Wednesday, January 11, 2023

My (Mostly) Positve Reactions To Last Night's Golden Globes (And My Overwhelmingly Negative One To A 'Fellow Critic's Reaction)

 

Before I begin this review, I must mention that last night I read another critic’s reaction to last night’s Golden Globes. I won’t tell you who it was or what publication they worked for, save to say I am so familiar with their writing about anything regarding Hollywood, and particularly awards show, that I honestly think they write their reviews in advance and fill in the names and show’s in detail. I have read many of their articles on these awards for nearly twenty years, and I have yet to see an awards ceremony they had any use for.

  This is a fair judgment at times (most awards show are almost invariably overlong, self-congratulatory and dull). What bothers me is that so many of their reviews are ignorant and just have a barely sustained level of misogyny and racism. Such was the case here. In the opening line, the reviewer acknowledged the Golden Globes didn’t air last year. Rather than go into details why, he then simply wrote that it should be cancelled forever. The contempt that was in this review couldn’t even be considered veiled. I don’t think any writer would have insulted Michelle Yeoh’s acceptance speech with this bizarre sarcasm by saying: “Prove you’re not racist by accepting the awards given by white people.” He then said Jerrod Carmichael wasn’t funny because his opening line had to do with his transition from making tea to hosting an awards show, which I’m not certain was so much homophobic but a matter of being the only line the reviewer listened to. Then this writer bragged for the glory days of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when this very publication (if not reviewer) had viewed them at the time as little more than SNL wannabes who were making jokes which didn’t have the context of how hard it was for men to find roles after a certain age. I have a feeling if Poehler and Fey had hosted this year, the reviewer would have published something like this being ‘tired with no originality’ and ‘not letting new blood’ in.

Now I’m not going to defend the Golden Globes. I don’t think they truly deserve it, and the fact that so many celebrities were in the auditorium that night speaks to a level of hypocrisy in Hollywood that if this reviewer had deemed to comment on it, he would have been within his rights too. And I’m not sure the fact that so many winners were absent from the podium that night speaks more to their personal integrity than maybe just the weather. I did not give the Golden Globes as much attention as I have in years past mainly because I did not agree with the fact I was airing. But to the immense credit of Carmichael, he did not ignore it in his opening monologue or indeed throughout the night. He was not as unctuous as Ricky Gervais has been at  puncturing the Hollywood balloon, but he was just as determined to make the audience uncomfortable about what was happening.

Not long after that tea joke, he went on to say the reason he was here: “I’m black.” Before the audience could stop awkwardly laughing, he then went after the history of the Golden Globes racist history by telling these ‘good liberal people’ “the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t get their first black members until after George Floyd died.” Then he said that in his imaginary conversation with the producer, the producer said: “We’re not asking you because you’re black. I’m asking you because you’re one of the most, funny, truth-telling, and boldest comedians of your generation. But he’s black, so what does he know?” Again Carmichael pointed out that he himself wasn’t the only stage dressing going on here. Then he mentioned that while he did have principles, a ‘girlfriend’ had told him to take the job because he was getting half a million dollars for one nights work. “You have to remember where I came from. You have to think there were black families in the 1960s who were proud their children were informants for the FBI. ‘My son’s getting $8 an hour for ratting out Dr. Martin Luther King.” (This joke was not just one that would make the good liberals uncomfortable, it may have been zing at the fact they gave awards to Judas and the Black Messiah just two years ago.) And then, when he mentioned his meetings with the women in charge, he continued to double down saying: “What are they going to do? Fire me? I’m the first black host of the Golden Globes. I’m unfirable!” And then, he brought it home: “I was going to take the job before I learned about the rule changed. I don’t care if the HFPA has hired six new black members.”

Even if Carmichael had said nothing else like this the rest of the night (and while there were some very key gags he threw in that I’ll get too, mostly he left the HFPA alone) in five minutes, he had essentially laid bare of all the pretensions that the Golden Globes was aspiring to and was no doubt hoping the audience at home would have forgotten. I don’t know if Carmichael will ever be asked back to host the Globes, but in the opening monologue he made it truly clear that while he may have taken the job for the money, he didn’t sell out.

Now speaking strictly for myself there were many entertaining moments throughout the night, particularly from the television perspective. Jennifer Coolidge, as she does so often, came out to present Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama, and spent three minutes delightfully explaining why she had told the producer she was unfit for the job, saying she’d slip on the stage, couldn’t read the teleprompter, and had a habit of messing names up. (The name she mentioned: Bill Ny-e.) Finally she got around to presenting the award and began it with: “And the Oscar goes to” before correcting herself, which I know she planned in advance. Combined with her alternately hysterical and profoundly moving acceptance speech for The White Lotus that night, it is now clear that Jennifer Coolidge has made herself the unofficial candidate to host any awards show going forward.

A challenge that Natasha Lyonne delightfully accepted when she came to present the award for Best Drama Series. By this point, the show was well over its eleven o’clock end-time and she was no doubt being told to hurry up. She then spent the next ninety second using any words as possible to say she was going to move quickly. Then she brought the house down by saying: “The real enemy is time itself. Which as we know is an empirical thing. Time is really death’s handmaiden. And so let’s get to Best Drama series, each of which celebrates death in its own way. I did not think it was possible for me to love Natasha Lyonne any more.

And of course Carmichael didn’t entirely let the establishment off the hook: at one point, he showed up holding three Golden Globes which he said were the one ‘Tom Cruise famously returned.’ Then adding: “I think we should consider exchanging these for the safe return of Shelly Miskevich.” Later on, after a commercial break he told the audience while we were out: “we gave Will Smith the Rock Hudson award for Masculinity.” Ricky Gervais could have not set it better himself (though Eddie Murphy nearly did later)

Generally I was satisfied with most of the awards, the lion’s share I did accurately predict. I loved every award that Abbott Elementary ended up winning, and my sadness as Julia Garner defeating Sheryl Lee Ralph was more than countered by Tyler James Williams win as Best Supporting Actor. Quinta Brunson continues to make me love her on every level, she accepted her Best Actress prize by adjusting herself and checking her phone, telling everybody her family was texting. When the series took the Best Comedy prize, she was gracious, thanking her comedy idols (Henry Winkler, Bob Odenkirk, and Seth Rogen) and then, fangirling over Brad Pitt. The awards march for the show will no doubt continue this weekend. I was just as happy to see Jeremy Allen White prevail for The Bear and express his admiration for the actors he said his spent his early years idolizing.

Limited Series was filled with similar joys. In addition to Jennifer Coolidge’s triumph, The White Lotus as expected took the top prize for Best Limited series. Mike White admitted flat-out he was completely drunk, but was gracious nevertheless, saying he would take a bullet for his cast and that he loved working at HBO. Paul Walter Hauser accepted his prize for Black Bird and spent a good part of his speech cheering the late Ray Liotta and asked the audience to do the same. Amanda Seyfried was not present to accept her Best Actress prize for The Dropout and while I don’t agree with Evan Peters for Dahmer, it fit in with a general tone.

The Best Drama wins, I must admit, left me somewhat cold. Zendaya’s victory was perhaps inevitable but still not something I wanted. Kevin Costner’s triumph for Yellowstone irked me because of the Globes final shutout of Bob Odenkirk. (It didn’t help Costner wasn’t there.) And no part of me will ever be able to accept House of the Dragon as Best Drama, especially since one of the reasons I’ve defended the Golden Globes over many years is they were the only major organization that never gave in to the love spent on Game of Thrones. Honestly, Ozark would have been a better choice. (Though I’ll admit choosing to give the top prize to the most recent hip show is on brand for the HFPA. Another sign they haven’t changed as much as they’ve said.)

But I’ll be honest: the decision to give Ryan Murphy the Carol Burnett award for Television was one of the most fitting the Golden Globes have ever done. Murphy is one of the most brilliant creative forces in television and has been recognized by the Golden Globes six times in all three categories for five different projects. The man behind such brilliant and diverse projects (in every sense of the word) such as Nip/Tuck, Feud, American Crime Story, and Glee was more than worthy of recognition. And in his typical modest fashion, Murphy spent much of his speech honoring some of the actors who had to spent years struggling to succeed (including a shoutout for MJ Rodriguez whose win for Best Actress last year no one had seen even though it was a great moment for inclusivity and television.) It was a battle cry to be sure, but one that Murphy has earned for spending years fighting these fights for so many people. There may have been cruel memes towards Billy Porter and Ryan Murphy last night; they were unworthy of both men.

I don’t pretend to know what the future holds for the Golden Globes. I can’t even truly say whether it deserves one. Quite a few key major figures were absent despite being nominated or winning; in addition to the ones I mentioned, Zendaya was absent, so were Brendan Fraser and Cate Blanchett (who won her record fourth Golden Globe for Tar. ) I don’t know if last night represents a turning point or the beginning of the end. What I know is that last night was more entertaining and on target with its barbs than it had any right to be, and that in the case of the lion’s share of its TV winners, more than established that it is capable of making the kind of choices that I have come to expect from it over the years. (Both new sets of Supporting Awards, the first after the separation were announced, did produce satisfying results; for all my hatred of Ozark Garner was overdue recognition from this organization.) I do know that the awards does not deserve to be canceled based on last night. This may be based on the most recent outcome, but the most recent outcome of anything in Hollywood always drives the narrative anyway.

No comments:

Post a Comment