A Terrible Netflix Movie Was Just Voted Worst Of The Year
A Netflix movie just won the (kind of) prestigious award for worst picture of the year, and then it did not stop there for them.
For a certain kind of film buff, the Golden Raspberry Awards (or “Razzies,” if you’re nasty) are as big of an event as The Academy Awards. But whereas the Oscars serve as the industry standard for excellence in cinema, the Razzies purport to do the opposite. Since 1981, the award ceremony founded by John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy have given awards for the worst examples in film released that given year. It is safe to say that the streaming giant Netflix is probably not one of the kinds of film buffs who are excited to see the Razzies give Sylvester Stallone his 11th Award. It is even safer to say that they are probably not thrilled that the 2022 Razzies have awarded their production Diana the Musical the title of Worst Picture of the Year. The filmed version of the stage musical also received awards for Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actress, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Here’s a little peek at what earned all those raspberry statues:
Netflix undoubtedly does not love the negative press that comes from dominating an awards ceremony dedicated to being the worst at something. But as they say, any press is good press and it feels likely that the streaming platform will see a jump in views on Diana the Musical now that it is gaining Xanadu-like stature in the eyes of people who love to hate movies. Diane the Musical is a recording of a live performance of the stage musical Diana, which was jointly written by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. You may know David Bryan as the keyboard player from Bon Jovi, but then again, you may not. For his part, Joe DiPietro is a Tony Award-winning playwright (not for this, obviously). So the musical has a decent pedigree, but that did not help it in either reviews of the original stage production or now the Netflix presentation of it. As one might infer from the name, it is a biographical story of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales (nee Spencer). While there is no analogous award ceremony for underachievement in stage productions, it was particularly savaged for its dated style and alleged exploitation of a person that many view as a tragic figure.
Cinematic depictions of Diana, Princess of Wales began while she was still alive and have only risen in number since her death by automobile accident in Paris in 1997. 2021 was a particularly notable year for utilizing this particular dead woman as a way for filmmakers and actors to make broad thematic points, with the popular Netflix series The Crown portraying her troubled marriage and divorce in its most recent season, as played by Elizabeth Debicki. Also in 2021, Kristen Stewart won enormous critical praise for her portrayal of Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer; she has been nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. While it is clear that Netflix is not going to be gaining any critical goodwill for Diana the Musical at this point, it certainly seems likely they will be getting some hate-watches. Which hopefully was not the plan.
