The Hollywood Foreign press refers to the Golden Globe Awards as “the biggest party of the year.” The Globes have always come off as the Oscars’ drunker, less significant brother despite being the closest thing the Oscars have to a rival. But thankfully, a three-course meal and unlimited champagne provide a fantastic opportunity for the stars to let loose and generate some genuine highlights of their own. Without further ado, here are some lessons we took away from the 2016 Golden Globes.
8 Things We Learned From The 2016 Golden Globes
The Revenant Was Unstoppable
It is obvious that Alejandro González Iárritu’s (Birdman) picture about a frontiersman fighting to return home to his family will take some stopping. It is a punishing, beautiful story. The Revenant’s win for Best Picture here may seem like an outside shot compared to Spotlight, but it might give it tremendous momentum during award season.
Leonardo DiCaprio received a tremendous standing ovation after winning Best Actor, indicating that he might not always be a bridesmaid at the Oscars. In fact, 90% of the Globe Award winners for Best Actor over the previous ten years went on to win the Oscar.
Brie Larson Became Cinema’s New Golden Girl
Brie Larson’s rise to fame is arguably due to her stunning performance in the 2013 film Short Term 12, which launched her to leading lady status. The 26-year-old actress, who portrays a mother kept captive for seven years with her son Jack in the ground-breaking Room, was a clear favorite and the ultimate Best Actress winner (Jacob Tremblay).
The Golden Globes Deserves Ricky Gervais
Although some people may be sick of the Englishman’s antics at this point, it is obvious that Gervais is a good fit for the position. The emcee began by calling the gathered celebrities in the Beverly Hilton ballroom “disgusting, pill-popping, sexually perverted slime.”
On having won before, Gervais jokingly said, “I’ve got three. A doorstop is one. I use one to strike burglars. And one I always keep near the bed for whatever reason. I own it. It was a fair contest, and I won. Its size and shape are perfect. To be clear, I was making a joke about shoving my Golden Globes up my ass. And I had four requests to host! Then there was a verbal exchange with Mel Gibson, and everything continued as usual. Simply put, they don’t seem to learn.
Unexpected Triumphs Can Happen
The award season can occasionally resemble a series of elaborate ceremonies, with the same winners being announced repeatedly. One of the most intriguing award shows in recent memory was made possible by The Revenant’s triumphs despite Spotlight’s anticipated success, Christian Slater’s win for his work in the tech-drama Mr. Robot, and Gael Garcia Bernal’s win for Mozart in the Jungle.
People Still Love Rocky Balboa
In recognition of his comeback performance as Rocky in Creed, Sylvester Stallone defeated Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) and Idris Elba (Beast of No Nation) to win Best Supporting Actor. I’m going to try not to get emotional, Stallone remarked before profusely thanking his loved ones. I last visited this location in 1977, and the scenery has since improved greatly. Finally, he expressed gratitude to his “imaginary friend Rocky Balboa for being the best friend I ever had.”
Jennifer Lawrence is at the Top of Her Game
When Lawrence won the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, she obnoxiously said that she wanted to be buried next to Joy director David O. Russell. Lawrence has previously achieved success when working with Russell on the films Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, so it’s not without cause.
The Martian is Apparently a Comedy
It should come as no surprise that the musical or comedy category has never been appropriate for the awards ceremony. However, it has now become a defining characteristic of the event for movie studios to try and smuggle in ambiguously funny or dubious musical flicks. The Martian, this year’s winner, is hardly a laugh a minute as it depicts the story of a spaceman stuck on Mars while posing big questions about hope and mortality.
In the same category, Matt Damon also won Best Actor. Thankfully, Damon made light of the situation by joking that it was actually a musical, but it’s possible that Spy and Trainwreck’s creators and stars didn’t find it all that amusing.
