The Golden Globes are, as they have always been, the weirdest award show. First and foremost, the voting body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, shares no members in common with the voting groups for the guild awards, nor the Academy Awards. It is a group unto itself, with its own peculiarities, which makes understanding the Globes more about understanding the HFPA than seeing where the winds are blowing.
Still, having a different group of people choose from the year’s lot of films often provides an opportunity for different sorts of films and performances to go recognized, and that is the best part of the Globes each year, as films that may get snubbed by the Oscars get a chance to be seen by more people across the world, including in the Middle East, where films often get a boost in theaters after the Globe are awarded.
While the ceremony will be happening in many remote locations and not allow the same sort of energy in the room that makes the Globes much better television than the Academy Awards each year, the experienced hosting duo of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who will be conducting their duties from opposite sides of the United States, are more than capable to deliver a worthy show.
And without further ado, here are our picks on the film side of things of what should, and what will, win at this year’s Golden Globes, the 78th in its long history.
Best Motion Picture — Drama
The Father
Mank
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin has long been a darling of the Hollywood Foreign Press, having won two Golden Globes previously in the Best Screenplay category—one deservedly so for The Social Network and one for Steve Jobs less so. Still it feels like he will prevail over the other favourite in the category, Nomadland, though it seems that hype for the latter is peaking come awards season, which could lead to positive things for the film as Oscar dates near. The best of the lot, The Father, seems to fallen out of awards season favour.
Should win: The Father
Will win: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Performance by an 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
Anthony Hopkins, one of the world’s most beloved and respected actors, has somehow never won a Golden Globe, a wrong that should be righted for one of the best performances of his storied career as a man losing himself to dementia. However, it’s hard to not cap off the career of Chadwick Boseman here, who will sadly never give us a great performance after his untimely passing.
Should win: Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Will win: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best Performance by an 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
Frances McDormand has long been an awards season favourite, but this feels like Carey Mulligan’s year, as her turn in Promising Young Woman is a career highlight and her best since 2009’s star-making An Education.
Should win: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Will win: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
The funniest thing about this whole category is still that Music, directed by Sia, which holds a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, is nominated, but there are two very solid comedies here, one of which is a delightful spin on the Groundhog Day formula filled with heart and romance, the other of which proved that a long-burned out meme of a mid-2000s movie still has legs, and has enough to add to keep it relevant in a different world.
Should win: Palm Springs
Will win: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
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
Though Borat is the character most recognisable, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s most winning quality is the performance of its female lead Maria Bakalova, and while Sasha Baron Cohen will likely take home the gold, the award should go to Dev Patel, whose heartfelt and funny turn as David Copperfield is painfully underrated, even though it did manage to gain a nomination.
Should win: Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Will win: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson, Music
Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot
Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma
A complete unknown six months ago, Maria Bakalova turned in the year’s best comedic performance and is rightfully being recognized as such universally. She’ll win here, as she deserves to. I can’t wait to see what she does next. But seriously, how did Music get all these nominations?
Should win: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Will win: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Best Actor in a Supporting Role 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
While it would be exciting to watch Sasha pick up two awards in one night in completely different films, it feels that Jared Leto, a perennial awards favourite, will take home the gold, in perhaps the most perfectly suited performance he’s ever turned in, a man who always seems enamoured with his own performance playing a man enamoured with his own performance. Still, this should go to Kaluuya, for a turn as Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton that’s in the same tier as Denzel as Malcolm X.
Should win: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Will win: Jared Leto, The Little Things
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
Hillbilly Elegy is a film not deserving of its great star Glenn Close, and as much as I’d like to see Close win all the awards, I would rather it not be for this film. Olivia Colman is perhaps the best actress of her generation, and her performance in The Father is the same excellence we expect with a heart and soul that still shows she has a lot left to show us that we haven’t seen.
Should win: Olivia Colman, The Father
Will win: Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
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
Chloé Zhao is a name we’re going to be hearing a lot more of both this year and in the years to come, as her upcoming Marvel film The Eternals will surely show her to be a filmmaker of many talents. Nomadland seems to be peaking in people’s hearts and minds at the right time, and Zhao feels like the filmmaker of the moment.
Should win: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Will win: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Best Screenplay — Motion Picture
The Father
Mank
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Father, written by Florian Zeller, is a screenplay they should give to aspiring young writers, with no a wasted word or moment in the film from start to finish, a film that brings you into the mind of a person suffering from dementia in horrific detail. And yet, as Aaron Sorkin has won twice before here, it seems he will again. Would really rather he didn’t, though.
Should win: The Father
Will win: The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Minari
Two of Us
While I wish some of the best Arab films of the year, such as You Will Die at 20 and 200 Meters, had been nominated, this is a crop of excellent films, and La Llorona, a film from horror streamer Shudder, was a delight to see in the nominations list. It’s a toss up between Another Round and Minari, but Minari is the film that best captures this moment, and the right pick for the moment.
Should win: Minari
Will win: Minari
Best Motion Picture — Animated
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
While Onward and The Croods: A New Age certainly were movies that were released in 2020, Soul is the film that honestly should have been nominated in the Best Picture overall category, as it was perhaps the best film of the year, and the film that lingered in my mind the longest after I watched it.
Should win: Soul
Will win: Soul
Best Song
“Fight for You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7
“Io sì,” The Life Ahead
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami
“Tigress & Tweed,” The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Leslie Odom Jr. is the best thing about Hamilton in his turn as Aaron Burr, as well as being the best thing about One Night in Miami, and his performance as Sam Cooke makes you feel that the gone-too-soon performer, perhaps the greatest male singer in history, was back alive as he graced the screen.
Should win: “Speak Now” One Night in Miami
Will win: “Speak Now” One Night in Miami
Best Original Score — Motion Picture
Mank
The Midnight Sky
News of the World
Soul
Tenet
Who would have thought decades ago that Trent Reznor would be nominated alongside Atticus Ross for two Golden Globes, scoring films including a Disney animation? The second act of his music career continues to astound and delight, and while he Soul score is better, Mank seems the one better suited for the Globes, in a film that gained more nominations overall.
Should win: Soul
Will win: Mank
