The 74th annual Golden Globes offered a glitzy version of musical chairs Sunday night as the top films and TV series of 2016 competed for an early share of awards-season prestige.
The musical “La La Land” came in with seven nominations and checked off every box. That broke the Golden Globes record for most wins by a single film, including best motion picture, musical or comedy. The film earned awards for lead actors Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, and director and writer Damien Chazelle. The film was also honored for best original song and best score, composed by Justin Hurwitz.
As an homage to old Hollywood, “La La Land” has been embraced by the industry as an affirmation of purpose at a time when the commercial and cultural relevance of movies is in doubt. Its dance routines and rainbow palette supplied a template for the Globes’ opening number, featuring host Jimmy Fallon and the night’s nominees dancing through a traffic jam of limousines.
The “La La Land” streak boosts its odds at the Academy Awards next month, when the musical will compete directly against acclaimed dramas. Among them, “Moonlight,” a portrait of an African-American character in three stages, landed the best motion picture award for drama. Rival drama “Manchester By the Sea,” about a troubled man who inherits responsibility for his nephew, secured a win for lead actor Casey Affleck.
Walt Disney’s animated “Zootopia,” an allegory about tolerance set in an all-animal society, won out against fellow nominees “Moana,” “My Life as a Zucchini,” “Sing” and “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
Among film actors, Isabelle Huppert won for her leading role in “Elle,” a French film about a rape victim’s revenge. Viola Davis landed her first Golden Globe for her supporting role in “Fences,” adapted from the August Wilson play. Aaron Taylor-Johnson prevailed among supporting actors for “Nocturnal Animals,” directed by fashion designer Tom Ford.
In the film world, the Golden Globes tends to play second fiddle to the Oscars, but in television the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which bestows the awards, has gained influence as a kingmaker, crowning brand-new shows that Emmy voters are sometimes slower to embrace. “Atlanta,” a freshman show from FX, won best comedy series, and its creator, producer and star Donald Glover took the best actor award. “We didn’t think anyone was going to like this show,” Mr. Glover said as he hoisted his trophy.
Golden Globes voters reaffirmed their preference for period dramas by handing Netflix’s “The Crown” (another first-year series) a win for top TV drama. Lead actress Claire Foy took the lead actress award for her role in the series as an ascendent Queen Elizabeth II.
The FX miniseries “The People v. O.J. Simpson” and its cast were expected to prevail in many of the races it entered. It won for best limited series, and Sarah Paulson won for playing prosecutor Marcia Clark.
However, “The Night Manager” and its exotic locales and criminal intrigue proved to be a favorite among voters. A production from AMC and the BBC, the limited series delivered a win for lead actor Tom Hiddleston and supporting actors Olivia Colman and Hugh Laurie.
First-time Globe recipient Tracee Ellis Ross won best actress in a TV comedy for her role as a scattered mom in the ABC series “Black-ish.” On the TV drama side, Billy Bob Thornton took the lead actor trophy for his turn in the Amazon legal thriller “Goliath.”
Meryl Streep, who was nominated for a record 30th time, did not win for her role in the film “Florence Foster Jenkins.” But when she took the stage to accept the career-spanning Cecil B. DeMille Award, she used the opportunity to criticize a certain “performance” by Donald Trump (without mentioning the president-elect by name) and quoted her late friend Carrie Fisher.
After his early problem with a malfunctioning teleprompter, the jovial and versatile Mr. Fallon seemed to be the host that Hollywood needed. After a bruising election year, the celebrity audience probably would have wilted under the barbed tongue of former host Ricky Gervais.
(WSJ)
Winners List
Best Motion Picture -- Drama
“Moonlight,” A24
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Actor -- Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Actor -- Drama
Casey Affleck “Manchester by the Sea,” Amazon.com
Best Actress -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Emma Stone, “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Actress -- Motion Picture Drama
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle,” Sony Pictures
Best Director -- Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Supporting Actress -- Motion Picture
Viola Davis, “Fences,” Paramount
Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Nocturnal Animals,” NBCUniversal
Best Motion Picture -- Animated
“Zootopia,” Disney
Best Motion Picture -- Foreign Language
“Elle,” Sony Pictures
Best Screenplay -- Motion Picture
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Original Score -- Motion Picture
Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best Original Song -- Motion Picture
“City of Stars,” “La La Land,” Lions Gate
Best TV Series, Drama
“The Crown,” Netflix
Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
“People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Fox (FX)
Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy
“Atlanta,” Fox (FX)
Best Actor -- TV Series, Drama
Billy Bob Thornton, Goliath, Amazon.com
Best Actor -- Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
Tom Hiddleston, “The Night Manager,” AMC Studios
Best Actor -- TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Donald Glover, “Atlanta,” Fox (FX)
Best Actress, TV Series, Drama
Claire Foy, “The Crown,” Netflix
Best Actress -- Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV
Sarah Paulson, “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” Fox (FX)
Best Actress -- TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish,” Disney (ABC)
Best Supporting Actress -- TV Series, Limited Series, TV Movie
Olivia Colman, “The Night Manager,” AMC Studios
Best Supporting Actor -- TV Series/Limited Series/TV Movie
Hugh Laurie, “The Night Manager,” AMC Studios
