Which movie has 0 rating?

The Elusive Zero: Is a Zero-Rated Movie Even Possible?

We all know about critical darlings – the movies that sweep award seasons and garner near-universal praise. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum? What about the movies that leave audiences and critics alike utterly cold? We’ve all heard whispers of films so bad, so utterly devoid of redeeming qualities, that they skirt the very edge of watchability. But is it even possible for a movie to achieve a rating of zero?

The honest answer is, surprisingly, complex. While some films have landed in the critical doldrums, earning abysmal scores on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, the concept of a true “zero rating” is more theoretical than practical.

Consider some notorious examples of cinematic misfires: Staying Alive, the ill-fated sequel to Saturday Night Fever; Bolero, a soft-core drama derided for its melodrama and questionable artistry; Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, a sign that the franchise had well and truly run out of steam; and Problem Child, a comedy that many found more offensive than funny. These films have been widely criticized, achieving scores that reflect their generally negative reception. But even they manage to eke out a sliver of a positive rating on major review aggregation sites.

Why is this?

Several factors contribute to the impossibility of a truly zero-rated movie.

• The Nature of Rating Systems: Most rating systems operate on a scale, typically from 1 to 10 or using percentage scores. Even if a vast majority of viewers intensely dislike a film, there’s likely to be a handful who find something, anything, remotely appealing. This inherent possibility of positive feedback prevents a score from plummeting to absolute zero.

• The Power of “So Bad It’s Good”: Sometimes, a film’s sheer awfulness can garner a cult following. Think of movies like The Room – widely considered one of the worst films ever made, yet its unique blend of incompetence and earnestness has transformed it into a midnight movie phenomenon. This ironic appreciation, while not necessarily a reflection of cinematic merit, still translates into votes and higher-than-expected ratings.

• The Human Element: In the age of online ratings, there will always be a degree of subjectivity and bias. Even the most objectively “bad” film might resonate with someone on a personal level, leading them to assign a higher score than the general consensus. Trolling and contrarianism also play a role, with some individuals deliberately inflating the ratings of poorly reviewed movies to provoke a reaction.

• Sampling Bias: Review aggregation sites rely on user reviews. While these reviews can be informative, they don’t necessarily represent the opinions of everyone who has seen the film. It’s possible that a truly terrible film might be avoided by the vast majority, leading to a smaller (and potentially skewed) sample size of ratings.

So, while we might dream of a movie so profoundly terrible that it earns a definitive zero, the reality is that human subjectivity, the mechanics of rating systems, and the occasional allure of “so bad it’s good” all conspire to keep that elusive zero rating forever out of reach. The films mentioned earlier – Staying Alive, Bolero, Police Academy 4, and Problem Child – stand as testaments to how low a film’s reception can sink. However, even in their infamy, they still manage to pull themselves up from the abyss of absolute zero. They’re a reminder that, even in the world of cinema, there’s always someone, somewhere, who sees a glimmer of something, however faint, in the darkness.