It’s regularly touted that the Golden Globe Awards ceremony is the second-most prestigious event on the Hollywood awards calendar behind the Oscars, with the Globes often also described as the precursor to that big one. And yet, the Hollywood Film Press Association voters routinely make baffling decisions that undermine the legitimacy of the Globes every year. And, of course, staying true to the pandemic-fueled dumpster fire stylings of 2020 (which already resulted in the nominations announcement pushed out of its regular December slot with the event now only happening on 28 February), the newly announced list of nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards is filled with head-scratchers.
Let’s start with the good though. David Fincher’s Mank leads affairs overall with six nominations, hitting all the big ones with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Actress for Amanda Seyfried, Best Screenplay for Jack Fincher, and Best Original Score for Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. As a critically-acclaimed love letter to vintage Hollywood filmmaking, it’s no surprise Mank dominated. Another non-surprise following closely behind with five nominations was Aaron Sorkin’s blistering historical courtroom drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7. By the by, both Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7 are Netflix productions as the streamer scored big this year with The Crown also leading the TV side of things with six nominations. Netflix dominated overall with 42 nominations in total.
Other standouts saw Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, and The Father all landed four nominations each on the movies end of the spectrum, while small-screen efforts saw The Mandalorian, Lovecraft Country, and Ozark emerge as multiple-nominee contenders. In the individual efforts, Sacha Baron Cohen ended up with three nominations (as Best Actor and producer for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and Best Supporting actor for The Trial of the Chicago 7). This lends him the honour of tying with Jamie Foxx and Helen Mirren for the Globes record of most nominations for a single performer in one awards show. Meanwhile, the late Chadwick Boseman got a very well-deserved posthumous nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his dynamite turn in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Even more importantly, the Globes made history by nominating three females for Best Director with Chloe Zhao for Nomadland, Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman, and Regina King for One Night in Miami. There was a stink surrounding the Globes for years now after Natalie Portman famously called out the Awards show for its staggering lack of recognition for female filmmakers.
But now, enough of the good and let’s get crazy. I say that because I can only assume the HFPA had some form of collective psychotic break when they failed to nominate Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods in a single category. Delroy Lindo, who has been touted as the surefire favourite for the Best Actor Oscar since the film released is nowhere to be found. The only mention Lee gets is that, ironically, his two children will be the Golden Globe Awards Ambassadors this year. As to why Da 5 Bloods didn’t get any recognition? Well, unfortunately, a narrative is already forming online about the Globes’ abovementioned issues with representation, as HBO’s critically beloved I May Destroy You, a TV series featuring a mostly black cast just like Da 5 Bloods, got completely shut out. Similarly, Lovecraft Country’s majority black cast failed to get any nods, and there was no expected Best Picture nod for Judas and the Black Messiah.
And, as another example of the Globes not learning from past mistakes, the Steven Yeung-led Minari gets a nomination but not in the Best Picture Drama slot. Instead, the critical smash about a Korean family chasing the American dream is listed as a Best Foreign Language film despite being a wholly American production with director Lee Isaac Chung being born and bred in Denver, Colorado. Just like what happened last year with The Farewell, Minari fell victim to a controversial old HFPA rule that if a film’s spoken dialogue is less than 50% English, then it is listed as a Foreign Language Film irrespective of its actual production status. This has resulted in several other films over the years, made by and about American minorities, from ever being allowed to compete for the highest honours the Globes have to offer, and it needs to change.
Even leaving social politics out of, the nominations list continues to baffle. The Prom, a critically and commercially derided effort is up for Best Picture Musical or Comedy (as well a Supporting Actor nod for James Corden) alongside Hamilton, which is literally just a recording of a live stage play from years ago. Over on the small screen, Emily in Paris, a show that was turned into a meme due to its schmaltzy schtick is up for Best TV Series. If you want to argue that its due to popularity, then why was Bridgerton wholly snubbed? And speaking of being left out in the cold, two-time Emmy-nominated Dead to Me is nowhere to be found at all. If the five-time nominated Schitt’s Creek walks away empty-handed for its sublimely perfect final season, I’m going to punch something.
Here’s the full list of nominations:
Film
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman -The Father
Jodie Foster -The Mauritanian
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Helena Zengel – News of the World
Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Minari
Two of Us
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher – Mank
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton – The Father
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
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
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Michelle Pfeiffer – French Exit
Anya Taylor-Joy – Emma
Kate Hudson – Music
Rosamund Pike – I Care a Lot
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
Fight for You by H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, Tiara Thomas – Judas and the Black Messiah
Hear My Voice by Daniel Pemberton, Celeste – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Io Sì (Seen) by Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi – The Life Ahead
Speak Now by Leslie Odom Jr., Sam Ashworth- One Night in Miami
Tigress & Tweed by Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq – The United States vs Billie Holiday
Best Motion Picture – Animated
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen -Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
James Corden -The Prom
Lin-Manuel Miranda – Hamilton
Dev Patel – The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg – Palm Springs
Best actress in a Motion Picture – drama
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Father
Mank
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Jared Leto – The Little Things
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr – One Night in Miami
Best Score – Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky
Ludwig Göransson – Tenet
James Newton Howard – News of the World
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Mank
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste – Soul
Cecil B DeMille award
Jane Fonda
Television
Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy
The Flight Attendant
The Great
Schitt’s Creek
Emily in Paris
Ted Lasso
Best Actor in a TV series – Drama
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Josh O’Connor – The Crown
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Al Pacino – Hunters
Matthew Rhys – Perry Mason
Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America
Shira Haas – Unorthodox
Nicole Kidman – The Undoing
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit
Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People
Best TV Series – Drama
The Crown
Lovecraft Country
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Ratched
Best Actress in a TV Series – Drama
Olivia Colman – The Crown
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve
Emma Corrin – The Crown
Laura Linney – Ozark
Sarah Paulson – Ratched
Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Bryan Cranston – Your Honor
Jeff Daniels – The Comey Rule
Hugh Grant – The Undoing
Ethan Hawke – The Good Lord Bird
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much Is True
Best Actress in a TV series – Musical or Comedy
Lily Collins – Emily in Paris
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning – The Great
Jane Levy – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek
Best Limited Series or TV Movie
Normal People
The Queen’s Gambit
Small Axe
The Undoing
Unorthodox
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Limited Series or TV Movie
John Boyega – Small Axe
Brendan Gleeson – The Comey Rule
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Jim Parsons – Hollywood
Donald Sutherland – The Undoing
Best Actor in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy
Don Cheadle – Black Monday
Nicholas Hoult – The Great
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso
Ramy Youssef – Ramy
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series – Limited Series or TV Movie
Gillian Anderson – The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown
Julia Garner – Ozark
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek
Cynthia Nixon – Ratched
Carol Burnett award
Norman Lear
The 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards will take place on 28 Febuary 2021, with fan-favourite hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returning. This year will be different though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the two comedians will co-host remotely via separate streams from different sides of the country with Fey hosting from the Rainbow Room in Manhattan while Poehler hosts from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. As of yet, it’s still not clear if nominees will actually be attending the event in person to receive awards or if some sort of online version will be done.
Last Updated: February 4, 2021
