing and tonal inconsistencies despite its commercial intent. Nominees in this category included John Frankenheimer for The Island of Dr. Moreau, noted for production turmoil and visual effects mishaps; Stephen Frears for Mary Reilly, faulted for a lackluster reimagining of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story; John Landis for The Stupids, derided for slapstick excess; and Brian Levant for Jingle All the Way, lambasted for formulaic holiday chaos.[15][9] The Worst Screenplay award went to Andrew Bergman's script for Striptease, which was faulted for failing to capture the novel's wit amid awkward dialogue and plot contrivances. Other nominees encompassed the screenplay for Barb Wire, written by Chuck Pfarrer and Ilene Chaiken, criticized for clichéd cyberpunk tropes; Ed, written by David Mickey Evans, mocked for its bizarre baseball-comedy premise involving a chimpanzee; The Island of Dr. Moreau, adapted by Richard Stanley and Ron Hutchinson, blamed for deviations from H.G. Wells' source material; and The Stupids, written by Brent Forrester, panned for juvenile humor.[15][16] In the Worst Original Song category, "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy (Whose Kitty Cat Are You?)" from Striptease, written and performed by Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery, took the dishonor for its crass lyrics and incongruous placement in a film already under fire for tonal issues. Nominees included "Welcome to Planet Boom!" from Barb Wire, composed by various artists and seen as emblematic of the film's over-the-top synth-rock aesthetic; and "Whenever There Is Love" from Daylight, written by Bruce Roberts and Sam Roman, ridiculed for maudlin sentimentality in a disaster thriller.[15][5] Pamela Anderson won Worst New Star for her lead role in Barb Wire, a distinction that targeted overhyped debuts or gimmicky breakthroughs, often spotlighting performers thrust into prominence through publicity stunts rather than acting merit. Other nominees were the animated duo Beavis and Butt-Head from Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, satirizing their transition to feature-length irreverence; Ellen DeGeneres for Mr. Wrong, critiquing her comedic timing in a romantic lead; the cast of Friends (treated as a film-like entity for their episodic prominence); and Sharon Stone for Diabolique and Last Dance, questioning her shift to dramatic intensity post-Basic Instinct. This category, introduced to mock fleeting fame, emphasized how 1996 amplified such phenomena through media buzz.[5][17][9]Special categories
The 17th Golden Raspberry Awards introduced the special category of Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million, a one-off satirical award targeting high-grossing blockbusters derided for subpar screenplays despite their commercial triumphs. This category underscored the Razzies' tradition of highlighting irony in Hollywood, focusing on films that exceeded the $100 million threshold worldwide but were lambasted by critics for narrative flaws, weak dialogue, or contrived plotting.[18] Twister, written by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin, claimed the Razzie in this category. The disaster film amassed a global box office of $495.7 million, exemplifying the award's pointed critique of profitable yet poorly scripted entertainments. The nominees, all 1996 releases that surpassed the financial benchmark, were:| Film | Writers |
|---|---|
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White |
| Independence Day | Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich |
| Mission: Impossible | David Koepp, Steven Zaillian, Robert Towne |
| A Time to Kill | Akiva Goldsman |