Leading contenders at the Golden Globes, clockwise from centre, The White Lotus, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, Adolescence and Sentimental Value. Credit: Artwork by Stephen Kiprillis
Watching the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande and George Clooney all dressed up. Seeing whether the host can live up to the standard of Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in years past. And hoping for a stirring speech that captures the moment. Or, failing that, a spectacular meltdown.
According to one studio veteran, “rumours about secret rewards and travels have vanished” under the Globes’ still relatively new management of Penske Media Eldridge, legitimising them more as Hollywood’s second-ranked awards after the Oscars.
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The encouraging news is that it’s a strong year for film and TV.
When are they happening?
The 83rd Globes take place on Sunday night in Los Angeles – Monday in Australia from noon AEDT.
Who’s hosting?
Comedian Nikki Glaser is hosting for the second consecutive year after the disaster of Jo Koy three years ago. Glaser may not be as memorable as Gervais, Fey or Poehler, but she promises to be sharp and funny based on last year, when she called the awards “Ozempic’s biggest night” and joked that the assembled stars could do anything “except tell the country who to vote for”.
Expect her writers to have worked up gags about Venezuela and Greenland, though ICE as a topic might be too white-hot.
Australian actors Sarah Snook, Rose Byrne, Jacob Elordi and Joel Edgerton have been nominated for a Golden Globe.Credit: Getty, AP, Netflix
Who’s presenting?
Clooney and Roberts (nominated for JayKelly and After The Hunt respectively) are the biggest Hollywood stars presenting. They will be joined by Amanda Seyfried (nominated for The Testament of Ann Lee), Macaulay Culkin, Orlando Bloom, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Hart, Pamela Anderson, Chris Pine – take a deep breath, it’s a long list – Jason Bateman, Judd Apatow, Melissa McCarthy, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zoe Kravitz and Snoop Dogg.
It’s not just the old guard. Young talents are led by Miley Cyrus (nominated for an Avatar: Fire and Ash song), Ayo Edebiri (nominated for The Bear), Dakota Fanning, Charli XCX, Hailee Steinfeld, K-pop’s Lalisa Manobal and Joe Keery.
There are also two new faces who were unknown even two months ago: Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie from ice hockey romance Heated Rivalries.
What’s new?
Stars will climb a grand staircase on arrival as part of what The Hollywood Reporter calls “the Met Gala-ification” of a night long known as Hollywood’s biggest party.
And there is a new award for best podcasting, with the nominees including Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Call Her Daddy and SmartLess. They join awards for box office achievement and best stand-up comedian on TV, added two years ago.
Rose Byrne is nominated for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy for her outstanding performance as a struggling psychotherapist in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.Credit: AP
Sarah Snook is nominated for her lead role in the limited series All Her Fault, and Rose Byrne for her lead role a film – musical/comedy – for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. (The Globes divides films into two categories – drama and musical or comedy.)
Australia also has two nominations for film – drama – for Train Dreams: Joel Edgerton for his lead role and Nick Cave for best original song.
There is an excellent chance that Byrne, Edgerton and Elordi will all get breakthrough Oscar nominations in less than a fortnight so their Globes hopes are strong.
Byrne surely has to win for her exceptional performance as a struggling psychotherapist.
Edgerton, who played an itinerant logger and railroad labourer, and Elordi, who was Frankenstein’s creature, are fair chances, though Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) must be the respective frontrunners.
Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams.Credit: Netflix
Snook was outstanding - and won at the Critics Choice Awards - but I suspect she’ll be pipped by Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex). Sadly, Cave’s song Train Dreams appears to have little hope against Golden from KPop Demon Hunters.
Who’ll be the big winners?
One Battle After Another leads the film nominations with nine, followed by Sentimental Value with eight, Sinners with seven, Hamnet with six and Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good with five each.
Favoured to win best film comedy/musical is One Battle, edging out Marty Supreme. While Ryan Coogler (Sinners) and Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident) have to be a chance of causing an upset, Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle) is the likely winner of best director.
Sinners is expected to claim best film drama, though Hamnet and Sentimental Value would be just as deserving.
In TV, The White Lotus leads with six nominations. Adolescence has five and Only Murders in the Building and Severance four each.
As a reward for creative ingenuity, two urgent dramas that take place in real time, The Pitt and Adolescence, should win best drama series and limited series, with The Studio likely to claim best musical/comedy series.
So impressive were the performances in Adolescence that it’s more than possible that it could win three acting awards, for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty.
Jacob Elordi as the creature in Frankenstein.Credit: Ken Woroner/Netflix
Are they a pointer to who’ll win at the Oscars?
Markedly different voting constituencies and Globes’ division into two categories of film – drama and music/comedy – mean they are not a reliable indicator of what will happen at the Oscars.
But it will be a chance for a film or an actor to build awards season momentum.
What’s always interesting to watch is whose Globes acceptance speech is carefully calibrated to win over Oscar voters. No doubt heartfelt, such a strategy has worked for Michelle Yeoh and Demi Moore in recent years.
Sometimes the Globes is a journey rather than a destination.
Where can I watch them?
The awards are live on Paramount+ at noon and on Ten from 7.30pm. Join us for a live blog of the red carpet and ceremony from mid-morning.
