The 83rd Golden Globes - A Quick Review and Takeaways

by Nathaniel R

A very happy ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER team. Photo: AP PHOTO

The 83rd Golden Globe awards have come and gone. Did you have a good night? You probably did if you are a fan of One Battle After Another (and who isn't?). It cleaned up with four Globe awards: Picture (Comedy), Director, Screenplay, and Supporting Actress. My boyfriend hadn't yet seen it so sat down to finally do that about eight hours before the show. I said to myself "just watch with him until Teyana's exit since it's been awhile since you've seen it". Alas, no such luck for the long task list on the fridge. I couldn't tear myself away. I literally kept saying "okay just one more scene" and then the credits were rolling. It is just as riveting and spontaneous-feeling on repeat viewings (despite the absurdly high levels of obviously planned craftsmanship on display) even though you know every thing that's going to happen. The Globes party was a bit more subdued than general given the ubiquity of black gowns, non-aggressive political asides, and 'just grateful to be doing this job' kind of weary-artist acceptance speeches. But the best thing about the night was that everyone felt a bit like winners: Sinners, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and The Secret Agent, for example, certainly can't complain (or shouldn't) about the results given their key wins and the enthusiasm in the room for those films. More to come once we have more time  but for this quickie post, brief comments on some (most) of the wins...

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• Frankenstein (Netflix)
• ★ Hamnet (Focus Features)
• It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
• The Secret Agent (Neon)
• Sentimental Value (Neon)
• Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) 

As the last prize of the night -- the order is somewhat scrambled to me the next morning so perhaps I'm misremembering -- this felt a wee bit like an afterthought surprise or a surprise 'compliments of the chef' dessert; the love in the room for both The Secret Agent and Sinners felt more palpable throughout the evening. Hamnet is incredible so it's nice to see them get something outside of Buckley's trophies. 

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Bugonia (Focus Features)
• Marty Supreme (A24)
• No Other Choice (Neon)
• Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)
• ★ One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures) 

One thing that's always interesting about the Globes is that you can imagine different outcomes (or not) if you switch campaigns. If you really think about it One Battle After Another and Sinners could have completely swapped categories like they were playing The Parent Trap: Globes Edition and people probably wouldn't have noticed/minded given One Battle After Another's dramatic heft (though yes it is very funny) and Sinners significant musical elements. OBAA would have won either category so it's interesting that they chose to campaign in this one. In the new era of the Globes though it's clear that they're not really that obsessed with musicals anymore so we wonder if the name might change to just Best Motion Picture (Comedy).

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Arco (Neon)
• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (Aniplex, Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment)
• Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• ★ KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Gkids)
• Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) 

No animated picture has been able to catch up with the enthusiasm that KPop Demon Hunters generated months ago and has maintained ever since. They haven't even been able to generate it in small  doses. 

Cinematic and Box Office Achievement 

• Avatar: Fire and Ash (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
• F1 (Apple Original Films)
• KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
• ★ Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Weapons (Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema)
• Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
• Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) 

Yes, it's a dumb category but at least they aren't voting on it purely based on numbers which would make it even dumber. If you rearrange these titles based on domestic box office gross, it goes like so (at this writing), with Sinners only in fourth place...

1. Zootopia 2 $424 million
2. Wicked For Good $341 
3. Avatar Fire and Ash $321
4. Sinners $279 
5. MI Final Reckoning $197
6. F1 $189
7. Weapons $151 
8. KPop Demon Hunters $ n/a

... So even if this category becomes the "prize that a critically beloved blockbuster can win when it isn't going to win Best Picture" at least that contributes to our dream of more 'spread the wealth' awards nights and seasons. And of those either nominees only Weapons arguably deserved the win as much if you consider "box office achievement" being less a deeper question than 'how much money did you make' -- both films were not guarantees to become audience sensations. they weren't borrowing popularity from a previous hit and had to drum up audience enthusiasm from scratch and in Weapons case without even a bankable star.

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language

• It Was Just an Accident (Neon) – France
• No Other Choice (Neon) – South Korea
• ★ The Secret Agent (Neon) – Brazil
• Sentimental Value (Neon) – Norway
• Sirāt (Neon) – Spain
• The Voice of Hind Rajab (Willa) – Tunisia 

The Secret Agent has been an obvious contender for some time but it's only now starting to feel like a real threat for Oscar wins and not just nominations. Can Brazil go for a second consecutive win on Oscar night? Wouldn't that be something! I'm feeling a little sad for Sentimental Value and No Other Choice (both of which I prefer) as the former probably won't win and the latter is still vulnerable to a snub on Nomination Morning.

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama 

• ★ Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
• Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)
• Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
• Julia Roberts (After the Hunt)
• Tessa Thompson (Hedda)
• Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

As much as I looooove Buckley in Hamnet I was hoping for a left field surprise here (since the Oscar is obviously hers regardless) like a rare chance to see Renate or Tessa make a victory speech. But it was not to be.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
• Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein)
• Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine)
• Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
• ★ Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)
• Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere)

Does this count as a surprise? After Moura's miss at the SAG nominations (with the misfortune of arriving in a year where the always rotating nominating committee was allergic to subtitles) it does feel like a small one. We thought Michael B Jordan would prevail but in hindsight this win makes perfect sense. 

A Thirsty Side Note: Everyone at my party was suddenly horny when this category arrived and yes this is a deliciously handsome batch of men. 

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy  

• ★ Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
• Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
• Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
• Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
• Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee)
• Emma Stone (Bugonia)

In ye olden times Hudson would have taken this win with ease. And she's so charming in Song Sung Blue that I half expected she would win even in this new era. But Byrne continues to hold strong and will certainly be Oscar nominated. A couple of months ago it felt like Byrne was in at least a small danger of being one of those 'wins the critics awards but is stiffed by mainstream awards'. The real question is how many of these women will make Oscar's five-wide list (Oscar lists are usually handily more reflective of Globes Drama lists but this year it feels like the "Comedy" nominees have a 50/50 shot at dominating on Oscar nomination morning. I know Claudio is a detractor of Hudson's performance but I think she's the best she's ever been in that role.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• ★ Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
• George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
• Leonardo Dicaprio (One Battle After Another)
• Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
• Lee Byung-Hun (No Other Choice)
• Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)

Chalamet is looking more and more like the Oscar winner -- though Hawke and Moura now (!!!) are potential spoilers. I was just so happy to see Lee Byung-Hun at the Globes even though I knew he wouldn't win (sigh). If I could only nominate five thespians in total for an all purpose "Best Acting 2025" list Lee Byung-Hun would be on it. That's how great his performance is. 

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

• Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine)
• Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
• Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
• Amy Madigan (Weapons)
• ★ Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) 

While the CCA went for Madigan, the Globes went for Taylor. Wouldn't it be exciting if SAG goes another way altogether... than we'd have a real nail-biter like we haven't seen since 2007. I still regularly think about how undeniably exciting that race was in Best Supporting Actress and yet the correct choice was eventually made (Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton). 

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture 

• Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another)
• Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
• Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
• Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
• Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)
• ★ Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)

Same thing here. Elordi won the CCA, Stellan the Globe (he's not even nominated with SAG). It will be a real nail-biter on Oscar night if Penn or Del Toro wins SAG.

Best Director – Motion Picture

• ★ Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
• Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
• Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein)
• Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
• Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
• Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

PTA will finally get this flowers this year and we're just thrilled about that.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture 

• ★ Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
• Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
• Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
• Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
• Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
• Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell (Hamnet) 

PTA gave a wonderful speech here about writers being "magpies" with a shout out to his film's Shayna McHale ('Junglepussy' in the film) from whom he stole that great scribbled  line "this pussy don't pop for you". That line from Perfidia (Taylor) gives the movie such a cold hard slap that it knocks us straight into Act Two, 16 years later. 

Best Original Score – Motion Picture 

• Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein)
• ★ Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
• Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another)
• Kangding Ray (Sirāt)
• Max Richter (Hamnet)
• Hans Zimmer (F1)

I must have been making a guest a drink or going to the bathroom or something because I completely missed this win from the frequently winning Swedish composer. What an excellent list of composers though, right?

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• "Dream as One" Avatar: Fire and Ash

• ★ "Golden" KPop Demon Hunters 

• "I Lied To You" Sinners

• "No Place Like Home" Wicked: For Good

• "The Girl in the Bubble" Wicked: For Good

• "Train Dreams" Train Dreams

For the longest time I thought that "I Lied to You" from Sinners would have an easy win in this category on Oscar night. It still could triumph but "Golden" has been a real juggernaut at awards shows (and in the real world). It feels like a long time since a #1 pop hit has also been winning movie awards but perhaps I'm forgetting something obvious.

Best Television Series – Drama  

• The Diplomat (Netflix)
• ★ The Pitt (HBO Max)
• Pluribus (Apple TV)
• Severance (Apple TV)
• Slow Horses (Apple TV)
• The White Lotus (HBO Max)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• The Bear (FX on Hulu)
• Hacks (HBO Max)
• Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
• Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• ★ The Studio (Apple TV) 

Hollywood sure loves thinking about itself!

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• ★ Adolescence (Netflix)
• All Her Fault (Peacock)
• The Beast In Me (Netflix)
• Black Mirror (Netflix)
• Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
• The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Adolescence continues to be undefeated.

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama  

• Kathy Bates (Matlock)
• Britt Lower (Severance)
• Helen Mirren (Mobland)
• Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)
• Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
• ★ Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)

Rhea seems overwhelmed onstage and nothing like her character... which is always a nice surprise when you aren't familiar with an actor but love their performance. 

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama 

• Sterling K. Brown (Paradise)
• Diego Luna (Andor)
• Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
• Mark Ruffalo (Task)
• Adam Scott (Severance)
• ★ Noah Wyle (The Pitt) 

Everyone seems to love Noah Wyle. It was cute to see George Clooney congratulate him. 30 year ER alumni reunion right in the prime seats at the Globes.

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

• Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
• Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
• Selena Gomez (Only Murders In the Building)
• Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)
• Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)
• ★ Jean Smart (Hacks)

Smart immediately cut off my rant about her winning every year with the glorious quip "I'm a greedy bitch". Still, I would love to see Kristen Bell, or Natasha Lyonne have a chance to give speeches for such great work.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy  

• Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
• Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
• Glen Powell (Chad Powers)
• ★ Seth Rogen (The Studio)
• Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
• Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) 

I wanted Adam Brody to take this but I know it's not the kind of performance that wins awards (unshowy and he makes it look easy) so it's nice that he's nominated! 

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Claire Danes (The Beast in Me)
• Rashida Jones (Black Mirror)
• Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River)
• Sarah Snook (All Her Fault)
• ★ Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex)
• Robin Wright (The Girlfriend) 

A thrilling deserved win but sadly Michelle wasn't there to give a speech.

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jacob Elordi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
• Paul Giamatti (Black Mirror)
• ★ Stephen Graham (Adolescence)
• Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story)
• Jude Law (Black Rabbit)
• Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

• Carrie Coon (The White Lotus)
• ★ Erin Doherty (Adolescence)
• Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
• Catherine O’hara (The Studio)
• Parker Posey (The White Lotus)
• Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus)

I am sad that we're never going to get to see a Parker Posey acceptance speech because imagine how a-ma-zing that would be. She seemed really happy for Doherty though. This is when I remind everyone of her classic viral comedy clip as an actress teaching a class on acceptanche speeches.

A note to the side: The night before the Globes I had the privilege of seeing Carrie Coon do "Bug" on Broadway so I knew she wouldn't be there. 

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television

• ★ Owen Cooper (Adolescence)
• Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
• Walton Goggins (The White Lotus)
• Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus)
• Tramell Tillman (Severance)
• Ashley Walters (Adolescence)

Not really a huge fan of kids winning awards for acting (outside of "young actor" categories) and since Adolescence has won so much already was this really necessary?  

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television

• Bill Maher (Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?)
• Brett Goldstein (Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life)
• Kevin Hart (Kevin Hart: Acting My Age)
• Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts)
• ★ Ricky Gervais (Ricky Gervais: Mortality)
• Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman: Postmortem) 

Bless Wanda Sykes for her hilarious diss of Gervais by way of thanking the trans community in her acceptance 'on his behalf'. Gervais is such an asshole and he's been so hateful on the Globes over the years that it really starts to feel like the Globes have a humiliation kink. WHY are they still honoring him? 

Best Podcast

• Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard (Wondery)
• Call Her Daddy (SiriusXM)
• ★ Good Hang With Amy Poehler (Spotify)
• The Mel Robbins Podcast (SiriusXM)
• Smartless (SiriusXM)
• Up First (NPR)

It's always a treat to see Poehler, one half of the greatest Golden Globes Host of All Time... ... sorry Nikki Glaser. 

Comments

[Paranoid Android]

They stupidly did not televise the score award and just announced the winner as they were cutting to commercial. But glad we got that podcast award sketch!

[DAVID S]

You didn't miss Best Score being presented.

They did it during a *COMMERCIAL BREAK*.... how incredibly tacky!
Apparently they had time to let the host break out into song for 5 minutes, but not let a rightful winner of a major award accept their prize.

Also strange:
*The weird banter of the announcers talking while the winners took to the stage.
* The WTF-ness of the showing a dark far away shot of the room while the nominees were announced only to show a tiny box of said nominee in the top left corner of the screen. Were they really using geo-location to show where the nominee was sitting instead of giving us a shot of the table?!?

[Rob]

The on-going commentary after winners were announced was a disaster and hopefully will never be attempted again. For me the highlight of the evening was Wanda Sykes, effortlessly funny and cutting. Loved her. Wanted to love the Heated Rivalry boys, but their efforts at comedy didn't come off, despite Connor Storrie's commitment to the bit. Hudson Williams was impossibly pretty though!

[Mr Ripley79]

Predictable really,shame about Amy,she's the only person i'm interested in this season

I have a feeling the supporting trophies will be nailbiters come Oscar night,I noticed everyone is stating Taylor will now sweep,we'll see,she looked great,I did learn her mother's a fashion industry insider so I soured on her a little.

I agree about Owen Cooper,I will say it again Adolescence is one of thousands of hot topic gritty dramas we get here in the UK,good luck to him if his career pans out.

I realised with the winners last night that i'm not a huge fan of any of them as good as they maybe,i've no passion pick because my faves actresses sat this one out and the ones I adore like Julia had no chance.

I saw people online calling Roberts obnoxious,maybe but she did give a shout out to Eva Victor whose film is little seen so that was nice,I can see Julia getting the Cecil B DeMille in a few years.

Chalamet is braking the curse of pretty young actors waiting till their 40's to win,I don't think Wagner will do it and agree he looked hot as did most of his table.

Emily Blunt slayed the fashion as usual.

Jennifer Lopez was ruling the world with her frock.

I though Hudson would make a claim here but it wasn't to be,I have an idea why Claudio is sour on her getting a nomination.

Buckley sealed the deal but I just can't get excited about her.

Stellan just put a dent in Elordi's train and why are the OBAA men not winning anything major.

I fancy Joel Edgerton,my kinda man.

It's always a joy to see Spielberg

Couldn't care less about the TV awards,too many shows to watch and I haven't seen any of them.

Hamnet was a mild shock over Sinners but I feel it's being overestimated to win anything big anyway,MBJ could have done with winning here,I still feel he could be snubbed a la Robbie,I don't see him as a passion pick..

[Sad Man]

In terms of winners, they corrected everything Critics Choice did wrong. Biggest surprises were Teyana and Stellan, the right winners of supporting. Also glad Sinners didn't get screenplay.

As for the ceremony itself, it was a disaster. A lot of really bad audio problems, moronic presenters (Snoop Dogg, why is that talentless hack allowed in that room?, Judd Apatow making a joke on how to pronounce a name, making the foreign candidates think they were winning), cameras getting in the shot, winners being unable to get to the stage, score not being televised but that stupid best podcast award was. So many things.

Highlights: Teyana showing her ass to everyone on stage. And she seemed so happy.
Wanda Sykes' acceptance speech.

Sidenote: Why did everyone go crazy over Julia Roberts? She was hugging every single winner and when she presented everyone got on their feet as if she was a messiah. Did I miss something. Like, calm down. And as much as I loved the Eva Victor shoutout, it was not the time. Spielberg, who infamously hated working with Julia, got the last laugh with Hamnet, though.

[Tony L]

After the first award I knew it was going to be a disappointing night for me.

Upside - Rose Byrne, Jean Smart, Sinners winning something (although their other award was during a commercial break - wtf?!?) and Chloe Zhao continually looking at Ryan Coogler.