January 2023

Film as an art form is an inherently collaborative medium, and whilst the individual achievements of directors, writers and actors are often singled out for acclaim, ultimately a film requires the work of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people to complete.

An actor starting out having completed their online acting classes is as essential to a film’s completion as its leading actors, and the best examples of winning together and losing together are in films by acclaimed actors which ultimately are somewhat less well-received.

The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies) are a parody of the Oscars that often takes place on the very same weekend, which satirises films that are somewhat less regarded.

Whilst it has been criticised for some of its choices, often because it tends to choose “easy targets” for derision, it has become as much of an annual tradition for showcasing cinematic underachievement as the Oscars for showing the best of what film has to offer.

One of the most interesting facts about the Razzies is that only three people have ever won both a Razzie and an Oscar in the same weekend:

• Composer Alan Menken won the Oscar for A Whole New World from Aladdin and the Razzie for High Times, Hard Times from Newsies in 1993.
• Screenwriter Brian Helgeland won the Oscar for LA Confidential and the Razzie for The Postman in 1997.

Only one actor has ever won both the Oscar and the Razzie in the same weekend, however, and it is a credit not only to her exceptional range as a performer but also to how important scripting and direction are to a performance.

Sandra Bullock starred as Michael Oher’s adoptive mother Leigh Anne Tuohy in the film The Blind Side, often considered to be the highlight of a film that often divides opinion.

On the other hand, All About Steve, about eccentric crossword puzzle constructor Mary Horowitz, was considered to be somewhat the opposite of this.

Sandra Bullock received her award in person with a giant cart of copies of the All About Steve DVD to give to every member of the audience, in a performance every bit as iconic as the two she received awards for.

 

One of the great aspects of acting is that in almost every case it is the collaborative effort of dozens, sometimes thousands of people working together on a common goal.

From people fresh from acting classes to Hollywood A-listers, every single person plays their part to make a film what it is, and in cases where a film is not exactly well received, it is always essential to note that everyone tried to make it succeed, often in less-than-ideal circumstances.

A case in point for this is how so many films that have notably been received negatively by critics tend to have a brilliant, standout performance that often contrasts with other elements that work far less well.

Here are some of the best examples.

 

Raul Julia In Street Fighter

The 1994 adaptation of the popular computer game to the silver screen was in a difficult position from the start, with a mix of studio and game publisher mandates that hampered director Steven E. de Souza’s ability to make a meaningful film.

The biggest issue was its huge central cast, headlined by “Muscles from Brussels” Jean Claude Van Damme hopelessly miscast as All-American Colonel Guile, alongside relative newcomers such as Kylie Minogue and Kenya Sawada.

However, the shining light throughout a somewhat cluttered mess of a film is the casting of the wonderful Raul Julia, in what would become his final role, as the megalomaniacal General M. Bison. His sheer dedication to the role lifts what was otherwise rather poor material.

 

Angelina Jolie In Hackers

Contrasting an incredible actor making his swansong in a bad film is a great actor making her debut in Hollywood as the standout in a film known far more for its strange direction and depiction of hacking than less ethereal concepts such as plot, narrative and acting.

Ms Jolie’s biggest strength as an actor is the sheer presence she brings to scenes, and this is on full display even in a film where she plays a high school hacker with an exceptionally 1990s pixie cut.

It would not take long for Hollywood to realise this, which is why she has films such as Tomb Raider – The Cradle Of Life and Mr and Mrs Smith on her CV.

 

Phil Hartman In Jingle All The Way

Jingle All The Way is a film that is more fondly remembers now it has become a nostalgic touchstone, but a subtle and carefully crafted film it is not. This is perhaps fitting for a comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

However, one aspect that works brilliantly is the late Phil Hartman’s pitch-perfect performance as Arnold’s impossibly smarmy neighbour Howard, and it is his fine performance that gives the world one of Arnold’s most famous lines.