Hearing a joke about boobies at a major awards show probably wasn’t on anyone’s 2024 Bingo card. Neither was a 68-year-old Kevin Costner reciting a line from America Ferrera’s now-famous “Barbie” monologue. Yet, both of these unexpected events took place at the 81st Golden Globes, which aired live on Jan. 7.
After bribery and diversity scandals dissolved the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2022 and took the Globes along with it, the show has been through some tough times in recent years. Last year, they aired on a Tuesday night to historically low viewership, despite smooth proceedings and great hosting by Jerrod Carmichael.
This year, the show returned to its usual Sunday broadcast under a new contract with CBS and with new management under Dick Clark Productions. Ratings still dwindled in comparison to previous years, but saw a 50% jump from last year with more than 9 million viewers. Generally, the atmosphere felt much brighter as well, which made for a noticeably more engaging show, for both viewers like me and the live audience.
Many viewers likely tuned in for host Jo Koy, whose awkward monologue took the internet by storm. From controversial jokes about Taylor Swift and “Barbie,” to blaming his own writers for all the bits that didn’t land with the audience, it felt like the stand-up comedy was the least funny portion of the show.
At the end of the day, though, Koy did his job despite the short 8-day notice he was given that he would host, successfully setting the stage for the presentation of the awards, which were all definitely highlights over the course of the night.
Presenters provided the audience with some much needed humor, no matter how awkward. One screenshot-worthy moment occurred when Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig danced to royalty-free music while presenting Best Male Actor. The stars of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” even killed two birds with one stone, emphasizing the value of good writers while dissing studio executives and ChatGPT as they presented Best Screenplay.
The gags didn’t stop there; nominees and winners alike provided viewers with tons of memorable interactions. Jennifer Lawrence mouthed “If I don’t win, I’m leaving” and then immediately stood up and cheered as Emma Stone won Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy for her performance in “Poor Things.” Later on, Kieran Culkin poked fun at Pedro Pascal as he accepted Best Actor in a Drama TV Series for his role in “Succession” (Pascal’s hilarious reaction immediately turned into an internet meme).
Aside from all these bits, the awards themselves proved to be not just well-chosen but unprecedented, with many historic wins across the board celebrating an amazing year of film and TV. “Beef,” a dark comedy drama about a road rage gone wrong, and one of my all-time favorite Netflix shows, took home three wins, and Steven Yeun’s was especially exciting — his powerful and extremely hilarious performance as Danny Cho, a struggling handyman trying to provide for himself and his brother, sticks with me to this day.
“The Bear,” another tightly crafted masterpiece about a star chef trying to keep his late brother’s restaurant alive, took home three wins for itself, including a first for young actress Ayo Edebiri, who I think is one of the funniest people in her generation. Unfortunately, Ebon Moss-Bachrach got snubbed for his supporting actor role in the show, despite performing what is hands-down one of the most uplifting, creative performances on screen.
“The Boy and the Heron,” a poignant story about grief set in the backdrop of the Pacific War, took home the trophy for Best Motion Picture – Animated, a historic first for Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki. Even though it faced tight competition with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” I think this win was completely deserved, as Miyazaki’s semi-autobiographical story was a much more personal film, allowing it to transcend any boundaries set by studios or franchises.
Actress Lily Gladstone also made history as the first indigenous person in history to win a Golden Globe, receiving an award for her performance in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” I have yet to watch the film, a historical drama about the Osage murders directed by Martin Scorsese, but I definitely trust that the performances were stellar across the board.
Personally, I would have loved to see at least one win for “Past Lives,” which has remained a favorite of mine, especially in the writing and directorial categories for Celine Song. Being her first feature film, “Past Lives” was an intricately crafted, nuanced tale of romance that deserves praise for being able to stay extremely simple on the surface while also delving deep into its characters and themes.
This year’s ceremony marked a strong return for the familiar awards shows of the last decade, featuring exciting nominations across the board and a whole list of unforgettable moments. As awards season continues, let’s hope this ceremony is a positive sign for what’s to come.
