Picture from Going for Gold: Winners of the Golden Globe Awards
Image ©Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Going for Gold: Winners of the Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globe Awards are often seen as a predictor of Academy Award success. If you’re wondering which of the winning films to watch with your family or on your own, check out our reviews.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm We’re mystified by this award since this film is a festering nightmare of misogyny, anti-Semitism, crude sexual language, and graphic male nudity. We know it’s a satire, but it’s too gross to be funny. Restricted, Grade: D-

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Nomadland This is a well earned victory for a beautifully made, unpretentious film. Nomadland follows Fern, played by Francis McDormand, as she goes on the road looking for work. Over the next several months, her character interacts with real people sharing the same wandering lifestyle. Highly insightful, this is a film that will broaden your perspective on working Americans and their dreams. Restricted, Grade: A-

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

Minari Named after the hardy Asian herb minari, this slow-growing film tells the touching story of the Yi family as they chase the American dream. Having moved from Korea to California to Arkansas in order to purchase their own farm, they struggle to fit in to the community while making their farm financially viable. PG-13, Grade: A

Best Motion Picture – Animated

Soul Pixar is at its best with Soul, combining flawless animation with a story that will tug at your heartstrings. When Joe Gardner falls to his death on the day his dreams come true, he rebels against fate. Refusing to go to the Great Beyond, he maneuvers his way to the Great Before, where souls prepare to come to earth, and schemes for a way to get his life back. Tender, sweet, witty, and clever, this is a great family film. PG, Grade: A

Best Screenplay

The Trial of the Chicago 7 This well deserved award acknowledges director and writer Aaron Sorkin’s achievement in turning a trial transcript into a gripping movie. The trial of the leaders of the riots outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968 gripped Americans – and the issues are still relevant today. Restricted, Grade: B

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Daniel Kaluuya: Judas and the Black Messiah Both main actors in this film – Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield – turn in stellar performances. This story of the betrayal and police assassination of Fred Hampton, leader of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers, is a gripping film, with sadly familiar themes. It’s a fascinating historical exposition, but its violence and profanity make it a difficult pick for family audiences. Restricted, Grade: C

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Jodie Foster: The Mauritanian We’re not surprised by Jodie Foster’s crisp, emotionally controlled performance or by this award. Playing Nancy Hollander, a lawyer who agrees to defend a terror suspect in Guantanamo, she tackles what she originally sees as a failure of basic legal procedure, only to be horrified when she discovers the use of torture in the facility. This is a powerful true story but it contains a lot of disturbing content. Restricted, Grade: C

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm After watching The Trial of the Chicago 7, we know that Cohen is capable of better than this crass little film. Restricted, Grade: D-

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Chadwick Boseman: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Given posthumously, this award acknowledges Boseman’s performance as an ambitious horn player in a wildly popular 1920s blues band. But it also serves as a tribute to his roles in Marshall, 42, Get On Up, Black Panther, and other film productions. Restricted, Grade: B-

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Andra Day: The United States vs. Billie Holiday Andra Day gives a powerful portrayal of the great Black vocalist who helped to launch the civil rights movement. Sadly, this movie is so full of graphic negative content that its broader messages will be inaccessible to family audiences. Restricted, Grade: C

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Rosamund Pike: I Care a Lot We’re not sure about categorizing this as a comedy given the sheer level of brutal violence in the story. The humor is very dark indeed but there’s no denying that Pike gives a sharply witty performance in a tautly told story. Restricted, Grade: C-

Best Director

Chloe Zhao: Nomadland Director Chloe Zhao has pulled off a remarkable feat by combining a fictional character with real Americans in this penetrating look at the crumbling of the American Dream. Restricted, Grade: A-

Best Original Score

Soul: What can we say? It’s jazz. Toe-tapping, infectious, can’t-stop-smiling jazz. This film is a great way to introduce your youngsters to this lively, inventive American art form. PG, Grade: A

More details about the movies mentioned in this post…

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

A unique voice...with all too common problems.

The Mauritanian

The Mauritanian

Do the means justify the ends?

I Care a Lot

I Care a Lot

This takes looking out for number one to a whole new level.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah

"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies."

Nomadland

Nomadland

On the road again...

Minari

Minari

This family is determined to bloom where they're planted...

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

"It'd be an empty world without the blues."