| An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn |
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Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Arthur Hiller Credited as: Alan Smithee |
| Produced by | Ben Myron Joe Eszterhas |
| Written by | Joe Eszterhas |
| Starring | Ryan O'Neal Coolio Chuck D Eric Idle Richard Jeni |
| Music by | Chuck D Gary G-Wiz |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Editing by | L. James Langlois |
| Studio | Cinergi Pictures |
| Distributed by | Hollywood Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 20, 1998 |
| Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $52,850[1] |
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (the onscreen title is simply Burn Hollywood Burn) was made in 1997 and released in 1998. It was regarded as one of the worst films of all time, and scooped five awards (including Worst Picture) at the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. The film had an estimated budget of $10,000,000 and grossed at least $52,850 [1]. The film's creation set off a chain of events which would lead the Directors Guild of America to officially discontinue the Alan Smithee credit in 2000. Its plot (about a director attempting to disown a movie) eventually described the film's own production; director Arthur Hiller requested that his name be removed after witnessing the final cut of the film by the studio.
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A director by the name of Alan Smithee (played by Eric Idle) has been allowed to direct Trio, a big-budget action film starring Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jackie Chan. The studio recuts the film, and when Smithee sees the results (which he describes as being "worse than Showgirls") and realizes that he cannot use a pseudonym (because the only one allowed is "Alan Smithee") he steals the film and goes on the run, threatening to burn it.
The film was written (and produced, though he was not credited for it) by Joe Eszterhas. The released film credits the Alan Smithee pseudonym as director. Arthur Hiller, the film's real director, objected to the way Eszterhas recut the film, and as a result, had his name removed. But in his autobiography Hollywood Animal, Eszterhas claims that Hiller still sat in the editing room with him to make certain suggestions. In his entry on Burn Hollywood Burn for his "My Year Of Flops" Column, pop culture critic Nathan Rabin sarcastically commented that Hiller's decision to use the Alan Smithee credit was "very transparently not a stupid, stupid gimmick to raise interest in a terrible film."[2] Film critic Roger Ebert gave the movie zero stars, his lowest possible rating.
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| Razzie Award | Worst Picture | Ben Myron | Won |
| Joe Eszterhas | Won | ||
| Worst Screenplay | Won | ||
| Worst Supporting Actor | Won | ||
| Sylvester Stallone | Nominated | ||
| Worst Actor | Ryan O'Neal | Nominated | |
| Worst Screen Couple | Any combination of two people playing themselves | Nominated | |
| Worst Director | Arthur Hill as Alan Smithee | Nominated |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Postman |
Razzie Award for Worst Picture 19th Golden Raspberry Awards |
Succeeded by Wild Wild West |
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