2021 Golden Globes: Winners and Losers

2021 Golden Globes Winners: Hits and Misses

 

Last night, the stars were out (digitally, mostly) to celebrate the best of the year in Film and TV . 

 

Last month I published a list of my predictions for each award. Some I got spot on, others I was wildly off. Let’s look at every winner from the night and see if it was a sure fire hit or a surprise miss.

 

The Night in Television:

 

Best Actor in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy ✅

 

My Prediction: Jason Sudeikis ,Ted Lasso

The Winner: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

 

Even though I guessed it right I was still surprised when Sudeikis picked up the award. Ted Lasso has flown under a lot of radars but everyone who did manage to see it, has praised it. A good bit of extra buzz that may lead to a second wave of viewers for the Apple TV series. 

 

Best Actress in a TV Series: Musical or Comedy ❌

 

My Prediction : Lily Collins, Emily in Paris 

The Winner: Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek

 

Foolishness from me here. Emily in Paris was never going to win many accolades, but I though for the craic maybe Lily Collins would get a bit of love due to her popularity and exploring a comedic angle. However, this award went to a long-standing veteran of Film and TV. Beetlejuice and Home Alone alum Catherine O'Hara. I didn’t do my research here and it showed. Schitt's Creek is very popular, and this wasn’t the only award it got.

 

 

 

 

Best Actor in a TV Series: Drama ❌

 

My Prediction: Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

The Winner: Josh O'Connor, The Crown

Never bet against The Crown! I was being a bit empathetic here, hoping that Odenkirk would finally get his deserved award he’s been waiting about 5 years for. However, the Crown did a sweep of the TV accolades, so it was no real surprise when Josh O'Connor matched his co stars by receiving Best Actor. Well deserved nonetheless. 

 

Best Actress in a TV Series: Drama ✅

 

My Prediction: Emma Corrin, The Crown

The Winner: Emma Corrin, The Crown

 

Never in doubt. Emma Corrin was the talk of the town with her role as Princess Diana and from the moment she first appeared in the series I knew awards were on their way. The Crown has set a very big precedent for future actors, and the casting department clearly have a knack at getting the best people for the job.

 

Best Actor in a Limited Series ❌

 

My Prediction: Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird

The Winner: Mark Ruffalo, I Know this Much is True

 

I took a pure guess on this one and it didn’t turn out. Had I known that Ruffalo's role required him to play twins it would’ve been a bit easier to pick. I hadn’t seen any of the roles nominated but maybe this one is worth checking out in catch-up time.

 

Best Actress in a Limited Series ✅

 

My Prediction: Anya Taylor Joy, The Queen's Gambit

The Winner: Anya Taylor Joy, The Queen's Gambit 

 

Easy pick all in all. The Queen's Gambit continued a night of success for Netflix, who definitely took top spot in the streaming wars this year, despite heightened competition. Taylor Joy was one of two actresses, along with Olivia Colman, who was nominated both for TV and film. 

 

 

 

Best Television Series: Drama ❌

 

My Prediction : The Mandalorian 

The Winner: The Crown

 

I’ll say it again. Never bet against The Crown. The optimist in me thought maybe my favourite little Star Wars show that shook the pop culture world this year would beat the dramatic number giant that is The Crown. I was wrong. Maybe next year, Mando. Either way, The Crown was just as worthy of this one. It could’ve gone either way if you ask me.

 

Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy ❌

 

My Prediction: Ted Lasso

The Winner: Schitt's Creek 

 

Unaware of what a hit Schitt's Creek must be , I went for Lasso again. Schitt's Creek picked up two awards in the TV section, making it the big comedy winner of the night. 

 

Best Limited Series ✅

 

My Prediction: The Queen's Gambit

The Winner: The Queen's Gambit

 

No surprise here. Queen's Gambit fit the classic Netflix success strategy.

Almost every month, Netflix had a surprise hit that took the world by storm for a couple weeks. This was one of its biggest in 2020. 

 

Best Supporting Actress in TV Series ✅

 

My Prediction: Gillian Anderson, The Crown

The Winner: Gillian Anderson, The Crown

 

There was no one close. Anderson's turn as Margaret Thatcher was a huge success and one of the highlights of the fourth season of The Crown. I pity the showmakers who are no doubt in need of finding an equally show stealing performance for the next season as they head into the 90s.

 

 

 

 

 

Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series ✅

 

My Prediction: John Boyega, Small Axe

The Winner: John Boyega, Small Axe

 

It was a big night for British talent, and Boyega's performance in this miniseries was always going to be one of the big winners. 

 

 

The Night in Cinema:  

 

 

 

Best Original Score ❌

My Prediction: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mank

The Winner: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with Jon Batiste, Soul

 

Well I got the right artist, wrong movie. Reznor and Ross had a double shot. Mank was my personal preference for this one due to its mood and themes, but there’s no denying that the combined jazzy vim and spiritual psychedelia of the Soul score was a triumph. Soul rightfully picked up a couple of awards on the night, being the most well received animated film of 2020. 

 

Best Original Song ❌

 

My Prediction: Celeste, Hear my Voice, The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Winner: Laura Pausini, Io sì ( seen), The Life Ahead

 

This one was a bit of a surprise for me. I thought either Trial of the Chicago 7 or Judas and the Black Messiah's songs were the heavy front runners due to their powerful messages and cultural relevance. However, this lesser known Spanish speaking song from the Sophia Loren film The Life Ahead came out of left field. Sometimes the underdog comes through.

 

Best Original Screenplay ✅

 

My Prediction : Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Winner: Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

 

It had to be Sorkin. The Trial of the Chicago 7 was my personal top film from this current season. The writing of Aaron Sorkin was the heart and soul of the films success. As always, the master of dialogue struck with wit, strength and quotability. I do feel for David Fincher though, this was his one and only opportunity to win his late father an award for his 20 year old screenplay for Mank. Fincher had a bad night overall but at least he seemed to be enjoying his drinks. 

 

Best Supporting Actor ❌

 

My Prediction: Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Winner: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

 

Chicago 7 didn’t get nearly enough praise last night, but Baron Cohen got plenty of success from his other film Borat 2 surprisingly. Daniel Kaluuya's performance here has been getting lots of attention so he was always in contention here. 

 

Best Supporting Actress ❌

 

My Prediction: Olivia Colman, The Father

The Winner: Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian

 

Take this in people. There has been an awards night where Olivia Colman has come out with nothing. History has been made. All jokes aside, Jodie Foster's performance beat her out, despite being a film that seems to have flown under the radar. I haven’t seen it myself, but I don’t doubt her talent, as she’s continued to be great for over three-decades of cinema now.

 

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy ❌

 

My Prediction: Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield

The Winner: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

 

One of the big surprises of the night. I never thought I’d see Borat as a golden globe winner. But it was well deserved. I picked Patel due to his more awards friendly film, expecting an old style snobbishness to defeat Borat. However, times change. Baron Cohen missed out on Best Supporting Actor so it was fitting that he ended up with Best Lead Actor for his dangerous performance here, where he quite literally put his life on the line at times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy ❌

 

My Prediction: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The Winner:  Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot

 

This was the biggest mistake of the night. Baron Cohen rightfully got his praise but the breakout star of Borat 2 was Bakalova. She was incredible and brave. I know Rosamund Pike to be a consistently high quality actress but I don’t believe for one second she should’ve beat this debutant. Still, I’m sure we will be seeing more of the young actress in years to come and she’s certainly made her mark, even without a Golden Globe to her name. 

 

Best Actor, Drama ✅

 

My Prediction: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

The Winner: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

 

My personal highlight of the evening. The moment I saw this film I knew Boseman would get his deserved awards. A posthumous golden globe for a much-missed talent. Chadwick's wife accepted the award in a tearful speech that left me bawling. I’m so glad he won, and I hope he knows how beloved he was and what an icon he has become even after death.

 

Best Actress, Drama ❌

 

My Prediction: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman 

The Winner: Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday 

 

One of the surprise losers of the night was Promising Young Woman. I was sure that the film would get a few, being a big talking point when it was released. However, Mulligan's lead performance lost out to Andra Day, who’s performance in The United States vs Billie Holiday was seen by many to be the highlight of the film. Good performances elevate the picture they’re in. 

 

Best Motion Picture, Animated ✅

 

My Prediciton: Soul

The Winner: Soul 

 

It had to be Soul. Without a doubt the animated highlight of 2020, and a rightful winner of 2 Golden Globes. 

 

 

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy ❌

 

My Prediction: Hamilton

The Winner: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

 

The surprise winner of Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was Borat 2. Well deserved, but one I never saw coming. A film that it can be argued affected an entire Presidential Election campaign. Films that change things are always worthy of praise, and Borat shone a light on some ugly truths in a hilarious manner. Hamilton had an unfair advantage of being the best musical of a generation, but rightly sat this one out as it wasn’t really a movie, and wasn’t exactly a 2020 production either. 

 

 

Best Foreign Film ✅

 

My Prediction: Minari

The Winner: Minari 

 

This Korean-American film was the cream of the crop and I had a good feeling about it. Following in the footsteps of Bong Joon Ho's success last year with Parasite, this completely different Korean Speaking film focused on the lives of Korean-American citizens in the 1980s and received a lot of praise. 

 

Best Motion Picture, Drama ❌

 

My Prediction: The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Winner: Nomadland 

 

A shock win in my book. Nomadland came out of nowhere to win this one. It seems that the least- talked about of the nominations usually ends up being the one the critics liked the most. Parasite last year shocked many , and Nomadland, which follows a homeless woman travelling across the US wilderness, has got a whole new wave of attention after being crowned Best Motion Picture by the Golden Globes and the FPA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Director ❌

 

My Prediction: David Fincher, Mank

The Winner: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

 

A double whammy for Nomadland as Chloe Zhao became the second ever female winner of Best Director. I’m yet to see Nomadland but I’m sure the praise is just, and the milestone is apt. Fincher is a much beloved veteran and I’m sure he will be at the Golden Globes again in no time. 

 

 

Predictions : 

 

Correct Predictions ✅: 10

Incorrect Predictions ❌: 15

 

I got more wrong than right, but 10 good guesses isn’t bad. Ironically, this film critic seemed to be better at predicting TV awards than Cinema. Oh well, these things are often full of surprises. Maybe next year I’ll get more than 50%. 

 

 

The Stories of the Night:  

 

TV: 

 

I predicted a pretty evenly split night for The Crown, The Queen's Gambit and Ted Lasso to all come in with 2 Awards. On the night, The Crown was the undeniable Titan of TV, coming away with 4 Golden Globes. The Queen's Gambit got 2 as I suspected but Ted Lasso only got 1, with a surprise success for Schitt's Creek, which also got 2 Globes.

 

FILM: 

 

I backed the wrong horses here, expecting Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank to be the winners with 4 and 2 Globes between them. In the end, the movie awards were a lot more evenly split. Mank ended up winning none, and Chicago 7 only won 1 of my predicted 4 awards, Best Screenplay. Only three films picked up 2 Globes, those being Pixar's Soul, surprise winner Borat and the talk of the night Nomadland. 

 

 

 

STREAMING WARS: 

 

I predicted a great night for Netflix, who I expected to win 13 Globes overall across TV and Film. Apple Disney and Amazon I predicted to get 2 each. 

On the night, Netflix was the clear winner with 10 Globes. Second place goes to Amazon, who, thanks to Borat, picked up 3. Disney Plus debuted with 2 Awards, both for Soul, and Apple only managed one win for Ted Lasso. While Netflix continues to dominate the Awards sphere, it’s getting a bit more competitive with these rival platforms. 

 

 

To Conclude :

 

Big night for British actors and actresses. Emma Corrin ,Josh O'Connell and John Boyega making big waves. Netflix shows continue to soar in the TV world, and Nomadland was the critical hit of the year, with surprise success for Borat. 

Unpredictable at times, very predictable at others, this years Golden Globes was lacking the glam and socialising, but the awards were certainly fair and mostly right. 

Here’s to the next one.

 

 

 

 

Written by Elliott Thomas Griffiths