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An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn

Updated: 12/11/2025, 9:55:42 AM Wikipedia source

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (stylized on-screen as Burn Hollywood Burn) is a 1997 American mockumentary black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Joe Eszterhas and starring Eric Idle as a director unfortunately named Alan Smithee, a traditional pseudonym used in Hollywood for directors disowning a project. The film follows Smithee as he steals the negatives to his latest film and goes on the run. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was universally panned by critics and tanked at the box office. It won five awards (including Worst Picture) at the 19th Golden Raspberry Awards. The film's creation set off a chain of events which led the Directors Guild of America to officially discontinue the Alan Smithee credit in 2000 after its use for decades when an American director disavowed a film. The plot, about a director attempting to disown a film, described the film's own production; Hiller requested that his name be removed after witnessing the final cut, and he is credited as Alan Smithee. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was also the final film produced by Cinergi Pictures to be released before the company declared bankruptcy.

Infobox

Directed by
Arthur Hiller (as Alan Smithee)
Written by
Joe Eszterhas
Produced by
Ben Myron
Starring
mw- Ryan O'Neal Coolio Chuck D Eric Idle Sylvester Stallone Whoopi Goldberg Jackie Chan
Cinematography
Reynaldo Villalobos
Edited by
L. James Langlois
Music by
Chuck D Joel Diamond Gary G-Wiz
Productioncompanies
Hollywood Pictures Cinergi Pictures
Distributed by
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (Americas)Cinergi Productions (International)
Release dates
October 1997 (1997-10) (Mill Valley) February 27, 1998 (1998-02-27) (United States)
Running time
86 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$10 million
Box office
$59,921

Tables

· Reception › Accolades
1999
1999
Date of Ceremony
1999
Award
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
Category
Worst Picture
Recipients
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Results
Nominated
Worst Director
Worst Director
Date of Ceremony
Worst Director
Award
Arthur Hiller
Category
Nominated
Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy
Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy
Date of Ceremony
Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy
Award
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Category
Nominated
Worst On-Screen Hairstyle
Worst On-Screen Hairstyle
Date of Ceremony
Worst On-Screen Hairstyle
Award
Joe Eszterhas
Category
Won
March 20, 1999
March 20, 1999
Date of Ceremony
March 20, 1999
Award
Golden Raspberry Awards
Category
Worst Picture
Recipients
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Results
Won
Worst Actor
Worst Actor
Date of Ceremony
Worst Actor
Award
Ryan O'Neal
Category
Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor
Worst Supporting Actor
Date of Ceremony
Worst Supporting Actor
Award
Joe Eszterhas
Category
Won
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Date of Ceremony
Sylvester Stallone
Award
Nominated
Worst Screen Couple
Worst Screen Couple
Date of Ceremony
Worst Screen Couple
Award
Any combination of two people playing themselves (or playing with themselves)
Category
Nominated
Worst Director
Worst Director
Date of Ceremony
Worst Director
Award
Arthur Hiller (as Alan Smithee)
Category
Nominated
Worst Screenplay
Worst Screenplay
Date of Ceremony
Worst Screenplay
Award
Joe Eszterhas
Category
Won
Worst New Star
Worst New Star
Date of Ceremony
Worst New Star
Award
Won
Worst Original Song
Worst Original Song
Date of Ceremony
Worst Original Song
Award
"I Wanna Be Mike Ovitz!", written by Joe Eszterhas and Gary G-Wiz
Category
Won
Date of Ceremony
Award
Category
Recipients
Results
Ref.
1999
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
Worst Picture
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Nominated
Worst Director
Arthur Hiller
Nominated
Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Nominated
Worst On-Screen Hairstyle
Joe Eszterhas
Won
March 20, 1999
Golden Raspberry Awards
Worst Picture
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (Hollywood Pictures)
Won
Worst Actor
Ryan O'Neal
Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor
Joe Eszterhas
Won
Sylvester Stallone
Nominated
Worst Screen Couple
Any combination of two people playing themselves (or playing with themselves)
Nominated
Worst Director
Arthur Hiller (as Alan Smithee)
Nominated
Worst Screenplay
Joe Eszterhas
Won
Worst New Star
Won
Worst Original Song
"I Wanna Be Mike Ovitz!", written by Joe Eszterhas and Gary G-Wiz
Won
· External links
Preceded byThe Postman
Preceded byThe Postman
Awards
Preceded byThe Postman
Awards
Razzie Award for Worst Picture 19th Golden Raspberry Awards
Awards
Succeeded byWild Wild West
Awards
Preceded byThe Postman
Razzie Award for Worst Picture 19th Golden Raspberry Awards
Succeeded byWild Wild West

References

  1. "An Inside Jab : The making of 'An Alan Smithee Film,' Joe Eszterhas' satiric look at Hollywood, is anything but business as usual"
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-04-ca-5408-story.html
  2. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
    https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0118577/
  3. The Numbers
    https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Alan-Smithee-Film-Burn-Hollywood-Burn-An
  4. Los Angeles Times
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-15-ca-54271-story.html
  5. "Eszterhas Script Getting Big Yuks but No Bucks--Yet"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20250727000517/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-15-ca-15125-story.html
  6. "Die Alan Smithee Die! Did a Marketing Stunt Kill Hollywood's Worst Director?"
    https://medium.com/@bwcutler1000/die-alan-smithee-die-did-a-marketing-stunt-kill-hollywoods-worst-director-6e5d82a2a58b
  7. "'Smithee' by Smithee"
    https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/smithee-by-smithee-1117341803/
  8. Rabin, Nathan. "My Year Of Flops: Inside Hollywood Edition, Case File #109: An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn"
    https://www.avclub.com/my-year-of-flops-inside-hollywood-edition-case-file-1-1798214128?source=post_page-----6e5d82a2a58b--------------------------------
  9. TCM
    https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/442671/burn-hollywood-burn#notes
  10. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn at Rotten Tomatoes
    https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/an_alan_smithee_film_burn_hollywood_burn
  11. An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn
    https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/an-alan-smithee-film-burn-hollywood-burn-1998
  12. Chicago Sun Times
    https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/eberts-most-hated
  13. Los Angeles Times
    https://web.archive.org/web/20070103155058/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/1998/1998st.htm
  14. E! News
    https://www.eonline.com/news/37900/razzies_ding_eszterhas_willis_dicaprio
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