Two wildly audacious films 鈥� Brady Corbet's 215-minute postwar epic 鈥淭he Brutalist鈥� and Jacques Audiard's Spanish language, genre-shifting trans musical 鈥淓milia Perez鈥� 鈥� won top honors at the on Sunday.
The Globes, which are still finding their footing after years of scandal and makeover, scattered awards around to a number of films. But the awards group put its strongest support behind a pair of movies that sought to defy easy categorization.
was crowned best film, drama, putting one of 2024鈥檚 most ambitious films on course to be a major contender at the Academy Awards. The film, shot in VistaVision and released with an intermission, also won best director for Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. In his acceptance speech, Corbet spoke about filmmakers needing approval on the final cut.
"I was told that this film was un-distributable," said Corbet. 鈥淣o one was asking for a three-and-half-hour film about a mid-century designer in 70mm. But it works.鈥�
鈥淓milia P茅rez鈥� won best film, comedy or musical, elevating the Oscar chances of Netflix鈥檚 top contender. It also won best supporting actress for Zoe Salda帽a, best song (鈥淓l Mal鈥�) and best non-English language film. Audiard, the French director, made way for , the film's transgender star who plays a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender affirming surgery, to speak on behalf of the film.
鈥淭he light always wins over darkness," said Gasc贸n, gesturing to her brightly orange dress. 鈥淵ou can maybe put us in jail. You can beat us up. But you never can take away our soul or existence or identity.鈥�
鈥淚 am who I am. Not who you want.鈥�
Demi wins her first Globe
Though the Globes audience was particularly starry, including nominees Zendaya, Timoth茅e Chalamet, Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig, most of the winners hailed from smaller, less seen films.
That included some surprises. One was Demi Moore's win for best actress in a comedy or musical. Her comeback performance in 鈥淭he Substance," about a to regain her youth, landed the 62-year-old Moore her first Globe 鈥� a victory that came over the heavily favored Mikey Madison of 鈥淎nora.鈥�
"I鈥檓 just in shock right now. I鈥檝e been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first thing I鈥檝e ever won as an actor," said Moore, who was last nominated by the Globes for a film role in 1991 for 鈥淕host.鈥� 鈥淭hirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress.鈥�
Best actress, in a drama film, was an even bigger surprise. The Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres won for her performance in 鈥淚鈥檓 Still Here,鈥� about a family living through the disappearance of political dissident Rubens Paiva in 1970s Rio de Janeiro. Torres dedicated the award to her mother, the great actor Fernanda Montenegro, who appears in 鈥淚'm Still Here,鈥� too.
鈥淪he was here 25 years ago," said Torres. "And this is like a proof that art can endure through life even through difficult moments.鈥�
Best supporting actor in a musical or comedy went to Sebastian Stan for in which Stan plays a man with a deformed face who's healed. Stan, who was noted that both films were hard to get made.
鈥淭hese are tough subject maters but these films are real and they're necessary,鈥� said Stan. 鈥淏ut we can't be afraid and look away.鈥�
Glaser lightly roasts the Globes
Comedian Nikki Glaser kicked off the Globes, with a promise: 鈥淚'm not here to roast you.鈥�
But in a withering roast of Tom Brady, made her way around the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday picking out plenty of targets in an opening monologue she had worked out extensively in comedy clubs beforehand.
While Glaser might not have reached Tina Fey and Amy Poehler levels of laughs, the monologue was a winner, and a dramatic improvement over last year鈥檚 host, Jo Koy. Last year's Globes, following a diversity and ethics scandal that led to the dissolution of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were widely panned. But they delivered where it counted: to about 10 million viewers, according to Nielsen. CBS, who waded in after NBC dumped the Globes, signed up for five more years.
Hosting the Globes two weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Glaser reserved perhaps her most cutting line for the entire room of Hollywood stars.
鈥淵ou could really do anything ... except tell the country who to vote for,鈥� said Glaser. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 OK, you鈥檒l get 鈥檈m next time ... if there is one. I鈥檓 scared.鈥�
The Globes are now owned by Todd Boehly鈥檚 Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which acquired the award show from the now defunct Hollywood Foreign Press Association. However, more than a dozen former HFPA members are currently seeking to have the sale to Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions rescinded.
A win for 鈥榃icked鈥�
Unlike last year's Oscar race, when 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� rolled, this year's season is more uncertain, with a field of contenders. Most of the movies that are seen as having a chance 鈥� 鈥淐onclave,鈥� 鈥淓milia Perez,鈥� 鈥淭he Brutalist,鈥� 鈥淲icked鈥� and 鈥淎nora鈥� 鈥� came away with at least one award Sunday. The exception was which went home empty handed despite five nominations.
The Globes' award for cinematic and box-office achievement went to which has nearly collected $700 million in theaters. In a heavily arthouse Oscar field, 鈥淲icked鈥� is easily the biggest hit in the best picture mix. Accepting the award, Chu argued for 鈥渁 radical act of optimism鈥� in art.
Though few awards have been predictable this season, Kieran Culkin is emerging has the clear favorite for best supporting actor. Culkin won Sunday for his performance his second Globe in the past year following a win for the HBO series 鈥淪uccession.鈥� He called the Globes 鈥渂asically the best date night that my wife and I ever have,鈥� and then thanked her for 鈥減utting up what you call my mania.鈥�
The papal thriller 鈥淐onclave鈥� took best screenplay, for Peter Straughan's script. 鈥淔low,鈥� the wordless Latvian animated parable about a cat in a flooded world, took best animated film, winning over studio blockbusters like 鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� and 鈥淭he Wild Robot.鈥� Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won best score for their thumping music for 鈥淐hallengers.鈥�
TV prizes
Most of the TV winners were oft-awarded series, including the Emmy champ 鈥淪h艒gun." It won four awards, including best drama series and acting wins for Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano. Other repeat winners were: "Hacks" (best comedy series, actress for Jean Smart), 鈥淭he Bear鈥� (Jeremy Allen White for best actor) and 鈥淏aby Reindeer鈥� (best limited series).
Ali Wong won for best stand-up performance, Jodie Foster for 鈥淭rue Detective鈥� and Colin Farrell for his physical transformation in 鈥淭he Penguin.鈥�
鈥淚 guess it's prosthetics from here on out," Farrell said.
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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
