The Me Too movement was on the minds of everybody in attendance for the 75th annualGolden Globesceremony and many of the top awards went to timely movies and TV shows that reflect the tumultuous last year. Sexual harassment and assault were the main themes of 2017 and many wondered how one of the first major awards shows would handle the controversy. Host Seth Meyers immediately addressed the elephant in the room by saying, “It’s 2018 - marijuana is finally allowed and sexual harassment finally isn’t,” summing up the sense of change in the air.
TheHollywood Foreign Press Associationhighlighted some favorites of 2017 and sent others home empty handed in a surprising turn of events.Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,Lady Bird, andThe Shape of Waterall took home the top prizes, while other critical favorites such asDunkirk,Get Out,Call Me by Your Name, andThe Postwere left out in the cold. The Best Motion Picture Drama award went toThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Best Motion Picture or Comedy went toLady Bird, Best Director went to Guillermo del Toro forThe Shape of Water, Best Performance by an actress in a drama went to Frances McDormand forThree Billboards, and Best Actor in a drama went to Gary Oldman forDarkest Hour.
Writer-directorMartin McDonagh’s dark Three Billboards, which had six nominations, proved to be the evening’s biggest winner with four wins, including the top prize in the drama category as well as awards for McDonagh’s screenplay and for the performances of Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand. Elsewhere,Ladybirdtook home two awards including Best Actress in comedy or musical to lead actress Saoirse Ronan. Best Performance by an actor in a comedy or musical went to James Franco forThe Disaster Artist, Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture went to Allison Janney forI, Tonya.
The Best animated motion picture honor went toPixar’s Coco, while the Best motion picture, foreign language went toIn the Fade, the Best original score went to Alexandre Desplat forThe Shape of Water, and the Best original song went to “This Is Me” forThe Greatest Showman. Christopher Nolan’sDunkirkwas expected to bring home some awards as was Steven Spielberg’sThe Post, but both movies went home empty handed. It really seemed as if all bets were off at the Golden Globes awards ceremony this year, which made for an exciting broadcast that had some very powerful moments.
Some of the more powerful moments came during the awards given to TV shows, specificallyBig Little Lies. HBO’s limited series won four awards, including acting prizes for stars Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard, and Laura Dern. Dern and Kidman gave passionate speeches about speaking up in times of trouble, which was the theme of the evening.Big Little Liesalso won the Best Limited Series award. Amazon’sThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiseland Hulu’sThe Handmaid’s Talewon two awards apiece, including the top prizes, respectively, in the comedy and drama series categories. The Best performance by an actor in a television drama series went to Sterling K. Brown forThis Is Us, Best performance by an actress in a television in a musical or comedy series went to Rachel Brosnahan forThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Best performance by an actor in a television musical or comedy series went to Aziz Ansari forMaster of None, and Best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television went to Ewan McGregor forFargo.
Greeted by loud applause, Oprah Winfrey started her acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille award by recounting Sidney Poitier making history as the first black man to win an Academy Award. Winfrey said, “I had never seen a black man being celebrated like that,” as she accepted the lifetime achievement award. Winfrey also took a moment to reflect on her own historic moment, mentioning that there are likely many girls at home watching the first black woman take home the Cecil B. DeMille Award. In addition, Oprah Winfrey spoke out about the importance of the press, which has come under fire under the current administration in office. In a night of many highlights, Oprah Winfrey went out and made an eloquent speech that summed up the entire night and most of the last year. You can read more about the winners of the 75th Golden Globes courtesy ofGoldenGlobes.com.
