I really like this year’s Golden Globe nominations. For the
first time in a long time, I feel that the quality of films in the Drama
categories rival those in the Musical or Comedy categories. But when I gave the
nominations a closer look, I was stunned to find Julie Delpy’s fiery and
fearless performance in Before Midnight
as one in contention for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. In my opinion, Before Midnight was in no way a comedy
(and obviously not a musical) so as I was wrapping my head around Delpy’s
nomination, I tried to remember other films wrongly placed in the Golden
Globes’ Musical of Comedy categories. Here’s what I came up with.
The Purple Rose
of Cairo (1985)
Nominated for: Best
Motion Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor
Woody Allen always manages to sneak a few laughs into his
films, even the melodramatic ones (Brian Cox cracks me up in Match Point, for example), but The Purple Rose of Cairo is far
from being a universally funny film. In fact, the final scene of this picture
is arguably the most melancholic scene of Allen’s career.
Edward Scissorhands
(1990)
Nominated for: Best
Actor
Sure, the spectacular macabre of Tim Burton’s style is
aesthetically amusing, but Edward
Scissorhands… a comedy? Come on now.
Batman (1989) / True Lies (1994) / The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Nominated for: Best
Actor/Best Actress/Best Motion Picture, Best Actor
These are few films under the
oh-it’s-an-action-movie-with-a-few-laughs-so-we’ll-put-it-in-the-comedy-category
category.
Driving Miss
Daisy (1989)
Nominated for: Best
Motion Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor
Granted, I haven’t seen this film in quite some time, but
beyond a few mild chuckles, I don’t recall Driving
Miss Daisy being funny in the slightest.
Jerry Maguire
(1996)
Nominated for: Best
Motion Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor
Jerry Maguire is a
frequently amusing, routinely inspiring, consistently heart warming film that I
would never dream of calling a comedy.
Man on the Moon
(1999)
Nominated for: Best
Motion Picture, Best Actor
A movie about a comedian doesn’t necessarily make that movie
a comedy. Perhaps Jim Carrey said it best when he accepted his Best Actor Golden Globe for the film: “I was a little shocked that it was in the Comedy or
Musical category, but, you know, I’ll go with it.”
The Tourist
(2010) / Love and Other Drugs (2011) / My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Nominated for: Best
Motion Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress/Best Actor, Best Actress/Best Motion
Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor
And these belong in the we-didn’t-like-enough-real-comedies-this-year-so-let’s-put-these-random-films-in-the-comedy-category
category.
Before Midnight
(2013)
Nominated for: Best
Actress
Does Before Midnight have a few humorous and amusing moments? Sure. But
the final act of this film presented one of the most gut wrenching domestic
arguments I’ve ever seen. I laughed more in Blue
Jasmine (which is nominated in the Best Actress Drama category this year) than Before Midnight.
Lost in Translation
(2003) / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind (2004) / The Squid and
the Whale (2005)
I’m placing these films last because they toe the line of
comedy and drama. I laugh out loud every time I watch these films, but I still
wouldn’t consider them comedies. I suppose my argument for all of the films
I’ve listed in this post is that, more often than not, I feel like the films
that do toe the line are
instinctually thrown in the Musical and Comedy group as a way of giving those
categories more prestige. But who knows. I don’t make the rules, I just try to
understand them.
I have the sneaking suspicion that they only nominated these films in the Comedy/Musical category because they either ran out of slots for the Drama category or they were really desperate to fill up this category.
ReplyDeleteYep, I fully agree.
DeleteTo me, the Golden Globes are like the 2nd rate version of the Oscars ever since the Pia Zadora incident. How some of these films get nominated in a category like that is beyond me. And I'm still pissed off that Diane Keaton beat Scarlett Johansson for Best Actress in a Comedy. Then again, Keaton was being funny (which she wasn't) in Something's Gotta Give as opposed to Scarlett in LiT.
ReplyDeleteYour Keaton/Johansson argument is spot on. One is awarded for not being very funny in a comedy, and a more deserving performance wasn't awarded even though she was great but in the wrong category. Makes no sense.
DeleteAny movie that has a small musical sequence - even a montage - gets landed in the Comedy/Musical category. It's very quite unfortunate, and some of these are mindboggling to be nominated. I guess it proves every so often the award committees really need to fill some slots. Very interesting list, Alex!
ReplyDeleteTheir criteria for musicals makes no sense to me either. Like... is Almost Famous a musical in the same way Moulin Rouge! is a musical? So confusing.
DeleteI still remember Seth Rogen announcing nominees "Michelle Williams for hysterical comedy My Week with Marilyn!" :)
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked Jasmine is not in Comedy category. A shame all of those acclaimed and praised movies ended up in comedy category this year - This is the End should be getting more award love, that was one funny COMEDY after all.
Haha exactly! Hell yeah, This is the End should have definitely gotten some comedy love. Silly, silly Globes.
Delete"Lost in Translation (2003) / Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) / The Squid and the Whale (2005)"
ReplyDeleteThis is quite the combopack, fuck
But are they comedies?
Deletewell of course not. but it's an insane grouping of films that were considered comedies, is my point.
DeleteYeah for sure. Damn fine films. Damn fine.
DeleteThe Musical and Comedy category always makes me laugh. I'm glad you brought up Carrey's acceptance speech, because that was hilarious. I loved how Seth Rogan called them out on My Week with Marilyn when he was announcing too. I just wish they'd nominate more comedies based on the fact that they are actually funny. I thought The Hangover winning would be a big step in that direction. The Tourist is the biggest joke of a nomination ever.
ReplyDeleteNot only is The Tourist nom a joke, but it was nominated for in THREE fucking categories. That's absurd. I agree, The Hangover should've changed things, but sadly... no.
DeleteI don't really have a problem with True Lies or Edward Scissorhands being on the list, but really I think the idea of separating comedies and musicals from dramas is a pretty flawed one in the first place. Just seems like an excuse to have more awards than the Oscars...
ReplyDeleteYeah I think you're totally right. As in, because they have more categories, that somehow makes them more credible than the Oscars. Very odd.
DeleteI'll meet you halfway with True Lies, but Edward Scissorhands... dude...
I mean, it's a mournful, dark comedy, but it seems like it's working as a comedy/fantasy for the most part. Admittedly I haven't seen it sice high school!
DeleteThe whole notion of knowing that your true love will live a better life if you're NOT in it... ah, it kills me. And Anthony Michael Hall goes bonkers in the end there. But I do agree that it has its humorous moments. But its final act definitely cements itself as drama for me.
DeleteI agree that the last act isn't a comedy (though a comedy doesn't necessarily require a happy ending! see: Woody Allen. Not that you're saying that ;) ), but I think it's in a comedic mode as often as it's dramatic (but as I said, ages since I've seen it, so perhaps I'm mostly remembering the humorous stuff?)
DeleteFair enough, brother man!
DeleteGreat post. You are spot on with most of these, but I have an admission to make. I always thought of Edward Scissorhands as a comedy with real heart. Similarly, I view True Lies as a comedy with lots of action rather than an action pic with a few laughs. It could be just me, but I laugh all the way through both movies.
ReplyDeleteThanks man. And hey, fair enough on both. I'm torn on Eternal Sunshine (and the other two films paired with it). And you make a good point with True Lies. But still... why stop at Musical/Comedy? Why not have Best Action? It's all very confusing to me.
DeleteGlobes is actually the closest thing to a Bollywood awards show, imo. So I am kind of fine with it all, especially when I see deserving people get nominated, wherever.
ReplyDeleteI wish Simon Pegg and The World's End would have been nominated though.
Oh I'm all for deserving people getting nominated. I doubt Delpy would've gotten a nom in the Drama category, for example. But it still just doesn't seem right to me. The World's End is a perfect example. One of the year's best out and out comedies, but it's replaced by... Her, which is a perfect film but far from a comedy. Makes no sense.
DeleteBefore Midnight in Best Comedy is just ridiculous. The only saving grace is that it recognizes Delpy since she may not have made their cut in Drama. Many of the others are silly too. The split is just strange.
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree with you all the way. Very, very strange.
DeleteI long ago decided that the Golden Globes' "Comedy or Musical" category should be renamed "The Other Films We Really Liked But Can't Justify Putting in the Best Drama Category Because They Would Knock Out a More Deserving Nominee". That's too much of a mouthful, though, so they just go with "Best Comedy or Musical." It's usually justified as having a joke or two in it, or for starring someone known for comedy, even if this particular role is dramatic.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, though, I like that they at least try to acknowledge that not everyone likes watching 3 hour films that make them feel like killing themselves afterwards; that films that entertain or even make you happy are also worthy of being recognized.
Two very good points. I too think it's justified with a joke or two, but I agree, it's somewhat commendable that they at least try to acknowledged other films.
Deletehmmm, well before midnight is a dramedy and so is eternal sunshine. i think jerry maguire is hilarious. it's of course all subjective, but i think if your film is even about music is falls into this category lol.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, comedy is completely subjective. No doubt. I can't even begin to understand the criteria for what makes a musical a musical in the eyes of the HFPA. Very bizarre.
DeleteBEFORE MIDNIGHT has some laughs, but I think it's one of the saddest films I've seen in a while.
ReplyDeleteSame here. I fully agree.
DeleteHmm. It's a fine line for me. All of these have comedic elements, but I wouldn't argue with throwing some of them, like Eternal Sunshine and The Squid and the Whale, into the comedy category. Do black comedies count? Or are they too dark to be comedies? Maybe something like In Bruges is the best exception.
ReplyDeleteA very fine line, no doubt. My impression from all of these films was an overall dramatic one, but it's all debatable, certainly.
DeleteLoved your list, and I agree with most of your choices. However, I see Lost in Translation as 100% comedy gold. It's mostly improv from Bill Murray, but it happens to be one of the funniest films of all time (IMO).
ReplyDeleteOh don't get me wrong, I laugh my ass off during that movie, but when it is done, I'm left in an overall humorous mood, if you know what I mean. That one is really a toss up.
DeleteSuddenly I'm questioning whether or not the Golden Globes judges even watch the films! Great list Alex.
ReplyDeleteHA! I know right?
Delete