The Golden Globe Awards have celebrated comedy since the 1950s and the days of Billy Wilder’s masterpieces like “The Apartment” and “Some Like It Hot.” But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the category, which has flourished with one winner among comedies and musicals for the past 60 years.
How to define comedy – is it a punch line? Pitfalls? Subtle satire? — and that’s just one of the problems plaguing this award. In the early part of this century, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association began nominating more and more films that it didn’t think were particularly interesting or highly rated, and instead used this category to nominate popular films that would otherwise have no chance of being featured. Added stars to your group. Get there.
At this time, the smaller, more club-like HFPA has disbanded and a larger, more representative group of global journalists has been established. This has reduced the number of howlers nominated, but some nominees are still testing the limits of comedy. (Dick Clark Productions currently owns and produces the Golden Globe Awards.) DCP is a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge, which also owns The Hollywood Reporter. )
To get an idea of what kind of films the show has honored over the past few decades, we’ve taken a look at some of the more prominent nominees, organized them into categories, and judged them on both award-winning and entertaining qualities. . The result is a very disparate mix, showing that comedy films exist all over the world, or at least in the Globe’s definition, comedies exist all over the world.
admirable and cheerful
Ana Carballosa/Amazon. Christine Tammaret/Mubi. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight/Everett Collection. Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Photo
Air (2023): There’s something darkly comedic about this backdoor celebration of capitalism, but this corporate broke-to-rich sports drama is more about inside basketball fare than humorous storytelling. was focused.
Poor Things (2023): The Golden Globes ushered in a new era in style by handing out the award to the funny and excellent Yorgos Lanthimos sly comedy.
Sideways (2004): Funny and great? Director Alexander Payne’s crowd-pleaser starring Paul Giamatti as a disgruntled wine lover won the 2005 award and was nominated by the HFPA in this category. It was shown that it is possible to evaluate correctly.
Substance (2024): A film worth watching. But while this over-the-top horror film isn’t without its eye-rolling, nervous-laugh moments, it’s also full of serious commentary on aging and body image, and it’s not trying to be funny. do not have.
Winning and sober
Warner Bros./Courtesy of Everett Collection. Universal Pictures/Courtesy of Everett Collection. Courtesy of NEON. 20thCentFox/Courtesy of Everett Collection. Samuel Goldwyn Film/Courtesy of Everett Collection
Anora (2024): The quality of this category has definitely improved with the new Golden Globes. But the film’s occasional bouts of laughter are mostly delivered through knowing winces.
‘Get Out’ (2017): ‘The Sunken Place’ has joined the internet meme canon, but only audiences unaware of the symbolism of Jordan Peele’s brilliant directorial debut, an exploration of contemporary racial politics. I found it interesting.
Her (2013): Probably one of the best films ever nominated in this category by the old HFPA. But AI loving us and leaving us wasn’t all that interesting then, and it seems even less interesting now.
The Martian (2015): If you squint, this might seem like a comedy. People laughed at the line, “Science doesn’t care about this.” But how interesting is it actually to grow potatoes on another planet?
The Squid and the Whale (2005): Noah Baumbach draws on his own parents’ divorce for this quiet coming-of-age drama set in 1980s Brooklyn. It’s a great movie, but it lacks anything particularly offensive.
cheerful plebeian
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Babylon (2022): Damien Chazelle’s more than three-hour carnival of outrageous Hollywood characters from the 1920s and early 1930s, this controversial film was… kind of funny? And… sometimes… Are some award-worthy?
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020): Brought laughs and caught Rudy Giuliani red-handed. But the effort to send porn actor Johnny the Monkey to the White House is not typically a black-tie movie celebration.
The Hangover (2009): Pretty funny. But Mike Tyson’s Maori tattoo on Ed Helms’ face is no less admirable.
gloomy plebeian
Columbia Pictures/Courtesy of Everett Collection. Featured Features/Courtesy: Everett Collection; The Weinstein Company/Courtesy of Everett Collection. Walt Disney Company/Courtesy of Everett Collection
Alice in Wonderland (2010): If this film adaptation hadn’t brought in $1 billion in ticket sales, it likely wouldn’t have been recognized at all by the HFPA, making it hard to ignore.
‘My Week With Marilyn’ (2011): It’s telling that this story of the blonde bombshell’s departure from London failed to win Best Picture from any of the other major groups. But the HFPA took care of the Weinstein Company.
Pride and Prejudice (2005): Romantic dramas often don’t receive much praise, but placing this film in the comedy category serves as a warning against making rash decisions ( and books) is an ironic twist of fate.
The Tourist (2010): A must for old HFPAhowlers. The film had top stars and European pedigree – all the elements the group loved. Unfortunately, there was no comedy element at all that made it worthy of an award.
This article was published in the January 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.
