This morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominees for the 2020 Golden Globe Awards. Leading the nominees is Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story with six nominations (Motion Picture – Drama, Actress – Drama, Actor – Drama, Screenplay, Score, Actress in a Supporting Role), followed closely by Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, each with five nominations.
The Golden Globes are voted on by members of the HFPA, an organization comprised of journalists who cover the film industry for publications around the world. With the ceremony broadcast on network television and combining awards for the Motion Picture and Television industries, it’s one of the highest profile awards ceremonies in the lead-up to the Academy Awards and has a hand in shaping the end-of-year awards conversation – even if their own winners are rather pedestrian and outright baffling at times.
Among the larger controversies arising from this year’s crop of nominees is the lack of representation from female and African American filmmakers in the top awards categories (Motion Picture, Screenplay, Director). It’s nice to see some actors of color nominated across several categories, and it is refreshing to see Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite secure nominations for Foreign Language Film, Director, and Screenplay – especially considering the fact that South Korean films have traditionally been shut out of many Western awards ceremonies. And the Foreign Language category itself is more inclusive – with two female filmmakers receiving nominations (The Farewell and Portrait of a Lady on Fire), as well as a filmmaker of color (Les Misérables).
At the end of the day, while most of us in the online film community may not like the Golden Globes and may want to turn up our noses at the nominees and winners, the truth is that these nominations do influence the films that Academy Award voters will prioritize. And the added prestige of these awards seasons films means that your average moviegoer is more likely to seek out some of these films that are slightly more adventurous and risky than their usual Friday night blockbuster.
And as far as I’m concerned, that’s all for the better.
Here is the complete list of Golden Globe Nominees in the Motion Picture Categories:
Best Motion Picture – Drama
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- 1917
- The Irishman
- Joker
- Marriage Story
- The Two Popes
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
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- Dolemite Is My Name
- Jojo Rabbit
- Knives Out
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Rocketman
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
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- Cynthia Erivo – Harriet
- Scarlett Johannson – Marriage Story
- Saoirse Ronan – Little Woman
- Charlize Theron – Bombshell
- Renée Zellweger – Judy
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
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- Christian Bale – Ford v Ferrari
- Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
- Adam Driver – Marriage Story
- Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
- Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
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- Awkwafina – The Farewell
- Cate Blanchett – Where’d You Go Bernadette?
- Ana de Armas – Knives Out
- Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart
- Emma Thompson – Late Night
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
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- Daniel Craig – Knives Out
- Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Taron Egerton – Rocketman
- Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name
Best Director – Motion Picture
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- Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite
- Sam Mendes – 1917
- Todd Phillips – Joker
- Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
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- Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
- Bong Joon-Ho and Jin Won-Han – Parasite
- Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes
- Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
- Steven Zaillian – The Irishman
Best Foreign Language Film
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- The Farewell
- Les Misérables
- Pain and Glory
- Parasite
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Animated Feature
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- Frozen 2
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
- The Lion King
- The Missing Link
- Toy Story 4
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
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- Alexandre Desplat – Little Women
- Hildur Gudnadóttir – Joker
- Randy Newman – Marriage Story
- Thomas Newman – 1917
- Daniel Pemberton – Motherless Brooklyn
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
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- Cats – “Beautiful Ghosts”
- Frozen 2 – “Into the Unknown”
- Harriet – “Stand Up”
- The Lion King – “Spirit”
- Rocketman – “I’m Gonna Love Me Again”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
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- Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell
- Annette Bening – The Report
- Laura Dern – Marriage Story
- Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers
- Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture
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- Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
- Al Pacino – The Irishman
- Joe Pesci – The Irishman
- Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
