42nd Golden Raspberry Awards
The 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards, commonly known as the Razzies, was a satirical ceremony that recognized the worst achievements in filmmaking during the 2021 calendar year, held virtually on March 26, 2022—the day before the 94th Academy Awards.[1][2] Overview of Winners and CategoriesThe awards, voted on by members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, featured 10 main categories along with specialized ones like Worst Prequel, Remix, Sequel, or Rip-off.[3] Diana: The Musical, the Netflix adaptation of the Broadway show about Princess Diana, swept five awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Jeanna de Waal as Diana), Worst Supporting Actress (Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth II and Barbara Cartland), Worst Director (Christopher Ashley), and Worst Screenplay.[1][3] LeBron James won Worst Actor for Space Jam: A New Legacy. Jared Leto won Worst Supporting Actor for his role as Paolo Gucci in House of Gucci.[4] Space Jam: A New Legacy also won Worst Prequel, Remix, Sequel, or Rip-off.[5][6] In a positive note, the ceremony introduced the Redeemer Award, which Will Smith received for his performance in King Richard.[3] Notable Controversies
The event drew significant backlash when nominations were announced on February 8, 2022, including eight for Bruce Willis across films like Cosmic Sin and Out of Death, leading to criticism for targeting the actor amid rumors of health issues.[7] Following Willis' family announcement on March 30, 2022, of his aphasia diagnosis, the Razzies issued an apology and rescinded all his nominations, marking a rare reversal in the awards' history.[8] This incident highlighted ongoing debates about the Razzies' approach to satire and sensitivity in honoring cinematic "failures."[3]
Ceremony
Date and venue
The 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony took place on March 26, 2022, the day before the 94th Academy Awards, maintaining the event's longstanding tradition of occurring in late March.[3] Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was conducted entirely as a virtual event, with no physical venue, marking a continuation of adaptations implemented in previous years. The presentation was hosted remotely and released as a video on the official Razzie Channel on YouTube, as well as the organization's website, allowing global accessibility without in-person attendance.[9] This digital format echoed the streamlined approaches of the 40th and 41st ceremonies, which had also shifted online amid pandemic restrictions.[10] The nominations for the event had been revealed earlier on February 7, 2022, setting the stage for the virtual broadcast.[11]Hosts and presentation
The 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards presentation was hosted by the fictional character Razz Barry in a satirical space-themed format, "beamed" from an International Goodwill Space Station, narrated by Bill A. Jones. This format emphasizes the ceremony's parodic nature, allowing the organizers to deliver announcements and commentary in a deliberately unpolished, irreverent style that lampoons the glamour of events like the Oscars.[9][8] The presentation incorporated video montages of clips from nominated films, paired with witty voiceovers that exaggerated the flaws in performances and production choices for comedic effect. Winners were revealed through segments featuring mock elements to underscore the satirical tone. The video embraced a low-budget, DIY aesthetic that serves as both a charm and a pointed industry critique. The ceremony ran for approximately 6 minutes, streamed virtually to facilitate remote viewing and participation.[8]Nominations
Announcement and process
The nominations for the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards were publicly announced on February 7, 2022, via the official Razzies website and the organization's social media platforms.[11][12] The nomination process relies on ballots submitted by members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, a group comprising film enthusiasts, critics, and other participants who join for an annual fee.[13] These members vote on the worst achievements in films released in 2021 across various categories, with the foundation tallying the results to select the top vote-getters—typically five per category, though occasionally six in cases of ties—as official nominees.[13][3] The awards feature a core set of standard categories, including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Supporting Actress, Worst Screen Combo, and Worst Remake/Rip-Off/Sequel, supplemented by ad-hoc categories tailored to notable trends or controversies of the year.[14] In total, the 42nd edition encompassed 10 categories, all determined exclusively through the member voting and foundation tabulation process.[14] This nomination phase set the stage for the ceremony on March 26, 2022.[11]Films with multiple nominations
Diana the Musical led all films with nine nominations at the 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards, reflecting widespread criticism of its production and performances.[15] This Netflix release, adapted from the Broadway show, topped non-actor-specific tallies and underscored trends in mocked musical adaptations and biographical portrayals.[16] Films like Karen and The Woman in the Window followed with five nominations each, highlighting disdain for formulaic thrillers and delayed streaming releases perceived as underwhelming.[17] Space Jam: A New Legacy and Dear Evan Hansen each earned four, illustrating scrutiny of high-profile sequels and stage-to-screen transitions.[18] Infinite received three, contributing to the pattern of science fiction entries drawing ire for narrative flaws.[19] Bruce Willis's output dominated in volume, with eight of his 2021 films receiving nominations in a dedicated category for his worst performance, emphasizing the impact of his numerous low-budget action releases like Cosmic Sin and American Siege.[12] This overrepresentation pointed to broader trends in direct-to-video cinema flooding the market with perceived subpar content.[20] The distribution of multiple nominations revealed a focus on mainstream disappointments and streaming originals, with no single film exceeding Diana the Musical's count but collectively showcasing 2021's cinematic misfires across genres.| Film | Nominations |
|---|---|
| Diana the Musical | 9 |
| Karen | 5 |
| The Woman in the Window | 5 |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy | 4 |
| Dear Evan Hansen | 4 |
| Infinite | 3 |