33rd Golden Raspberry Awards
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards, commonly known as the Razzies, was a satirical award ceremony that honored the worst achievements in film for the year 2012, taking place on February 23, 2013, at the Holiday Inn Express on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[1][2] The event, founded in 1981 by publicist John J. B. Wilson to poke fun at Hollywood's excesses, featured 10 categories that year, with nominations announced the day before the Oscars on January 9, 2013.[1] The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 dominated the proceedings, securing 11 nominations—the most of any film that year—and winning seven awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Director for Bill Condon, Worst Actress for Kristen Stewart (also for her role in Snow White and the Huntsman), Worst Supporting Actor for Taylor Lautner, Worst Screen Couple for Lautner and co-star Mackenzie Foy, Worst Screen Ensemble for the entire cast, and Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.[1][2] This sweep marked the culmination of the Twilight franchise's frequent Razzie recognition, highlighting its polarizing reception among critics and audiences.[2] Other notable "winners" included Adam Sandler, who took home Worst Actor for That's My Boy, contributing to the film's two total Razzie victories and underscoring ongoing criticism of his comedic output during that era.[1] Worst Screenplay went to David Caspe for That's My Boy. Rihanna earned Worst Supporting Actress for her debut role in Battleship, drawing attention to celebrity cameos perceived as phoned-in performances.[2] The ceremony, held in a modest venue adjacent to the Dolby Theatre, maintained the Razzies' tradition of low-budget pomp, with awards consisting of a raspberry atop a Super 8mm film reel spray-painted gold and costing about $5 each, and no in-person acceptances from major winners were reported, though a life-size cutout of Stewart was used for comedic effect.[1][3] Overall, the 33rd Razzies exemplified the awards' role in celebrating cinematic failures, with Breaking Dawn – Part 2 earning the most wins (seven) of any film that year.[2]Background
Purpose and history
The Golden Raspberry Awards, commonly referred to as the Razzies, serve as a satirical counterpart to prestigious film honors like the Academy Awards, annually recognizing the worst achievements in cinema including films, performances, screenplays, and technical elements from the prior year. Founded with the intent to mock subpar Hollywood output through humorous "dishonors," the awards encourage public discourse on cinematic failures while occasionally spotlighting so-bad-they're-entertaining works. Voting is conducted by members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, a paid organization of film aficionados, journalists, and critics who nominate and select recipients via online ballots.[4][5] The awards originated in 1980 when publicist and aspiring film critic John J.B. Wilson, frustrated by a double feature of the critically panned musicals Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu, proposed creating an "anti-Oscar" event with friends to deride the year's worst films. The inaugural ceremony occurred on March 31, 1981—intentionally timed as April Fools' Day and one day before the 53rd Academy Awards—in Wilson's modest Hollywood home, where nine categories honored 1980's cinematic low points using spray-painted dollar-store trophies. Co-founded with publicist Mo Murphy, the event drew its name from the "raspberry," slang for a jeering sound of disapproval synonymous with the Bronx cheer, symbolizing public scorn for poor filmmaking. Early winners included Can't Stop the Music for Worst Picture and Neil Diamond for Worst Actor in The Jazz Singer.[6][7][8] By the 33rd edition in 2013, the Razzies had evolved from a private gathering of about a dozen attendees into a widely covered media event, maintaining its tradition of announcing nominations on the eve of the Oscars and holding the ceremony shortly after to maximize satirical timing. Over three decades, the awards expanded categories to include Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, while gaining cultural traction through celebrity responses—some winners, like Halle Berry, attended to accept their Razzies with good humor. The 33rd ceremony continued this legacy by targeting 2012 releases, underscoring the enduring purpose of using parody to critique industry excesses without aspiring to the formality of mainstream awards.[9][10]Eligibility and voting process
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards recognized the worst achievements in films that received a commercial theatrical release in the United States during the 2012 calendar year, focusing primarily on English-language feature films across categories such as Worst Picture, acting, directing, and screen ensemble.[11] This eligibility criterion ensured the awards targeted widely distributed cinematic efforts, excluding direct-to-video or limited non-theatrical releases unless they met the theatrical threshold.[9] Nominations for most categories were determined through a voting process open to members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, an organization comprising approximately 650 film enthusiasts, critics, and industry professionals from 47 U.S. states and 15 foreign countries at the time.[12] Membership was accessible to the public via an annual fee, typically around $20–$40 depending on the era, granting voting rights for both nominations and final winners.[13] Ballots were emailed to members, presenting 7–12 pre-selected contenders per category alongside options for write-in votes; the top five vote recipients advanced as nominees.[13] In a departure for one category, the nominees and winner for Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel were selected via a public online poll hosted on Rotten Tomatoes, which garnered over 70,000 votes from general audiences.[12] Following the January 9, 2013, nomination announcement, final ballots were again distributed to the membership, with winners chosen by majority vote and revealed at the ceremony on February 23, 2013.[14] This democratic yet satirical process emphasized public and member input to highlight perceived cinematic failures.[9]Ceremony
Date, venue, and format
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony occurred on February 23, 2013, the day before the 85th Academy Awards.[15] It was hosted at the Continental Breakfast Room on the fourth floor of the Holiday Inn Express Hollywood Walk of Fame hotel in Los Angeles, California, a modest venue that underscored the event's low-budget, anti-glamour ethos in contrast to the nearby Oscars preparations.[2][3] The format consisted of a lively, invite-only press conference rather than a full televised gala, where winners were announced satirically by founder John Wilson and a small group of attendees, including Razzie voters and media.[2][16] Humorous elements included mock acceptances via props, such as a life-size cardboard cutout standing in for absent nominee Kristen Stewart to "receive" her Worst Actress award.[3] No nominees or winners attended in person, maintaining the ceremony's tradition of ironic detachment from Hollywood's self-congratulatory events.[3]Organization and announcements
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards were organized by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, a nonprofit entity co-founded in 1981 by John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy to parody cinematic failures through an annual mock award ceremony.[7] The foundation's voting membership, consisting of film enthusiasts and critics, determines nominees and winners via mailed ballots, with results tallied by an independent accountant to ensure transparency.[17] For the 2013 event honoring 2012 films, the process followed this established structure, emphasizing satirical commentary on Hollywood's output. Nominations for the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on January 8, 2013, via a press release and a comedic video produced by the foundation, highlighting films like The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 with 11 nods.[9] This early reveal, a departure from the 32nd Awards' delayed April 1 announcement due to scheduling conflicts with the Oscars, allowed for traditional pre-Oscar buzz.[18] The foundation's head, Wilson, often participated in these unveilings to underscore the event's humorous intent. The ceremony itself took place on February 23, 2013, the day before the 85th Academy Awards, at the Continental Breakfast Room of the Holiday Inn Express Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.[16] Unlike grand award shows, the Razzie event was a modest, invite-only gathering with live announcements of winners, who receive gold-spray-painted Super 8mm film reels as trophies.[19] Winners were revealed in real-time during the low-key proceedings, with Breaking Dawn – Part 2 sweeping seven categories, including Worst Picture.[20] This format reinforced the foundation's goal of accessible satire rather than high-production spectacle.Nominations
Announcement details
The nominations for the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on January 8, 2013, approximately six weeks prior to the ceremony.[21][22] Unlike traditional award shows, the Razzie nominations were revealed through a comedic video produced by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, featuring representatives "going undercover" to humorously unveil the honorees for the worst films of 2012.[23] This approach emphasized the satirical nature of the awards, with the video posted online to coincide with the press release.[11] John J. B. Wilson, the founder of the Razzies, oversaw the announcement as part of the foundation's tradition of timing the reveal just before the Academy Award nominations to draw contrast with the Oscars. The full list of nominees was distributed via official channels and covered extensively by entertainment media outlets, spotlighting films like The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 for its record-tying 11 nominations across all 10 categories, including two in Worst Screen Couple.Films with multiple nominations
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards, held in 2013 for films released in 2012, saw several movies earning multiple nominations across the 10 categories announced on January 8. The satirical awards highlighted perceived cinematic low points, with nominations spanning worst picture, acting, directing, screen ensemble, screenplay, and screen couple. Leading the pack was The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which received 11 nominations, underscoring criticisms of its acting, direction, and overall production.[9] Other films with notable multiples included action and comedy entries that drew ire for scripting, performances, and ensemble dynamics. That's My Boy garnered 8 nominations, reflecting backlash against its humor, while Battleship received 7, targeting its effects-heavy spectacle. Madea's Witness Protection earned 5 nominations, often tied to lead performances by its star. Lower tallies went to films like A Thousand Words with 3, and The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure and Good Deeds, both with 2, primarily for picture, ensemble, directing, and acting categories. These multiples illustrated the Razzies' tendency to cluster criticism on high-profile releases with broad ensemble casts or franchise elements.| Nominations | Film |
|---|---|
| 11 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| 8 | That's My Boy |
| 7 | Battleship |
| 5 | Madea's Witness Protection |
| 3 | A Thousand Words |
| 2 | The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure |
| 2 | Good Deeds |
Winners and nominees
Film and ensemble awards
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards recognized the worst achievements in film for 2012, with the film and ensemble categories highlighting critically panned blockbusters and ensemble casts. The Worst Picture award went to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, directed by Bill Condon, which dominated the ceremony by securing seven "wins" overall, including this top dishonor for its convoluted plot, visual effects, and conclusion to the vampire romance franchise.[16] The film, produced by Summit Entertainment, grossed over $829 million worldwide despite widespread derision for its acting, screenplay, and CGI elements, such as the infamous "born as a puppy" army sequence.[9] In the Worst Screen Ensemble category, the entire cast of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 also claimed the Razzie, underscoring the collective performance of stars like Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner as a key factor in the film's poor reception.[12] This marked a sweep for the Twilight franchise in these categories, reflecting voter frustration with the series' melodramatic tone and reliance on special effects over coherent storytelling.[1] The nominees for Worst Picture included a mix of high-budget action flops and comedies, as shown below:| Nominee | Studio | Notable Criticism |
|---|---|---|
| Battleship | Universal Pictures | Overreliance on explosions and product placement in a board game adaptation.[9] |
| The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure | Kenn Viselman Presents | A children's film accused of being insufferably saccharine and poorly executed.[9] |
| That's My Boy | Columbia Pictures | Adam Sandler's crude humor and outdated stereotypes in a father-son comedy.[16] |
| A Thousand Words | Paramount Pictures | Eddie Murphy's silent shtick in a film criticized for lazy scripting.[9] |
| Nominee | Film |
|---|---|
| The entire cast of Battleship | Battleship |
| The entire cast of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (winner) | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Nick Swardson and the entire cast of That's My Boy | That's My Boy |
| The entire cast of A Thousand Words | A Thousand Words |
Acting awards
The acting categories at the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards singled out performances deemed the worst in lead and supporting roles from 2012 films, with nominations announced on January 8, 2013, and winners revealed on February 23, 2013.[24] The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 dominated the acting wins, securing two awards amid its sweep of seven Razzies overall.[2] Kristen Stewart won Worst Actress for her portrayals of Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 and Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman, highlighting criticisms of her limited emotional range in both fantasy blockbusters.[12] Adam Sandler claimed Worst Actor for his role as a deadbeat father in the comedy That's My Boy, his third victory in the category and second consecutive year as a winner.[25] In the supporting categories, Taylor Lautner received Worst Supporting Actor for playing Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, continuing the franchise's theme of critiquing its young cast.[12] Rihanna earned Worst Supporting Actress for her film debut as an officer in the action film Battleship, a win described as decisive by a landslide margin among voters.[1][26]| Category | Winner | Film(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Worst Actor | Adam Sandler | That's My Boy |
| Worst Actress | Kristen Stewart | Snow White and the Huntsman / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Worst Supporting Actor | Taylor Lautner | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Worst Supporting Actress | Rihanna | Battleship |
| Worst Actor Nominees | Role(s) / Film(s) |
|---|---|
| Adam Sandler | Donny Berger / That's My Boy |
| Nicolas Cage | Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance; Will Gerard / Stolen (formerly Seeking Justice) |
| Eddie Murphy | Jack McCall / A Thousand Words |
| Robert Pattinson | Edward Cullen / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Tyler Perry | Alex Cross / Alex Cross; Wesley Deeds / Good Deeds |
| Worst Actress Nominees | Role(s) / Film(s) |
|---|---|
| Katherine Heigl | Stephanie Plum / One for the Money |
| Milla Jovovich | Alice / Resident Evil: Retribution |
| Kristen Stewart | Snow White / Snow White and the Huntsman; Bella Swan / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Barbra Streisand | Joyce Brewster / The Guilt Trip |
| Tyler Perry | Madea / Madea's Witness Protection |
| Worst Supporting Actor Nominees | Role(s) / Film(s) |
|---|---|
| David Hasselhoff | Himself / Piranha 3DD |
| Liam Neeson | Admiral Shane / Battleship; Zeus / Wrath of the Titans |
| Taylor Lautner | Jacob Black / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Nick Swardson | Kenny / That's My Boy |
| Vanilla Ice | Himself / That's My Boy |
| Worst Supporting Actress Nominees | Role(s) / Film(s) |
|---|---|
| Jessica Biel | Stacie / Playing for Keeps; Melina / Total Recall |
| Brooklyn Decker | Sam / Battleship; Skyler / What to Expect When You're Expecting |
| Ashley Greene | Alice Cullen / The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 |
| Jennifer Lopez | Holly / What to Expect When You're Expecting |
| Rihanna | Lt. Cora 'Raikes' Darden / Battleship |
Directing, writing, and other awards
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards featured categories recognizing poor directing, writing, and other specific cinematic flaws from 2012 films. Bill Condon won Worst Director for directing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, contributing to the film's sweep of seven awards and criticism of its handling of the franchise's finale.[2] Nominees for Worst Director included:- Peter Berg for Battleship
- Sean Anders for That's My Boy
- Bill Condon for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (winner)
- Tyler Perry for Good Deeds and Madea's Witness Protection
- Alex Cross, written by Marc Moss and James Patterson
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer
- A Thousand Words, written by Steve Koren
- Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
- Adam Sandler and "anyone in the cast" of That's My Boy
- Mackenzie Foy and "her CG-generated images" in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
- Piranha 3DD
- That's My Boy
Reception
Notable moments and acceptances
The 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held on February 23, 2013, at the Continental Breakfast Room of the Holiday Inn Express Hollywood Walk of Fame Hotel in Los Angeles, the night before the Academy Awards.[2] The event unfolded as a press conference with no winners attending in person to accept their awards, maintaining the Razzies' tradition of satirical announcements without formal speeches from recipients.[2] A standout moment was the unprecedented sweep by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which earned 11 nominations and secured seven wins, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress for Kristen Stewart (her first victory after three prior nominations), Worst Supporting Actor for Taylor Lautner, Worst Screen Couple (Lautner and Mackenzie Foy), Worst Screen Ensemble, Worst Director for Bill Condon, and Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.[27][2] Another highlight included Adam Sandler's win for Worst Actor in That's My Boy, his second consecutive triumph in the category and only the third such feat in Razzie history, previously achieved by Sylvester Stallone and Pauly Shore.[28] Rihanna marked her film debut with a win for Worst Supporting Actress in Battleship, drawing attention to the Razzies' occasional nods to musicians venturing into acting.[27]Box office performance of winners
The primary winners of the 33rd Golden Raspberry Awards showed mixed box office results, with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 achieving massive commercial success despite its seven Razzie wins, while other recipients like That's My Boy underperformed significantly. Breaking Dawn – Part 2, with a production budget of $120 million, grossed $829.7 million worldwide as of its final tally, becoming the highest-grossing film in the Twilight franchise and a major hit for Summit Entertainment.[29] In contrast, Adam Sandler's That's My Boy, which won two awards (Worst Actor and Worst Screenplay) on a $70 million budget, earned only $57.7 million worldwide, marking it as a box office bomb and contributing to criticism of Sandler's output at the time.[30] Battleship, recipient of Worst Supporting Actress for Rihanna, had a $209 million budget and grossed $303 million worldwide, breaking even after international earnings but considered a disappointment given its high costs and modest domestic performance of $65.4 million.[31]| Film | Awards Won | Worldwide Gross | Budget | Performance Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | 7 | $829.7 million | $120 million | Major success; highest in franchise |
| That's My Boy | 2 | $57.7 million | $70 million | Box office bomb; significant loss |
| Battleship | 1 | $303 million | $209 million | Break-even; international-driven but underwhelming |