With homebound nominees appearing by remote video and hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on different sides of the country, a very socially distanced 78th Golden Globe Awards trudged on in the midst of the pandemic and amid a storm of criticism for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, with top awards going to "Nomadland," "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," "The Crown" and "Schitt's Creek."
The night's top award, best motion picture-drama, went to Chloé Zhao's elegiac road movie "Nomadland," a Western set across economic upheaval and personal grief. Zhao, the China-born filmmaker, became the first woman of Asian descent to win best director. She’s only the second woman in the history of the Globes to win, and the first since Barbra Streisand won for "Yentl" in 1984.
With a canceled red carpet and stars giving speeches from the couch, Sunday's Globes had little of their typically frothy flavor. But they went on, nevertheless, with winners in sweats and dogs in laps, in a pandemic that has sapped nearly all the glamour out of Hollywood.
Facing scant traditional studio competition, streaming services dominated the Globes like never before – even if the top award went to a familiar if renamed source: Searchlight Pictures, the now Disney-owned specialty label behind "12 Years a Slave" and "Birdman."
Amazon's "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," one of the few nominated films shot partly during the pandemic, won best motion picture-comedy or musical. Its star, guerilla comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, also won best actor in a motion picture-musical or comedy. Referring to Rudy Giuliani's infamous cameo, Baron Cohen thanked "a fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius."
"I mean, who could get more laughs from one unzipping," he said.
Netflix, which came in with a commanding 42 nominations, won the top TV awards. "The Crown," as expected, took best television series-drama along with acting wins for Josh O’Connor (Prince Charles), Emma Corrin (Princess Diana) and Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher). "The Queen's Gambit" won best miniseries or television film and best actress in the category for Anya Taylor-Joy. "Schitt's Creek," the pop TV series that found a wider audience on Netflix, won best television series-musical or comedy for its final season. Catherine O'Hara also took best actress in a comedy series.
"He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices," said Ledward. "He would say something beautiful, something inspiring."
Apple TV+ scored its first major award when a sweatshirt-clad Jason Sudeikis won best actor-television series-musical or comedy for the streamer's "Ted Lasso."
The NBC telecast began in split-screen. Fey took the stage at New York's Rainbow Room while Poehler remained at the Globes' usual home at the Beverly Hilton. In their opening remarks, they managed their typically well-timed back-and-forth despite being almost 3,000 miles from each other.
They appeared before masked attendees but no stars. Instead, the sparse tables – where Hollywood royalty is usually crammed together and plied with alcohol during the show – were occupied by "smoking-hot first responders and essential workers," as Fey said.
In a production nightmare but one that's become familiar during the pandemic, the night's first winner accepted his award while muted. Only after presenter Laura Dern apologized for the technical difficulties did Daniel Kaluuya, who won best supporting actor-motion picture for his performance as Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in "Judas and the Black Messiah," get his speech in. When he finally came through, he wagged his finger at the camera and said, "You're doing me dirty!"
This year, none of the most acclaimed black-led films – "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom," "One Night in Miami," "Judas and the Black Messiah" or "Da 5 Bloods" – were nominated for the Globes’ best picture motion picture award. With the HFPA potentially fighting for its Hollywood life, Sunday's Globes were part apology tour. Fey and Poehler started in quickly on the issue.
"Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated but that happens," said Poehler. "That’s like their thing. But a number of black actors and black-led projects were overlooked."
Within the first half-hour of the NBC telecast, members of the press association appeared on stage to pledge change. "We recognize we have our own work to do," said vice president Helen Hoehne. "We must have black journalists in our organization."
COVID-19 circumstances led to some award-show anomalies. Mark Ruffalo, appearing remotely, won best actor in a miniseries or motion picture-television for "I Know This Much Is True" with his kids celebrating behind him and his wife, Sunrise Coigney, sitting alongside.
Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of the tender Korean-American family drama "Minari" (a movie the HFPA was criticized for ruling ineligible for its top award because of its non-English dialogue), accepted the award for best motion picture-foreign language while his young daughter embraced him. "She's the reason I made this film," said Chung.
John Boyega, the best supporting actor in a series, miniseries or motion picture-television winner for his performance in Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" anthology, raised his leg to show he was wearing track pants below his more elegant white jacket. Jodie Foster ("The Mauritanian") won one of the biggest surprise Globes, for best supporting actress-motion picture, while, sitting on the couch next to her wife, Alexandra Hedison, and with her dog Ziggy on her lap.
Even if speeches sometimes lacked drama without Hollywood gathered in one place, representation was a common refrain. Pointedly referring to the diversity of the HFPA, presenter and previous winner Sterling K. Brown began, "Thank you. It is great to be black at the Golden Globes," he said. "Back."
Jane Fonda, the Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree, spoke passionately about expanding the big tent of entertainment for all. "Art has always been not just in step with history but has lead the way," said Fonda. "So let’s be leaders."
Despite considerable pre-show backlash, the Globes have persisted because of their popularity (the show ranks as the third most-watched award show, after the Oscars and Grammys), their profitability (NBC paid $60 million for broadcast rights in 2018) and because they serve as important marketing material for contending films and Oscar hopefuls.