The 78th Golden Globes took place last night in a ceremony much different from the usual glamourous outing, with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler broadcasting from two separate locations – New York and California respectively.
The night belonged to the brilliant Chloe Zhao and her film Nomadland, winning Best Drama and Best Director while cementing itself as this year’s firm Oscar frontrunner.
Zhao and the rest of the nominees in every category were present via zoom, with every person in each category able to interact with their fellow nominees. This led to some rather hilarious moments, including Don Cheadle rushing on Jason Sudeikis while giving his winner’s speech for Ted Lasso.
Over on the comedy/musical side, it was Sacha Baron Cohen and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm that were the big winners, marking the second time Cohen has won Best Comedy Actor for playing the character. Cohen gave two speeches mocking the likes of Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani.
In attendance at the event included the likes of Joaquin Phoenix and Rene Zellweger who continued tradition of past winners presenting, while in the audience were a group of frontline workers, invited along for their exceptional and brave work during the COVID pandemic.
The most emotional moment of the night was Chadwick Boseman’s win for his exceptional performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, with his wife Taylor Simone Ledward giving a heartfelt and beautiful speech thanking those who worked on the film alongside him.
Another segment of the show saw a group of young children asked about various nominees. While they didn’t know anything about The Crown and the Royal Family, when asked if they knew Chadwick Boseman, they all replied “Black Panther!” and “The good guy.” It was a powerful reminder of the eternal legacy that Boseman and his Black Panther character have.
The night’s biggest shocks were in the Actress categories, with all three winners surprising and making for an unpredictable run-up to the Oscars in these categories. Andra Day surprised in Best Actress for her performance in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, while Jodie Foster picked up the Supporting prize for The Mauritanian. Despite Borat’s strong performance, Maria Bakalova did not receive the award for Best Comedy/Musical actress, with the HFPA instead opting for Rosamund Pike’s performance in I Care A Lot.
It’s remarkable that these three winning actresses were all snubbed by SAG, meaning Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress are completely up for grabs.
Another noteworthy winner was Daniel Kaluuya for his performance in Judas and the Black Messiah. It’s likely he will repeat with SAG and BAFTA (assuming he receives a nomination) and should cruise to the Oscar for his incredible performance as Fred Hampton. His speech was interrupted by technical issues, but what he had to say was powerful, noting how hard he worked on this role.
Below is the full list of film winners at the 78th Golden Globes. What did you think of this year’s winners?
Best Drama: Nomadland
Best Comedy/Musical: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Best Drama Actor: Chadwick Boseman
Best Drama Actress: Andra Day
Best Comedy/Musical Actor: Sacha Baron Cohen
Best Comedy/Musical Actress: Rosamund Pike
Best Supporting Actor: Daniel Kaluuya
Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster
Best Director: Chloe Zhao
Best Screenplay: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Original Score: Soul
Best Original Song: Io Sì (Seen), The Life Ahead
Best Animation: Soul
Best Foreign Language Film: Minari
