Razzies Robert Downey Jr and Anne Hathaway nominated for ‘worst acting’
Robert Downey Jr’s critically-panned remake of Dr Dolittle has earned him the dubious honour of multiple nominations at the Razzie Awards.
Also known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, the ceremony celebrates the worst films of the year. Recent winners include Cats and The Emoji Movie.
Downey Jr is up for worst actor and “worst screen combo” for teaming up with his “unconvincing Welsh accent”.
Dolittle was described as “shockingly poor” by BBC film critic Mark Kermode.
The Irish Times described it as “the low-point of every single career involved”, while The Guardian said: “Every time Downey opens his mouth to say something unintelligible, the film dies a bit more.”
Elsewhere, Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway is among the nominees for worst actress.
She is cited for two roles – her portrayal of journalist Elena McMahon in the Netflix flop The Last Thing He Wanted, and her campy performance as the Grand High Witch in Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
The Witches was criticised by disability campaigners for its depiction of limb difference, because it features evil characters who have distinct hand and feet impairments.
Polish erotic thriller 365 Days is among the most nominated films, up for six Razzies.
The film attracted controversy and prompted a campaign to have it removed from Netflix. Singer Duffy, who said last year that she had previously been kidnapped and raped, said in an open letter to the streaming service that the film “glamorizes the brutal reality of sex trafficking”.
Meanwhile, Adam Sandler, who has notched up several Razzie nominations over the years, returns in the worst actor category for his performance in Hubie Halloween.
Members of the Trump administration also receive multiple nominations, with the former US president’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani picking up two mentions for his notorious appearance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Sia’s directorial debut Music, which led to a public apology from the singer for the film’s portrayal of autistic people, receives four nominations.
The movie was described by The Hollywood Reporter as a “sentimental atrocity so cringe-inducing it should come with an advisory warning for anyone with pre-existing shoulder or back injuries”.
But there were also some surprises in the nominations list.
Glenn Close is up for worst supporting actress for Hillbilly Elegy, a film that attracted poor reviews from critics.
But it was much more warmly received by viewers, and the Hollywood veteran has a good chance of receiving a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for the role on Monday.
If she succeeds, it will be only the third time in history an actor has been nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie for the same role, after James Coco and Amy Irving.
