Hollywood’s biggest party took place Sunday night, which kicked off the official start to the award season’s telecasts. The night’s outcome was mixed, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) showcasing some surprise winners, but some predicting ones as well.
While “Boyhood’s” win in the Best Picture category for Drama could have been called from a mile away, it was nice to see the 12-year project finally receive an award at a big-time Hollywood event. In addition to its Best Picture win, “Boyhood” also took home Best Director (Richard Linklater) and Best Supporting Actress (Patricia Arquette). This is good news for its overall Oscar chances this upcoming February.
The comedy side of things boasted quite a few surprises. “Birdman” was looked at as a surefire lock to take home the award for Best Picture for a Musical/Comedy, but it was “The Grand Budapest Hotel” that walked away with the win. This marks the first Golden Globe win for Director Wes Anderson, who has been all over the awards circuit for his screenplay work for years now.
Amy Adams took home her second win in a row for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy for “Big Eyes,” which may have surprised some due to the film’s mediocre reception among critics.
Other winners in the film categories include Michael Keaton for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (“Birdman”), Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor in a Drama (“The Theory of Everything”) and J.K. Simmons for Best Supporting Actor (“Whiplash”).
On the television side of the spectrum, there were more surprises than in the film categories. Fan favorite “True Detective” went home empty handed, and “Amazon Prime” proved to be a true underdog as their online platform roped in two wins for their transgender comedy “Transparent.”
The brand new show “The Affair” took home a big win for Best Drama series and a win for Ruth Wilson in the Best Actress in a Drama category.
Aside from the winners, the awards show itself was flying on a wave of highs and lows. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have proven to be reliable hosts, and this was their third year in a row with a killer monologue (even if it did feature some “too soon” Bill Cosby jokes).
What the show lacked was bits from the hosts throughout the night. They did one involving a woman dressed as a North Korean soldier who wanted a picture with Meryl Streep (who doesn’t?) but that was about it.
As always, the presenters were hit or miss. Some of the stars shone (like Ricky Gervais), while others came off as painfully awkward (looking at you, Jeremy Renner).
In the end, the Golden Globes got its job done: entertaining the celebrities and the people watching at home while we wait for the real award show, the Oscars, to get here.
