The Guardian's History of Zero Stars: A List of the Newspaper's Most Scathing Reviews
In its 204-year history, The Guardian has only ever published 15 zero-star reviews – a rare and scathing verdict reserved for the most heinous offenders in the world of entertainment. These reviews not only exemplify the newspaper's high standards but also serve as a warning to would-be filmmakers, musicians, and television producers.
One of the earliest zero-star reviews was written by Peter Bradshaw in 2002 for the film "Boat Trip", starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Bradshaw described the movie as "living death" and criticized its dated gags and clueless humor. This review earned The Guardian its first zero-star verdict, setting a precedent for future critics.
Another notable example is the 2003 concert review of Fame Academy Live, where Alexis Petridis wrote that the show was like watching a tantrum, devoid of passion or energy. Just six months later, another zero-star review appeared for a live performance of The Vines, with David Peschek describing the band's music as "like watching a tantrum."
In 2004, Big and Rich's album "Horse of a Different Color" received its first (and only) zero-star review from The Guardian. David Peschek wrote that the country duo's music was "arch-conservatism in a half-hearted search for cool." However, despite this scathing review, Big and Rich went on to win a Billboard Music award and have several Grammy nominations.
The next zero-star review came in 2004 for Martin Creed's concert, where Alexis Petridis described the show as "provocative only in that it seems less like a gig than an experiment to see how charmless and pleased with himself a man can appear before the audience." This marked the first time The Guardian had given zero stars to a live music event.
In 2004, Oscar Wilde's theatre review also received its first (and only) zero-star review. Elisabeth Mahoney wrote that the play was "grim" and criticized the sound system. Despite this scathing review, Oscar Wilde went on to close after just one performance.
More recent examples include The Greasy Strangler film review in 2016, where Wendy Ide described it as a "relentless monstrosity of a film." However, Jordan Hoffman also reviewed the film and gave it four stars, highlighting the contradictions in critical opinions.
The Guardian's most recent zero-star reviews were for Netflix's "Love Island" reality show in 2021 and "Buying London" in 2024. Lucy Mangan described the former as "agonising" and criticized its reliance on celebrity name-dropping. Rebecca Nicholson wrote that the latter was a "bad taste" example of "England-for-dummies shtick."
These zero-star reviews demonstrate The Guardian's commitment to high standards and critical scrutiny, serving as a warning to those in the entertainment industry who may think they are above criticism.
In its 204-year history, The Guardian has only ever published 15 zero-star reviews – a rare and scathing verdict reserved for the most heinous offenders in the world of entertainment. These reviews not only exemplify the newspaper's high standards but also serve as a warning to would-be filmmakers, musicians, and television producers.
One of the earliest zero-star reviews was written by Peter Bradshaw in 2002 for the film "Boat Trip", starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Bradshaw described the movie as "living death" and criticized its dated gags and clueless humor. This review earned The Guardian its first zero-star verdict, setting a precedent for future critics.
Another notable example is the 2003 concert review of Fame Academy Live, where Alexis Petridis wrote that the show was like watching a tantrum, devoid of passion or energy. Just six months later, another zero-star review appeared for a live performance of The Vines, with David Peschek describing the band's music as "like watching a tantrum."
In 2004, Big and Rich's album "Horse of a Different Color" received its first (and only) zero-star review from The Guardian. David Peschek wrote that the country duo's music was "arch-conservatism in a half-hearted search for cool." However, despite this scathing review, Big and Rich went on to win a Billboard Music award and have several Grammy nominations.
The next zero-star review came in 2004 for Martin Creed's concert, where Alexis Petridis described the show as "provocative only in that it seems less like a gig than an experiment to see how charmless and pleased with himself a man can appear before the audience." This marked the first time The Guardian had given zero stars to a live music event.
In 2004, Oscar Wilde's theatre review also received its first (and only) zero-star review. Elisabeth Mahoney wrote that the play was "grim" and criticized the sound system. Despite this scathing review, Oscar Wilde went on to close after just one performance.
More recent examples include The Greasy Strangler film review in 2016, where Wendy Ide described it as a "relentless monstrosity of a film." However, Jordan Hoffman also reviewed the film and gave it four stars, highlighting the contradictions in critical opinions.
The Guardian's most recent zero-star reviews were for Netflix's "Love Island" reality show in 2021 and "Buying London" in 2024. Lucy Mangan described the former as "agonising" and criticized its reliance on celebrity name-dropping. Rebecca Nicholson wrote that the latter was a "bad taste" example of "England-for-dummies shtick."
These zero-star reviews demonstrate The Guardian's commitment to high standards and critical scrutiny, serving as a warning to those in the entertainment industry who may think they are above criticism.
i mean we need more critics out there with that level of honesty 
but seriously can you imagine getting roasted like that by peter bradshaw for boat trip 
and david peschek for the vines? some people just cant handle the truth lol 
anyway i think its cool that big and rich got a zero star review from guardian and still managed to win awards 
what does this say about their music tho? is it really that good or was guardians review way off base 
They got roasted for that boat trip film tho 
and Alexis Petridis was spot on with that Fame Academy Live review, I watched it live and it was literally just a bunch of drama 
. Zero stars from The Guardian are the ultimate warning sign 
.
. But at the same time, it's also kinda refreshing to see someone call out something so brutally honest. I mean, if you're gonna trash a film, at least do it with conviction 
.
. Anyway, it's definitely interesting stuff 
. It's funny how some people are like "oh we're gonna make a play that's super grim" and then Oscar Wilde closes after just one show 
. And now these zero star reviews for Love Island? I'm not sure what to make of it, but Lucy Mangan's review did give me some thoughts 
maybe they were trying too hard with the celebrity cameos 
That Boat Trip movie review from 2002 still makes me chuckle, and I can see how it'd be super frustrating to watch. But what's crazy is that some artists went on to do way better after getting roasted by The Guardian... like Big and Rich, for instance. 
It just goes to show that even with scathing reviews, there's always a chance to redeem yourself or at least grow from the experience.
just saw that The Guardian gave its most recent zero star review to Netflix's "Love Island" reality show 
in 2021, calling it "agonising" and trash for relying on celebrity name-dropping 
. Can't believe they have to do this to people who just want to watch mindless TV 
. What's wrong with these critics? Don't they ever get tired of saying nasty things about art and entertainment? 