Hollywood’s hottest ceremony returns after a year-long hiatus. And while we don’t yet know if the evening will be as irreverent as before, we have no doubts about the ferocity of the fights in the categories reserved for acting. Test…
After a year of scandalous absence, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has a new face… and a solid reputation. In addition, the 80th Golden Globes Gala will take place on the evening of Tuesday, January 10th, so as not to overshadow the sporting events on Sunday. Finally, the member selection process is now transparent and multi-ethnic. NBC has therefore agreed to broadcast the ceremony, which was hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, again this year. Eddie Murphy receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award and Ryan Murphy the Carol Burnett Award.
The actresses
In the Best Actress in a Drama category, Cate Blanchett for “Tár” and Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans” are the two favorites, leaving Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) far behind. and Olivia Colman (“The Realm of Light”). In fact, with her portrayal of a conductor whose life is being shattered by her reprehensible actions, the Australian has every chance of repeating her feat from Jasmine French, released in 2013 and for which she won the Golden Globe, SAG. BAFTA and Oscars. But her rival remains Michelle Williams, who plays a fictionalized version of Steven Spielberg’s mother in The Fabelmans. She has already won two Golden Globes, the first in cinema for A Week With Marilyn (2012) and most recently for the 2019 mini-series Fosse/Verdon.
Alongside Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, Michelle Yeoh has a huge head start for her performance in the excellent Everything, Everywhere, Everything at Once, and members of the HFPA are particularly careful not to neglect the awards ceremony members of visible minorities. But in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, about Hollywood’s golden age and its excesses, Margot Robbie is a strong contender, having never won a Golden Globe despite four nominations. And this year, as the HFPA searches for seriousness, Emma Thompson stands a slim chance of winning the statuette for her portrayal of a widow who enlists the services of a prostitute in the excellent Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”. Unfortunately, those contenders miss out on Lesley Manville in A Dress for Mrs. Harris and Anya Taylor-Joy in The Menu.
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The five nominees in the Best Actor in a Drama category all delivered memorable performances. Austin Butler shines in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and deserves his interpretation to be rewarded. Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is the favorite in this category but HPFA members may be tempted not to let him win as the actor has said he will boycott the ceremony as he is the former director of the Association of the World Accused of sexual assault. It is unlikely that Bill Nighy in “Living”, Hugh Jackman in “The Son” and Jeremy Pope in “The Inspection” will step onto the Beverly Hilton stage to receive a statuette.
For comedy or musical nominees, Colin Farrell is the top pick for The Banshees of Inisherin. This atypical comedy puts him in the role of a simple man with a golden heart who is rejected by his best friend for no reason. Daniel Craig, as the unlikely detective in Glass Onion: A Tale of Controversy, was able to get the statuette as he didn’t win it for the first part of this fun detective film. Adam Driver, perfect in Noah Baumbach’s “Background Noise”, could also surprise, while Diego Calva for “Babylone” and Ralph Fiennes for “The Menu” have to be content with applause.
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In the race for the best film statuette, all bets are on and it’s impossible to predict a winner as members of the HPFA have made sure to cast the net as wide as possible this year.
Best Picture – Drama
- “Avatar: The Way of Water”
- “Elvis”
- “The Fable Men”
- “Tar”
- “Top Gun: Maverick”
Best Film – Comedy or Musical
- “Babylon”
- “The Banshees of Inisherin”
- “Everything, everywhere, all at once”
- “Glass Onion: A Tale of Drawn Daggers”
- “Without filter”
They were snubbed
A few “omissions” in the Golden Globes challenge nominations…
Presumably to avoid causing a stir, the HPFA disregarded Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Honey,” starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, due to unsubstantiated tabloid gossip at the time of the feature film’s release. It’s probably the same over-cautiousness that kept Will Smith from getting nominated for his role as a runaway slave in Emancipation.
The absence of “Ticket to Heaven,” a goofy romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, is surprising since the HPFA is known for its cookie cutter nominations regardless of quality, like that for “The Tourist” (2010), starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. And one can only wonder at the absence of women in the directing category, not naming Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Woman King”), Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”) and Maria Schrader (“She Said”).
No mention of Tom Cruise in the Best Actor category despite Top Gun: Maverick making Best Picture? That’s probably because the actor, known for his outspokenness, returned his statuettes at the time of the scandal.
The Golden Globes in numbers
- The nominees were selected by 199 journalists and industry experts. These people come from 62 countries and 52% are women and 51.8% belong to racial or ethnic minorities
- “The Banshees of Inisherin” leads the nominations with eight citations. It follows “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” which got six
- This year statuettes will be awarded in 27 categories
- The 80th Golden Globes ceremony lasts three hours