The 2021 Golden Globes were held last Sunday, and they were…okay. I’ve always really enjoyed the Globes–it’s the first big televised awards show of the year and everyone’s a bit buzzed off champagne. It’s a good time!
But knowing this year’s viewing experience was going to consist of the nominees dressed in their fanciest duds–with some exceptions–on a Zoom call hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, I went into this year’s show managing expectations.
Starting with Tina and Amy’s monologue–I really enjoyed it–they set what I thought was a solid, fun tone to the evening. They took some light jabs at the nominees before sticking it to some of the more egregious nominations and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It was definitely important to note that both “a lot of flashy garbage got nominated” and the fact that a lot of Black-led projects and actors were overlooked across the board at the top of the show so the matter didn’t go unaddressed.
The big question of the night remained: Would the HFPA address the L.A. Times report on their lack of Black members and diversity in nominations during the telecast? While three members of the HFPA did appear to tell the audience that they “recognize that we have our own work to do” in being inclusive in their ranks and nominations, their comments came across as a statement delivered via a Notes app screenshot–lackluster and purely performative.
The Globes’ technical issues after Daniel Kaluuya was announced as the winner of Best Supporting Actor that almost resulted in him not being able to deliver his speech were embarrassing. We’ve been on Zoom for the last year, and this awards show is on live TV–double-check your audio connections. I was horrified when Laura Dern apologized for the technical issue and the show attempted to just go about its business without letting Daniel speak. So pro-tip to the rest of the live awards shows coming up: Double-check the connections before going to air and make sure everything works. Missing that initial win reaction was such a bummer.
Getting into the awards, Minari–an American film about a Korean American family in pursuit of the American dream–won Best Picture – Foreign Language. I loved that Minari was recognized, however it should have been competing in Best Picture – Drama. Due to the Globes’ rules–50% of the film’s dialogue needs to be in English to compete for Best Picture – Drama or Musical/Comedy–Minari had to compete in Best Picture – Foreign Language, as the bulk of the film’s dialogue is spoken in Korean. While the HFPA is working on itself, they should also address their handling of American movies where the primary language is not English.
Promising Young Woman being shutout was a little surprising. At minimum, I thought Carey Mulligan was going to win Best Actress – Drama, as she seemed to be a bit of a front runner. The film getting blanked was disappointing, but there was still a lot to celebrate.
Chloé Zhao won Best Director and is the second woman (ever!) at the Globes to win this award. Barbara Streisand previously won Best Director for Yentl in 1984.
Sacha Baron Cohen made history winning a second Best Actor – Musical/Comedy Golden Globe for his reprise of the character Borat in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which won Best Picture – Musical/Comedy. Being that Maria Bakalova’s character Tutar is the heart of the film, it’s unfortunate that she wound up going home empty-handed.
The biggest moments of the night came in the form of three acting upsets: Rosamund Pike won Best Actress – Musical/Comedy, Jodie Foster won Best Supporting Actress, and Andra Day won Best Actress – Drama. Listen, I may have personal favorites, but I love upsets at awards shows. Shocked faces, tears, not having a speech prepared–upsets make for the best moments. I hope we see more of them throughout the season.
While I didn’t think all of the onstage bits worked, a video sketch where nominees described “symptoms” to healthcare workers who diagnosed them with a movie or TV show was a hilarious highlight.
There were a lot of great speeches over the course of the evening, but there were two in particular that pulled on my heartstrings. Jane Fonda’s moving Cecil B. Demille acceptance speech was centered on the power of storytelling, how films and TV shows deepened her empathy, and the importance of inclusivity. The most emotional speech of the evening was delivered by Taylor Simone Ledward, who accepted the award for Best Actor – Drama on behalf of her late husband Chadwick Boseman.
All of the Golden Globes film winners and speeches can be found below. Congratulations to all of the winners!
Cecil B. Demille Award
Best Picture – Drama
The Father
Mank
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Picture – Musical/Comedy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday – WINNER
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical/Comedy
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson, Music
Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot – WINNER
Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma.
Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy/Musical
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
James Corden, The Prom
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian – WINNER
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Helena Zengel, News of the World
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah – WINNER
Jared Leto, The Little Things
Bill Murray, On The Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami…
Best Director – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Regina King, One Night in Miami…
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland – WINNER
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher, Mank
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 – WINNER
Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller, The Father
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best Picture – Animated
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul – WINNER
Wolfwalkers
Best Picture – Foreign Language
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Minari – WINNER
Two of Us
Best Score – Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat, The Midnight Sky
Ludwig Göransson, Tenet
James Newton Howard, News of the World
Atticuss Ross & Trent Reznor, Mank
Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross & Trent Reznor, Soul – WINNER
Best Song – Motion Picture
“Fight For You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7
“lo Sì (Seen),” The Life Ahead – WINNER
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami…
“Tigress & Tweed,” The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Probably at the Movies 