The 2023 Razzies are here

These years Razzies nominations are here, and a controversy surrounds it.

Photo provided by Financial Tribune

These year’s Razzies nominations are here, and a controversy surrounds it.

Lathan Pearce, Staff Writer

Everyone loves to talk about the movies that exceed expectations and win the illustrious Emmy; but, what about the films that were way below the bar? This is where the Razzies come into play. The Razzies, created 41 years ago in 1981,  is an award show for the worst movies of the year. It also has categories for directors,  screenplays, actors and actresses.

The nominees for the “worst picture” are “Blonde,” “Pinocchio,” “Good Mourning,” “The King’s Daughter” and “Morbius.” These movies were also nominated throughout almost all the categories this year,

These five films racked up the most nominations throughout the categories, with “Blonde” leading the way with nine nominations. All of these films other than “The King’s Daughter” received nominations for the “worst  director” and “worst screenplay.” 

The “worst actors” included many famous actors such as Jared Baker in “Morbius,” Tom Hanks in Disney’s ”Pinocchio” and Pete Davidson in “Marmaduke.” It also included a star known more for his singing than acting, Colson “MGK” Baker in the movie “Good Mourning.”

The“worst actresses” award was headlined by Bryce Dallas Howard and Alicia Silverstone. Howard starred in “Jurassic World: Dominion” and Silverstone played in “The Requin.”

Now while the Razzies are all about being hyper-critical about topics, they never expected to have the tables turn on them. However, a controversy where a 12-year-old girl was nominated for the worst actress did just that. Ryan Kiera Armstrong was nominated for her performance in “Firestarter,” a film based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Drew Barrymore, a Hollywood star who starred in the 1984 version of the film, had some words for the Razzies.

“She is younger and it is bullying,” Barrymore said. “We do want to be cautious about how we speak to or about people because it encourages other people to join in on that bandwagon.”. 

Julian Hillard who starred in “WandaVision” in the same age demographic at 11-years-old also weighed into the situation.

“Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better,” Hillard said.

After backlash such as the statements from Barrymore, the Razzies caved in and took Armstrong off the list and swiftly apologized. 

“We have removed Armstrong’s name from the final ballow that our members will cast next month,” Razzies co-founder John Wilison said. “We also believe a public apology is owed to Ms Armstrong.”

With the nominees out, it’s only a matter of time before the “winners” will be announced. This year the awards ceremony will be on March 11, the night before the Oscars, so make sure to check for the results.

Contact Lathan Pearce at [email protected]