When Oscar met Razzie
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 9:00PM 
Founded by Mo Murphy and John J. B. Wilson, the Golden Raspberry Awards, more commonly known as Razzies, are the evil twin to the Academy Awards. Instead of celebrating the best achievements in world cinema, they award the worst, ridiculing them in the process and daring anyone to go accept their gold sprayed statuette in good humor. They've been handed out since 1981 when Xanadu and Can't Stop the Music battled out for the title of Worst Picture. Since then, the Razzies have made many controversial choices, showing an especially troubling fondness for lampooning female-centric stories or examples of campy entertainment.
Today we'll be talking about two instances when the Oscars and the Razzies tastes diverged so much they ended up nominating the same performances…
Both of these strange occurrences happened in the early years of the awards. James Coco holds the dubious historical distinction of being the first actor to be nominated for the Razzie and the Oscar, getting nods for both Best and Worst Supporting Actor of 1981. The movie that earned the actor this double infamy was Only When I Laugh which will be discussed on the Supporting Actress Smackdown later this week. Because of that, I'll avoid speaking about the picture itself.
Coco gives life to that most annoying of token characters, the gay best friend. He's Jimmy, a flamboyant middle-aged actor whose repartee with his best friends consists mostly of mediocre shade that's neither funny nor witty. Taking their cues from the sitcom-like text, most of the actors ham it up with one notable exception. Unfortunately, that exception isn't James Coco, whose Jimmy is a cartoon played with utmost broadness and nothing in the ways of subtlety.
I wish I could defend him, but if I had to choose between giving the actor an Oscar or a Razzie, I'd choose the fruit-themed trophy. Not that he deserved either of those. While the performance may be a mugging mess, it is a natural consequence of the character as it is written. Going deep in this instance would be like diving headfirst into a kiddy pool.
Fortunately for us, the second person to achieve this paradoxical double honor was closer to earning the little golden man than the foul berry. She's Amy Irving, who, in 1983, secured herself a place in history thanks to Barbra Streisand's Yentl. The picture is a lush musical about the titular Rabbi's daughter (played by Streisand) who, in 1904's Europe disguises herself as a boy to gain admission to a religious school. Irving is Hadass, a young Jewish girl whose pleasant demeanor and conventional beauty exist in stark contrast to Yentl's utter lack of conformity to society's expectations.
Together with Mandy Patinkin's handsome Avigdor, Yentl and Hadass form an unlikely romantic triangle. She loves him, but he loves the other, who marries him, but he's actually her, and so forth. It's a complicated game of duplicity that, surprisingly enough, doesn't seem half as convoluted when it's playing out. Part of that is due to the way each actor exteriorizes their characters' wants so clearly, even though only Streisand has the benefit of musical interior monologues. To balance it out, the actress/director shoots her costars with loving care, letting their faces illuminate the screen with silent expressions that say much more than a thousand words ever could.
Irving's Hadass is a figure of particular fascination, both for Streisand's camera and Yentl herself. She appears to be a vision of perfect conformity to gender expectations, but there's always a sense of anxiety tainting her presence. One feels that Hadass yearns to please the men in her life but is still plagued by an eternal fear of disappointing them. She's the poster child for girlish obedience but even she struggles to live up to that role. A pivotal plot point is how Hadass' affections shift from one man to another, but such developments don't feel forced thanks to Irving having planted the seeds of unrest since the beginning.
She blossoms before our very eyes, playing a mature emotional connection that contrasts with her earlier infatuation. Such is the earnestness that Irving brings to these sentiments that Hadass' unavoidable heartbreak becomes the force that propels the film towards its conclusion. With all that said, that Razzie nomination is an undeserved insult like so many of their "honors" are. There's also the fact that these actors' spotlighted roles, a gay sidekick and a symbolic commentary on gender expectations, reflect rather poorly on the whole institution, pointing to some ugly prejudices that haunt the Razzies to this very day.
Do you think either of these performances should have been up for the Oscar or Razzie?
Reader Comments (37)
On paper, Irving has a nothing role, but on screen she makes it come to live. So much is happening inside her head as she not only shifts between affections but also her religious beliefs. Irving made the role better than written in the script.
Amy Irving was nominated for a Razzie for Yentl?!? Crazy town. She made her character the most sympathetic in the whole movie.
Streisand directed, wrote (with Jack Rosenthal), produced (with Rusty Lemorande), and starred in Yentl. The first major studio film by a woman was cause for unrest in Hollywood. It didn’t matter that Warren Beatty was completing such an achievement regularly. Streisand’s display of talent and drive was threatening to many.
One step of trying to put this overachieving female in her place was ridicule. Streisand was nominated at the Razzies for Worst Actor. Oscar winners for Yentl Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman were nominated for Worst Musical Score.
So much of this and other slights smacked of misogyny.
James -- The Razzies are incredibly misogynistic, they've always been and will probably continue to be. It's one of the things that make me dislike them so very much.
Also, I love Yentl. I can see its issues, but I adore the picture nonetheless. While Streisand might have been a bit miscast in the role, she makes up for it with her work as a director, producer, singer and screenwriter.
I'd defend Coco, as I would (and did) Joan Hackett, mainly for the penthouse scene where Marsha Mason's character falls off the wagon. I think all three actors did their best work in the film right there, and Coco IMO went beyond the broad stereotype he had encompassed in the rest of the movie.
However, I agree that the flaw is in the writing. Not one of Simon's best adaptations. Whilst I am happy to defend him, I wouldn't have protested if he had been omitted in the category either.
Yes to the way you judged their performances.
Though I wouldn't have nominated her Amy Irving does a great deal with her role in Yentl. She certainly didn't deserve a Razzie nomination.
I always liked Coco but his character in Only When I Laugh is so cliche and he doesn't do much to elevate it. Maybe the Razzie was a bit harsh but the Oscar nom is ridiculous when great work by Nicol Williamson (Excalibur) and Rod Steiger (The Chosen) was shut out.
Amy Irving will never be the one thing anybody remembers about YENTL, but she's lovely in the role and the Razzie nomination is—as others have noted—steeped in misogyny, especially for people like Streisand who have the gall to make a movie like that. I mean, they nominated Streisand for Worst Actor. I'm only surprised they didn't nominate Streisand for worst actress, too, or Streisand and herself as worst pair.
I love Amy Irving in Yentl - it's a beautiful performance.
As a side note, the person who has come closest to this "honor" since 1984 is undoubtedly Blanchett for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age", right?
The Razzies are incredibly misogynistic, they've always been and will probably continue to be. It's one of the things that make me dislike them so very much.
So are the Oscars and Hollywood itself. Bet you're not quitting either.
/3rtful -- Are you defending the Razzies or criticizing me for being negative about them but not about the Oscars or Hollywood in general? I don't deny that the film industry is plagued by misogyny as well as many other issues and I don't think I've ever argued to the contrary in anything I've written. If I did, it was probably stupid of me and I should reexamine such a piece immediately.
No, I'm not going to "quit" Hollywood or the Oscars. I believe I can appreciate their good parts while acknowledging the existence of their problems and supporting positive change in whichever way I can. Perhaps, you don't think that's correct of me or good enough, which is understandable. In any case, I apologize if I've offended you with my words, whether in this article or the comments.
Also, I wasn't asking anyone to quit paying attention to the Razzies, even though I don't like them, their trends, or their mocking/punitive purpose.
Irving is adorable in Yentl and she made her character very very interesting. So that razzie nom is particularly puzzling
I would think Renee Zelwegger in Cold Mountain would’ve tickled Razzie’s fancy.
Well, I saw Yentl for the first time a year ago. In my opinion, it is a dull film. It is simplistic in characterisation, Streisand is more obsessed with making herself look good than telling a good story. And above all, it is obvious Streisand had a hard time with blocking and the camera. The film is basic visually. But people still insist that Streisand was slapped by the male-centric industry. This is BS. I have watched Fanny and Alexander at least twenty times since the very first time in 2010. Terms of Endearment is not in the same league but remains a touching and surprisingly funny little gem, Silkwood is a terrific, tight film. The Right Stuff - an ambitious, thrilling film, was not even nominated. But Streisand and some of her fans have no eyes for that.
I'm a HUGE Streisand fan and was very angry when she was snubbed for Yentl. As for Amy Irving - I didn't think much of her role at the time. But I most certainly don't think she deserved a Razzie nomination.
I wish the Razzies had the balls to nominate Oscar-baity roles instead of the annual Tyler Perry/John Travolta movie. Meryl as Maggie, Rami, that kind of stuff.
I have little to no respect for the Bro-y Razzies. They have always punched down a lot. Remember: they nominated Shelley DuVall for her performance in The Shining. Screw that and screw them.
Both Coco and Irving are absolutely wonderful - and the Coco should've won that Oscar.
Irving certainly deserved to be no where near the Razzie, however Coco is horrible in OWIL. So easily gives into cliche with no amount of subtlety or depth.
Time may not be kind to Only When I Laugh, but the fact that James Coco was nominated for playing an openly gay character was a big deal. While the gay best friend may be a cliche, especially today, it was a big deal to me as a closeted teenager in the rural midwest.
Andrew Carden--yes, yes, YES! Cosign in pink ink. lol
The Razzie nom for Amy Irving is ridiculous. I can't help but think they just didn't like the movie generally because of Barbra and decided to punish Irving. Her performance reminds me of Jessica Lange in Tootsie. She can't come across as just plain "dumb" so that she doesn't realize what is going on, but rather has to be confused by the impossibility of her situation.
PS Zooey, I'm not sure what you mean about The Right Stuff not being nominated. If you're talking about the Oscars, it was very well regarded and was probably the runner up to Terms of Endearment.
I imagine almost happened with Jack in Hoffa. DeVito's direction is a bit shaky (tho not at all Razzie-worthy like he was nominated. The film has flaws but Jack is exceptional (he thinks so too). He was definitely with Robbins and Lemmon as first runners up and probably close. But he was Razzie-nominated.
Irving nominated for a Razzie is a joke.
Dave in Hollywood, I was talking about the directing nomination. The Right Stuff was not nominated by the Academy in the directing category, as shocking as this might appear.
After giving this post some serious thought I have decided to disagree entirely on both counts.
Peggy -- absolutely agree. If this type of award should exist (though that's entirely debatable) at all punching up would be to attack the poorly conceived massive oscar contenders that are trash. Not harmless fluff.
But fwiw i thought James Coco was legitimately terrible in ONLY WHEN I LAUGH. Like Amy irving in Yentl a lot but 1983 was a mess in supporting actress
SHOULDA BEEN CONTENDING FOR THE WIN .... WEREN'T EVEN NOMINATED
Michelle Pfeiffer, Scarface
Sandra Bernhard, The King of Comedy
I don't take very serious the decissions of any film award association, I just watch it for fun.
What I found fascinating about this article Is the thin line that could exists between a gem or a crap depending of the eyes that watch it.
Personally I prefer to watch diversity of opinions in movie awards than an homogenization and repeated names in the nominees.
@adridoppelganger:
If you have an opinion about Renee Zellweger, please express it under your own poster name.
Personally, I go in the other direction: actors whose performances weren’t well received, but were actually really good.
Coco's Jimmy is definitely over the top but it works for the film; he is the storm for Marsha Mason/Georgia in the friendship triangle (while Joan Hackett/Toby is the calm).
That wasn’t me
Zooey - agree. Only Streisand fans were up in arms over Yentl not being nominated for certain categories. There were other more worthy films and performances that year not nominated.
Peggy Sue - agree that Razzie should be bolder to call out Oscar trash. But Meryl as Maggie does not fall into that category, not even by a hair's breadth.
adridoppelganger:
It’s like dealing with a 3 year old. You must be incredibly bored that trolling provides an interest for you.
Try:
Doing something nice for a neighbour.
Pitching in to a local volunteer group.
Donating time or money to a good cause.
Making the people you are quarantined happier with good words and appreciation.
Any of those things will provide more satisfaction.
This post has me thinking: did a performance ever get nominated for the Oscar and the Razzie? I know Pia Zadora came close when she won Best New Star at the Golden Globes and was nominated as Worst New Star and Worst Actress for Butterfly, but has anyone been recognized by both voting bodies for the same performance?
I'm not one of those gay guys who has every Streisand album on CD or film on DVD/Blu-ray (I don't think I have any of either, actually, though I used to own a couple of in long ago formats (Betamax, 8-track) back when I was a teenager), but I rewatched YENTL when it was on the Criterion Channel a couple of months ago and was deeply impressed by how good it is. It's no FANNY AND ALEXANDER, but it's better than virtually all the films nominated for Best Picture that year except maybe THE RIGHT STUFF, another film that was snubbed in the all important director category, likely because Philip Kaufman had the audacity to disagree with the ultimate Hollywood insider, William Goldman, on the direction of the script, so much so that Goldman left the project and had just written about it in his bestselling book, ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE. Goldman essentially predicted the film would fail if Kaufman included the Chuck Yeager thread (would be too unwieldy, too long, too anti-patriotic right at a time when America needed to feel good about itself, etc.) Both Kaufman and Streisand were punished for defying the naysayers and pulling off great films, just as Ingmar Bergman (who really should have won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay as well as Best Picture) was punished for not being an English language filmmaker making his film with Hollywood stars.
Saying only Streisand fans were irate over the first female to write, direct, star in and produce a major studio film is ludicrous. Us the link below to look at the picture of the protest outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the night of Oscar ceremony.
https://tessa.lapl.org/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/25217
"Streisand is more obsessed with making herself look good than telling a good story."
Never understood this argument at all. Now, THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, well...
@Glenn. Yes, the less we think about THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES, the better. YENTL, on the other hand.... RESPECT!