With A Star is Born going 'Drama' where does that leave the 'Musical/Comedy' race at the Golden Globes?
Friday, October 12, 2018 at 1:30PM by Nathaniel R
Perhaps you've heard that both A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody will being competing as Dramas rather than Musicals at the Globes. That's a fairly shocking move since dramatic biopics about musicians generally campaign as "Musical or Comedy" -- think Walk the Line, Ray, Beyond the Sea, Coal Miner's Daughter. Presumably Warner Bros has bought into the stigma that "Comedy or Musical" is the lesser category which is really unfortunate because it's one of the best things about the Globes. The Comedy or Musical prizes are filled with great stuff that Oscar SHOULD have recognized throughout the years.
The Globes really ought to have consistency with who they allow to compete where but since they don't, it's a savvy move on Warner Bros part especially in the field of 'Best Actress, Drama' where Glenn Close's campaign probably felt that the win was all but locked up until Lady Gaga (already a Globe favorite) muscled in. Glenn Close has won two Globes herself so it's not like the Globes don't like her but it's worrying that the Globes have only given her prizes for her TV work. Like Oscar they went in other directions every time she was up for movie roles during her highly popular 1980s run. As for Bohemian Rhapsody it's a strange choice since Rami Malek will probably have a tougher time breaking into Best Actor, Drama...
That said both campaign moves are kind of suspect considering the musical performances. I'm sure there are other examples but the only instance I can think of in recent years when a Dramatic Musical opted to compete as a Drama rather than a Musical at the Globes was Dancer in the Dark (2000). In that case, you could argue that the ploy backfired since the film missed a Best Picture nod that might have been an easier get and Björk lost Best Actress to the Oscar-frontrunner Julia Roberts when she might have won in the Comedy or Musical field which worked out like so:
Renée Zellweger was marvelous in Nurse Betty (yes, you heard me. I didn't always scrunch my face up at her successes) but the film had no other nominations so she was probably beatable.
SO WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE COMEDY / MUSICAL CATEGORY? LET'S DISCUSS
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
probably locked up as nominations go
CRAZY RICH ASIANS
THE FAVOURITE
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
distinct possibilities
EIGHTH GRADE
MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (will they go for it again given the absence of Meryl?)
OCEANS 8
TULLY (please please please)
prominent comedies released this year but not all of them will get campaigns
A SIMPLE FAVOR (pretty please!)
PADDINGTON 2
LOVE SIMON
GAME NIGHT
BOOK CLUB
I FEEL PRETTY (so much better than it got credit for being)
THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS
LIFE OF THE PARTY
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
After the Martian debacle in 2016, the Globes stated that dramas with comedic undertones should henceforth be placed in drama but then last year Get Out was placed in comedy without the Globes protesting (though some fans were miffed). So what about these movies which one could argue have elements of both -- where will they ask to be placed? Studios have until October 31st to make their requests but in the end the Globes, like the Oscars, can reject campaign wishes if they so choose (unlike SAG which always follows studio submissions for placements).
GREEN BOOK - they haven't decided on their campaign
VICE - they haven't decided on their campaign
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy
surely locked up / competing for the win with Gaga out of the way
Emily Blunt, Mary Poppins Returns
Emma Stone, The Favourite
distinct possibilities
Blake Lively, A Simple Favor -if they choose to vote for her in lead
Anna Kendrick, A Simple Favor
Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians
Olivia Colman, The Favourite -if they choose to vote for her in lead
Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade
Lily James, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Sandra Bullock, Oceans 8
Charlize Theron, Tully - this would be a huge get for a wildly underrated film. We hope they push because she's worthy
will they campaign her?
Joanna Kulig, Cold War -- if we were the Cold War strategists we'd be pushing hard for this placement since the film can't compete for one of the Picture prizes (due to being a foreign language film) but the actors can. It's a tragic story but also a musical.
longshots
Rachel McAdams, Game Night
Amy Schumer, I Feel Pretty
Jane Fonda, Book Club
Diane Keaton, Book Club
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy
This category is so empty that it seems insane, or at least very 'they forgot to hire an awards consultant' ill advised that 20th Century Fox is giving up an easy Rami Malek nomination for Bohemian Rhapsody.
probably locked up as nominations go
none
locked up if submitted in this category
Christian Bale - Vice if submitted in this category though we suspect they'll go drama
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book if he's submitted in this category, which we suspect he will be
distinct possibilities
Robert Redford - Old Man and the Gun - we'd say locked up but he's not exactly a schmoozer and the HFPA loves schmoozers
Henry Golding - Crazy Rich Asians
Lakeith Stanfield - Sorry to Bother You
Mahershala Ali - Green Book - if they ignore the 'supporting' campaign and it's submitted for comedy
long shots
Jason Bateman - Game Night
Nick Robinson - Love Simon
Mark Wahlberg - Instant Family
Paul Rudd - Ant Man and the Wasp
John C Reilly - Holmes & Watson
Will Ferrrel - Holmes & Watson
John C Reilly - Stan & Ollie
Steve Coogan -Stan & Ollie
Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool 2
Reader Comments (69)
Warners r greedy! They r pushing their luck to increase the “respectability” n Oscar chances o ASiB. Fact is if it is a good film, it doesn’t diminish its award chances juz bcos its in the musical genre. I hope HFPA will not b led by its nose n will put ASiB n Warners in their rightful places!
But if. indeed HFPA bow to their request, it doesn't mean Gaga will win over Close. HFPA will wanna spread the wealth, esp in the DRAMA category...ASiB likely will win best drama and actor and song...I'll still putting the chips on Close and Cuaron on best actress & dir.
But on the bright side, the vacancies left by ASiB at the Com/Music category wcld result in many other possibilities & wins! The Favourite will have a real chance of winning best comedy, Colman & Stone, & even Blunt has a serious chance of winning best actress; Constance Wu & Lily James both have a good chance of nom; Bale & Redford will b the front runner now tt Cooper is outta this race..& Mamma Mia! 2, Tully & A Simple Favor all stands a good chance of a nom!!
Gaga is a bona fide singer who is born as a bona fide actress and Bradley Cooper is a bona fide actor who is born as a bona fide singer here. Both are incredible in this drama story about a sad love affair in music industry and the screenplay just fits perfectly for them both. I think the movie should be in Drama and Gaga and Bradley really deserve to be top contenders in their categories.
With actor opening up I would think that Nick Robinson is more than a “long shot.” The HFPA in recent years has been very welcoming to young actors with nominations last year for Katherine Langford and Ansel Elgort. It’s also the type of feel-good film that voters will like and they might think it feels important.
Evan -- my thing is that the #1 mistake the internet makes in Oscar predictions is forgetting that the Academy membership is not even remotely the same demographic as those who spend all their time online talking about movies. Glenn Close is a respected peer of a good chunk of the actors branch who are closer to her age than most Oscar obsessives online and the film is a success. Sony Pictures Classics is good at campaigning to that demographic.
she was on Kathy Lee's & Hoda's show (i dont know what its called? i dont watch those things) the other day and these older women were just raving about her work and saying the film has really stayed with them. . And they mentioned the Oscars a bajillion times in the span of 5 minutes.
It would be wonderful if Blockers got a nom, but that is very wishful thinking on my part.
I understand, Nathaniel. And she's got a shot, of course. A good one. I'm just not at the point of saying it's 100% certain she'll get the nomination, especially with Gaga, Ronan, Colman/Stone, McCarthy, Davis, Kidman, Roberts, Collette, Mulligan, Blunt and Aparicio in the running for as-high if not higher-profile movies.
I agree with Evan and Claran that ASIB going drama looks like a greedy grab designed to crush competition. When you’re up, grab all the toys!
It reinforces my idea of ASIB as a vanity project. Talk about a swollen head for Bradley Cooper. It isn’t enough that his movie is a success, he also wants to be anointed as a great dramatic actor.
Compare Bradley Cooper with Hugh Jackman, who has a birthday this week. Hugh is better looking, more talented, more versatile, a better singer, funnier, a joy to work with, and most importantly not conceited.
For some reason the HFPA ruled that GET ON UP was a drama instead of a comedy/musical, against the studio submission, which killed Chadwick Boseman's (and the film's) chances that year. Curious if the studios just anticipate they'd be rejected if they tried too.
If Glenn loses Best Actress to Gaga, will this motivate her to finally do the Sunset Blvd. remake?
Since Glenn is friends with Lady Gaga's mother and probably knows Gaga before she was successful I want her to have a Margo Channing close up drinking champagne if Gaga wins.
A stupid choice, but HFPA still chooses what category it ends up.
Gizmo: You don't have to "abandon cinema" if Gaga wins. Just abandon caring about award shows. They're not the same thing.
If the folks at Warner Bros. think that the Musical or Comedy category is somehow lesser than, then they don't deserve Musical or Comedy altogether.
Has there been a confirmed release date/GG classification for STAN AND OLLIE?
I really don't see Gaga over Glenn yet. A lot of people thought Gaga was outshined, if only slightly, by Cooper, and her performance is not light years ahead of Close's by anyone's standard. And I think that's what it would take to win. But we'll see just how much love this movie gets.
I hope the HFPA overrule these stupid decisions. A Star is born, Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Klansman should compete in the comedy/musical categories. If Driving Miss Daisy, The Martian and Get Out were Comedy/Musicals then so are these 3 films. And I am hoping Glenn Close wins on her 7th nomination and doesn't join Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton with most nominations without a win.
What the hell?
Granted, I didn’t think that highly of the new ASiB and in the Actress category I would root for Anna Kendrick in A Simple Favor over Gaga, but this is still a dumb choice and it’ll probably kill Star’s Globe chances outside of Song.
Fingers crossed for The Favourite to dominate now.
If anybody beats Close, it ain't going to be Gaga. Anybody who think that is gaga themselves!
Amy Schumer was so delightfully funny in I Feel Pretty! I wish she was more than a long shot.