Razzies organizers display rare evidence of taste, rescind Bruce Willis "acting" award
After initially resisting calls to redact their "Worst Performance By Bruce Willis in 2021" award, the Razzies have now acceded
When we think of people or organizations overflowing with tastefulness and tact, the Razzies usually only come up via contrast. (As in, “Sure, that guy barfed in the punch bowl, but at least he was better than the Razzies.”) So some small measure of kudos are in order—we guess—to the bad movie award group this week, after they eventually ceded that giving Bruce Willis an “award” for making bad movies the same week he was revealed to be retiring from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis was in poor taste, even for them.
(And here’s where we note, not for the first time, that our major beef with the Razzies is not so much their general mean-spiritedness, but the sheer lack of creativity with which they express it; Willis’ recent acting career is the lowest-hanging of fruit, i.e., the Razzies’ favorite and typically only harvest.)
Per The Wrap, Razzies organizers John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy initially resisted calls to pull Willis’ “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in 2021" award, going so far as to acknowledge his retirement news by saying he had wanted to “go out with a bang” in 2021. (Willis appeared in eight or so low-budget action films last year; the Los Angeles Times and other outlets have carried reports in recent days in which co-stars and co-workers reported that the actor suffered from memory issues and other cognitive problems on the films’ sets.)
Today, though, Murphy and Mo have walked back that decision, saying in a statement that, “If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.” The duo also took the opportunity to rescind their nomination of Shelley Duvall for The Shining, from the very first Razzies, in 1980; Murphy has previously said that he felt bad for nominating Duvall for the film after learning how director Stanley Kubrick treated her on its set.
Anyway: We welcome this turn toward introspection and bridge-building for the Razzies, and can only expect it to continue into all their future efforts.