Did you know the Eddie Murphy flop Norbit was nominated for an Oscar? You might think we’re pulling an early April Fool’s Day prank on you but believe it or not, this tasteless piece of cinematic junk did get a mention at the 2008 Academy Awards.
Norbit isn’t the only bad movie to get an Oscar nomination as can be seen in our list below. One of these movies was even up for the Best Picture Award, which may come as a massive surprise to you.
Are there any movies that we have missed from this list? Let us know in the comments below.
Norbit (2007)
And the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to…Norbit!
These are words that weren’t spoken at the 80th Academy Awards, which is of little surprise considering Norbit’s status as one of the worst comedy movies of all time. Eddie Murphy, who earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for the 2006 movie Dreamgirls, also failed to get a nomination (or a triple nomination) for his roles as Norbit, Rasputia, and Mr. Wong.
Despite the movie’s many failings, it did get nominated for Best Makeup, so while lots of negative words can be targeted at Norbit, not least “racially insensitive,” “astonishingly crass,” and “downright garbage,” its makers can still counter any criticisms with the words “Oscar nominee.”
Yes, Giorgio (1982)
Luciano Pavarotti is a far better singer than he is an actor, as can be evidenced by his starring role in this musical comedy where his performance fails to hit the high notes. The story, about a famous Opera singer who loses his voice and who then falls in love with a throat specialist, is as flat as Pavarotti’s acting, though he isn’t helped by the screenplay that is charmless and cheesy.
The movie was a box office bomb but it still managed to get an Oscar nomination for Best Song (If We Were In Love by John Williams). It didn’t win – the voters presumably said “No, Giorgio” – with the Academy Award going to An Officer and a Gentleman’s “Up Where We Belong” instead.
When Time Ran Out… (1980)
Disaster movies were all the rage back in the 70s and 80s, with only a few (including The Poseidon Adventure) standing out as being any good. When Time Ran Out is one of the worst movies from that era, with critics pointing out the awful special effects, hole-ridden script, and lack of spectacle as just a few of its many flaws.
Despite the movie’s failings, it was nominated for Best Costume Design at the 54th Academy Awards, but time ran out for this disastrous misfire as the award went to Roman Polanski’s Tess instead.
Thank God It’s Friday (1978)
Here’s a movie you probably haven’t heard of! It’s a musical comedy starring Jeff Goldblum and Donna Summer that tried (and failed) to capitalize on the disco craze of the 1970s. To say it’s awful would be an understatement, which is probably why the movie is rarely talked about today.
Leonard Maltin, in his annual movie guide (which is no longer being published), rated the movie BOMB, which was the lowest rating on his review scale. He called it “the worst film ever to have won some kind of Academy Award,” referring to the Oscar for Best Original Song that went to Donna Summer for her song “Last Dance.”
Click (2006)
Adam Sandler has never won an Oscar for Best Actor, which won’t surprise those who have only seen his comedies. However, he did turn in Oscar-worthy performances in Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems so we shouldn’t forget those movies where he didn’t deliver woefully lazy performances.
His movies have never been nominated for a Best Picture award either, not even Hubie Halloween, which is surely a surprise to all of us. Not really!
Despite these Oscar snubs, one of Sandler’s movies has received an Acadamy Award nomination. Click, which tells the story of a man who can control his life using a magic remote control, was nominated for Best Makeup at the 79th Academy Awards. It ultimately lost out to Pan’s Labyrinth, which, let’s be honest, was a far more deserving winner.
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
E. L. James’ erotic novel proved surprisingly popular in 2011, so it’s no wonder a film adaptation was given the green light shortly after its release. However, the movie that eventually hit cinemas was as sexy as edible underwear made out of lettuce, meaning it wasn’t very arousing or explicit at all. This upset fans of the book and the movie-going public who expected something risque and daring from the finished product.
Critics called Fifty Shades of Grey one of the worst movies of the year, though that didn’t stop it from getting any awards. Admittedly, those awards were given at the 36th Golden Raspberry Awards, including the dishonourable accolade of Worst Picture which it won jointly with Fantastic Four.
The movie did have one redeeming feature, the song “Earned It”, by Canadian singer The Weeknd, which was nominated for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. Unfortunately, it lost out to Sam Smith’s “Writing on the Wall” which was the title track of the James Bond movie Spectre.
Harlem Nights (1989)
Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor star in this 1930s-set crime comedy that one critic called “a watered-down version of The Sting.” It had a good opening weekend at the Box Office but earnings quickly started to fall, presumably because people began to hear how bad it was.
A Best Actor nomination was not on the cards for its two leads, and neither was Best Director for Murphy, who made his directorial debut with the film. The Beverly Hills Cop star did win an award though – “Worst Movie Director” at the Razzies – so at least he walked away with something (if not his pride).
While Harlem Nights will never be remembered as 1989’s best (that accolade went to Driving Miss Daisy at the Oscars), it did get nominated for one Academy Award – Costume Design.
Cleopatra (1963)
Cleopatra received nine nominations at the 36th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won four: Best Art Direction (Color), Best Cinematography (Color), Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design (Color).
So, why is Cleopatra on our list of “bad movies”? Well, despite being nominated for Best Picture, the movie is not a good film. It’s certainly spectacular but at over 4 hours long, it’s a bit of a slog to sit through, not least because of the slow-moving plot and endless dialogue scenes that undermine the visuals and turn the movie into a mind-numbing bore.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Michael Bay’s wartime movie is not quite the romantic crowd-pleaser many thought it would be. We’re guessing die-hard romantics might have fallen for it anyway but those hoping for a good script and convincing relationships were likely very disappointed after seeing it.
The movie’s one highlight is the vivid re-creation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But other than the spectacle of that scene, the movie is cliched and corny, despite the best efforts of its attractive star cast. Eye-rolling script aside, the movie did receive four Oscar nominations, including Best Visual Effects, Best Original Song, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing (for which it won).
Suicide Squad (2016)
Suicide Squad grossed over $745 million at the US box office, making it the 10th highest-grossing movie of 2016. Don’t let its financial success fool you into thinking it’s a good film, however, as critics poured scorn on the DC flick for its jumbled story and badly misjudged ending.
Reportedly, David Ayer’s movie was ruined by studio interference, with his rumoured Director Cut being much better. His unreleased version of the film is unlikely to have won Best Picture but it may have stood as one of the better movies in the DCEU – we will likely never know!
Regardless, despite the failings of the film that was released to cinemas it did win an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 89th Academy Awards.
How many bad Oscar winners have you seen? Let us know in the comments below.