It is with both delight and relief that I am able to report that nothing can stop the Razzies ™. The pandemic may have put the kaibosh on the much anticipated 40th anniversary celebration of this valuable public service, but John Wilson’s brainchild has yet to miss a year since 1980 in naming and shaming films that have wasted our money and out time. This year’s nominees include filmmakers and performers gone wrong, egregious exercises in product placement, and Razzie™ darling, Bruce Willis, receiving his very own category.
When I spoke with Wilson by zoom on March 5, 2022, Mr. Willis’ achievement, and its genesis, seemed like the perfect place to start before moving on to Laurence Olivier’s later career and the one Razzie™ winner that Wilson couldn’t sit through.
We went on to discuss the atrocity that is DIANA: THE MUSICAL; how THE WOMAN I THE WINDOW looked so good on paper; why DEAR EVAN HANSEN failed; and how social issues were addressed in films that weren’t equipped to make their points.
We finished up with Ben Affleck and Jared Leto close race; What HOUSE OF GUCCI conjured for Wilson; why SPACE JAM is even more annoying than the usual cynical remake or rip-off; and the two questions I ask him every year: how is he holding up after 43 years of watching bad films as a calling, and what gives him the most hope, and the darkest despair, about the current state of the industry.
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