A.A. Milne, take a bow. On second thought, keep resting in peace.
The famed author of “Winnie the Pooh” would surely be rolling upon hearing that a movie based on his beloved bear came up huge in the 44th annual Razzie Awards, handed out to films and performances that are the pits.
Thanks to the childhood classic falling into the public domain in 2022, first-time British director Rhys Frake-Waterfield was allowed to make “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” a live-action horror film that swept all five of the categories it was nominated in, including worst picture and director.
Others coming in for Job Poorly Door accolades this year include Jon Voight, Megan Fox and Razzie legend Sylvester Stallone.
The winners were announced Saturday, a day before the 2024 Academy Awards honor the best in film.
No current Oscars contenders made the 2024 Razzie honorees, but there’s a best actor winner
None of this year’s Razzie recipients are also in the running for the 2024 Oscars. But some past Oscar winners have also won Razzies, including Halle Berry (for “Catwoman,” after winning an Oscar for “Monster’s Ball”) and Tom Hanks (two Academy Awards, but also a Razzie for his over-the-top portrayal of Colonel Tom Parker in “Elvis”).
Let’s now add Voight to that ignominious dual list. He is this year’s worst actor winner for “Mercy,” the story of a former military officer whose hospital is taken over while her son is kidnapped by the Irish mob. Voight is a four-time Oscar nominee, and he won best actor in 1979 for the Vietnam vet drama “Coming Home.”
Winnie the Psycho takes top honors
The premise should be enough to put off anyone who grew up loving the story of a bear and his animal (and one human) pals. When Christopher Robin leaves his little buddies to go off to college, they aren’t just sad, they go crazy. Mayhem ensues as Pooh and Piglet turn into psychopathic killers. Enough said.
Frake-Waterfield, the film’s mastermind, managed to sweep the table with Razzies not just for worst movie and director, but also worst screenplay, screen couple and (an understatement) remake/ripoff/sequel.
Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Expend4ables’ proves more than expendable
“Expend4ables,” the latest (and hopefully last) movie in the franchise about over-the-hill action heroes, earned two Razzies: Fox for worst supporting actress and Stallone for worst supporting actor, despite Stallone’s character appearing in just a few minutes of the film. But Stallone has been here before: He’s a Razzies legend with 10 wins. “Expend4ables” received 14% “fresh” reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, by far the worst tally of the franchise, but has a 70% audience score.
And now Megan Fox for yet another impressive Razzies win
Fox picked up a rare two-fer by nailing worst actress honors for her performance in “Johnny & Clyde,” an attempted heist of the time-honored Bonnie and Clyde story.
She plays a vicious Atlantic City casino owner who ramps up the violence as a pair of serial killers (yes, Johnny and Clyde) return home with a plan to rob her joint. The movie scored an impressive 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 24% audience score.
Razzies don’t always just razz, they can take it back, too
On a redemptive note, the Razzies saluted former winner Fran Drescher (1998 worst actress nominee for “The Beautician and the Beast”) with a Razzie Redeemer Award this year.
In a statement, Razzies organizers saluted the shrill-voiced “Nanny” star “for her brilliant shepherding of the actors’ guild through a prolonged 2023 strike, with a highly successful conclusion.”
After all, without Drescher’s help handling the crisis, there wouldn’t be anything left to razz.
