‘Coming to America,’ ‘Above the Law’ : Year’s Most Boring Films (Yawn) Announced

The winners of the fifth annual Most Boring Films of the Year Awards have been announced by the Boring Institute.

Eddie Murphy took top honors for his two 1988 releases, “Raw” and “Coming to America.” “Murphy’s films are unquestionably successful, but they’re also unrelentingly tasteless,” said Alan Caruba, the institute’s founder.

In the action film category was “Above the Law,” a film written, produced, and starring Hollywood newcomer Steven Seagal. “ ‘Above’ was way below par, mostly for its excessive, tiresome violence,” said Caruba, noting that “1988 was a big year for mindlessly muscle-bound films.” Others nominated included “Rambo III,” “Braddock: Missing in Action III” and “Red Heat.”

Comedies in 1988 fared no better. “Switching Channels” was named most boring comedy by the institute. “A major embarrassment for its stars,” said Caruba. Other comedies nominated as top bores were “Hot to Trot,” “Arthur 2,” “Caddyshack II,” “Police Academy 5,” “High Spirits” and “Overboard.”

Replacing the category of most boring performance by an actor or actress, the institute introduced a new category, big stars--big flops, which takes in “most of the films” made by Whoopi Goldberg and Chevy Chase. “We know they have talent,” says Caruba, “so why are they making films like ‘Clara’s Heart’ and ‘Funny Farm?’ ”

Serious drama took a drubbing in 1988. “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” according to the institute, “is bearable only if you watch it on your VCR using the fast-forward speed.” Others included “Barfly,” “Betrayed,” “Cry Freedom” and “The Moderns.”

Noting that there were more than 500 films released in 1988, Caruba said, “It’s astonishing how many were so bad they went straight from the theaters to the video stores in just under 72 hours.”