Sylvester Stallone Holds A Record No Actor Wants

Every actor dreams of winning the most coveted award of all — the Academy Award — for their work. But there's one award they dread: the Golden Raspberry Awards, a.k.a. the Razzies. Some see it as unnecessarily cruel and mean-spirited, while others view it as a playful jab at a self-aggrandizing industry that sometimes deserves to be knocked down a peg, especially when the work isn't very well-made. Founded by UCLA film graduates John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the award inspires filmmakers and actors to "own their bad" (via the Razzies' official website)

But there's only one actor with the most Razzie nominations—12 wins and 40 nominations in all—and that (dis)honor belongs to Sylvester Stallone. Sylvester Stallone has "won" in many categories, including Worst Actor for "Rhinestone," "Rocky III," "Rambo: First Blood Part II," and "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot"; Worst Supporting Actor for "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and "Expend4bles"; Worst Director for "Rocky IV"; Worst Screenplay for "Rambo: First Blood Part II"; and even Worst Actor of the Decade (1990) and Worst Actor of the Century — "for 99.5% of everything he has EVER done." He also took home Worst On-Screen Couple with Sharon Stone for "The Specialist."

However, the Razzies did offer him a positive prize: the 2016 Razzie Redeemer Award for going "from All-Time RAZZIE Champ to award contender" with the release of "Creed," a more quiet drama and "Rocky" spin-off. Not only does Stallone hold the most Razzie nominations, but he also has the longest consecutive streak of nominations. Is this pile-up of "worst" trophies merited, or do the Razzies have some sort of misguided vendetta against him?

The Hollywood Reporter asks Sylvester Stallone if being nominated for so many Razzies pissed him off. He responded: 

"It did. But now I see the humor in it because there are some really good performers in there. I said things about critics like, 'Let them try to do it.' I said I love critiques, but now tell me how to make it better in the same paragraph. 'That's not our job.' Well, that's like going up to a child and going, 'You're a horrible child!' and then you walk out of the room. 

Stallone makes an interesting observation about the nature of criticism: pointing out what could have worked is just as important as saying what didn't.

In Sylvester Stallone's defense, his performance style typically suits the nature of what he's in: pure popcorn entertainment. He often plays stoic, macho men; there isn't much going on internally while he's throwing punches or shooting bullets. There are hokey moments throughout his career, like machine-gunning the evil computer in "Rambo: First Blood Part II" or the weird robot in "Rocky IV," but that doesn't mean he's a bad actor and filmmaker. 

For anyone doubting Sylvester Stallone's talent, just watch "Cop Land," where his dark eyes convey a sensitive soul quietly taking in the corruption around him. Although the "Rambo" series devolves into Communism-crushing theatrics, you can always sense the veteran's haunting pain. Rocky is a scrappy and earnest underdog you can't help but root for.

Sylvester Stallone is definitely typecast, and when the project leans too heavily into melodrama, his performance can tip into cheesiness. Many of his films are Razzie-worthy, but he's capable of much more than audiences typically give him credit for, often seeing him only as a brawny action star.