The Golden Globe Awards telecast is Sunday Feb. 28 on NBC. These are the films and performances I think SHOULD win:
Supporting Actor – Jared Leto, “The Little Things”
Believe me, I didn’t expect to be making this choice, either. If you had told me at the beginning of January, I would’ve said, “Really?” Leto doesn’t even give the best performance in “The Little Things”. But he’s quite good. I like Leslie Odom, Jr. in “One Night in Miami” but only mainly towards the end. Daniel Kaluuya has a couple strong moments in “Judas and the Black Messiah”. Frankly, Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”) and Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) are some of the most overrated performances in a year filled with overrated performances. So it’s sort of Leto by default.
Supporting Actress – Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”
She’s outstanding. It doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll win her second film Globe in just three years. But she deserves it. Amanda Seyfried is also great in “Mank”, and Jodie Foster is solid in “The Mauritanian”. Helena Zengel gives a breakthrough but not amazing performance in “News of the World”. Olivia Colman (“The Father”) doesn’t belong in this category.
Actor in a Comedy or Musical – Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton”
Yes, it’s not *really* a movie. It’s a filmed version of a Broadway performance. But Miranda (who was also nominated in this category two years ago for “Mary Poppins Returns”) has been a titan in entertainment since “Hamilton” was on Broadway and is a powerhouse in the role. James Corden (“The Prom”) has received some controversy for his performance, though when it comes to the singing, dancing and emotional scenes, I think he’s just fine. Dev Patel (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”) has his moments. Baron Cohen already won for playing “Borat” in the 2006 original. And Andy Samberg’s work and the “Palm Springs” film itself are (I’ll use the word again) overrated.
Actress in a Comedy or Musical – Anya Taylor-Joy, “Emma”
Without Meryl Streep in here for “The Prom” and/or “Let Them All Talk”, I have to go with Taylor-Joy. She is excellent as the title character in an otherwise discombobulated film. Kate Hudson (“Music”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat”) and Rosamund Pike (“I Care a Lot”) don’t deserve the trophy. And don’t even get me started on “French Exit”, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
Actor in a Drama – Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” and/or Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Ahmed gives the best cinematic performance of any 2020/early 2021 motion picture. The late Boseman is also outstanding in “Ma Rainey”, and with him not also in the Supporting Actor category for “Da 5 Bloods”, this may be the way the Globes honors him. The Best Actor category will be up in the air this entire awards season simply based on how these associations want to honor the incredible work from Ahmed and Boseman. Ties aren’t uncommon at the Globes, Critics Choice Awards and even the Oscars. It’s happened with SAG nominee voting too. Gary Oldman (“Mank”) and Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”) also deserve to be in this group. It could still (for some reason) go to “The Father”’s Anthony Hopkins, who was far better and far more grounded in 2019’s “The Two Popes”.
Actress in a Drama – Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”
She just won for “Three Billboards” (talk about an overrated movie), but by default deserves the category win here again. Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) is second for me, followed closely by Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”). Viola Davis has a lot of power in “Ma Rainey”, but she’s not in the movie much and doesn’t get to add much depth to the role. Like Mulligan, who’s terrific in “The Dig”, Vanessa Kirby gives a much more interesting, substantial performance in “The World to Come” than her nominated work in the uber-depressing “Pieces of a Woman”.
Best Picture: Comedy or Musical – “Hamilton”
“The Prom” isn’t as spectacular as it should be. “Music” isn’t a total disaster but has many flaws. “Palm Springs” doesn’t work. “Borat” will likely win – another way for the HFPA to send a message to the former Commander in Chief. But actually… a “Hamilton” victory would do that too. And it’s the best movie of the bunch.
Best Picture: Drama – “Mank”
David Fincher’s “Citizen Kane” origins drama is filled with detail, class and emotion, anchored by the performances and the symbolism. While not a total winner, it did more for me than the “good not great” “Nomadland” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, the halfway decent “Promising Young Woman” and the super messy “The Father”.