The Golden Globe nominations were announced today and even though the nominations are always fun to discuss, it’s, even more, fun to address the snubs and surprises after the nominations have come out. This year proved to be no different from previous years as there were a few notable omissions from the list of nominees. Here are my choices for some of the biggest snubs and surprises:
1. I haven’t seen the film but it seemed like a given that Greta Gerwig would receive a best director nomination for the highly critically acclaimed, Lady Bird, but she was shut out. The film did receive love in other big categories but some have called this a growing disturbing trend where only men have been acknowledged for their work in film in a year that has seen a lot of women direct solid pieces of work. My guess is that Ridley Scott snuck in and grabbed her nomination for All the Money In the World because I had not heard his name in the discussion for a nomination until his name was announced today.
2. The Big Sick was a hit for Amazon studios with a gross of $43 million and was well received by critics but the Globes snubbed it in the best comedy category and it also didn’t receive any nods for its stars (Holly Hunter and Kumail Nanjiani seemed like a lock in the comedy categories for their acting). My guess is that it was forgotten because it came out during the summer but Get Out received nominations despite being released even earlier in the year.
3. That then brings me to Get Out, which did land a best comedy nomination and a nomination for best actor in a comedy for Daniel Kaluuya, but Jordan Peele didn’t receive a nod for directing or writing. Perhaps the directing nomination was a long shot but his script has been acknowledged in a lot of critics circles so it was surprising to see it shut out here.
4. Despite being one of the highest grossing films of the year (and one of the best reviewed), Wonder Woman received no love from the Hollywood Foreign Press. I thought the film could be acknowledged by the Globes in some capacity but I guess if Logan gets snubbed, so does Wonder Woman.
5. Sure she starred in one of the most divisive films of the year, but I was a little surprised that Jennifer Lawrence didn’t get a nod for mother! The Globes love Jennifer Lawrence (so much so that they gave her a win for Joy) but I think this snub means that her role in mother! will now be completely shut out the rest of awards season.
6. The highest grossing film of the year so far (until Star Wars: The Last Jedi takes over), Beauty & the Beast didn’t get any love from the Globes as well. It’s by no means a perfect film but it seemed made for the best comedy or musical category but it was ignored. Released too early perhaps?
7. Jake Gyllenhaal received rave reviews for his role in Stronger but he was also snubbed. I’m guessing the early release date and subpar box office played a role in his not getting nominated but some had him as a dark horse to sneak in a spot on the list.
8. The three nominations for All The Money In The World were a surprise to me but at least this puts the film in the spotlight for better reasons rather than recasting Kevin Spacey in his already completed role after his sexual misconduct claims broke. Christopher Plummer came in for 8 days of shooting to replace Spacey and ended up with a best-supporting-actor nomination today. Also receiving a nod was Michelle Williams for best actress in a drama and Ridley Scott for his directing. Maybe pulling off the last minute feat of recasting a semi-major role and still getting it out just three days shy of its original release date (from December 22 to 25) made it worthy of some acknowledgment.
9. Veep was shut out on the TV side of things. The series has received two nominations for best comedy in the past and its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has received three but maybe its bread and butter is the Emmys because the Globes chose to highlight new comedies like SMILF and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
10. The heavily hyped return of Curb Your Enthusiasm didn’t result in a nomination for is star Larry David. The actor has received three nominations in the past for his work on the show but he didn’t make the cut this year. This is pretty surprising since the return of the series was warmly received.
11. Ansel Elgort’s nomination for Baby Driver was a huge surprise but it’s one of those surprises that makes me love the Golden Globes. Sure, he won’t win, but the nomination just brings more attention to one of the most original films to come out this year.
12. Many people have commented on the buzzy Netflix drama, 13 Reasons Why, not receiving much awards attention despite its popularity but Katherine Langford pulled out a surprise nomination for her portrayal of a suicidal teenager. She’s quite good on the show so it’s a welcomed nomination but I didn’t expect to hear her name.
13. For those of us who watch This Is Us, we’re completely happy that it was nominated in numerous categories but Milo Ventimiglia deserved a nomination for his work so far in season 2. His portrayal is much more complex and layered in recent episodes and it’s a shame he didn’t make the cut.
14. I appreciated the throwback nostalgia of seeing Will & Grace nominated for best comedy and seeing one of its stars get a nomination for best actor in a comedy (Eric McCormack) but where was the love for the rest of the cast? Particularly Debra Messing, who had previously been nominated 6 times for her role.
15. In the wake of sexual harassment allegations, I can’t be too surprised to see Transparent shut out (its star, Jeffrey Tambor, left the series amid harassment claims) but I’m so used to seeing it nominated every year that it was a bit surprising to see it go unnoticed.
