By: Addison Smith | Opinions Editor
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have time and time again proved they can do no wrong, and for their third (and final) time hosting the Golden Globes, they proved it again.
A once lifeless awards show (thanks to Ricky Gervais) has come alive with these two women at the helm thanks to sharp-witted monologues, George Clooney jokes and a lack of fear from the duo.
The show opened with a 10 minute monologue from Poehler and Fey with jokes directed at many of the stars in attendance as well as a comment and joke thrown toward Bill Cosby regarding allegations against him for sexual assault. Throughout their time on stage, Poehler and Fey showed they were unafraid of pushing boundaries, including introducing a North Korean film critic portrayed by Margaret Cho.
Cho’s character severely wanted a photo with Meryl Streep, who was happy to oblige. The photo was soon photobombed by Benedict Cumberbatch, who also volunteered to present an award with Jennifer Aniston. And yes, this was all within the first 30 minutes of the show.
However, as fun as it is to laugh at Hollywood’s elite, the true point of the Golden Globes is to crown winners for superior performances on television and in motion pictures. Some winners were shocking, while others were easier to predict.
Boyhood surprised few when it took home the Globe for “Best Motion Picture – Drama.” The film, which took 12 years to make, was a darling and took home three awards in total, adding on “Best Director” for Richard Linklater and “Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture” to Patricia Arquette.
Birdman also cleaned up, receiving “Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy” for Michael Keaton’s portrayal of a washed-up former superhero movie star who converts his old role into a musical on Broadway. The film also won “Best Screenplay – Comedy.” However, it was upset by The Grand Budapest Hotel in “Best Motion Picture – Comedy.”
Julianne Moore surprised no one when she won the Golden Globe in “Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” for her portrayal of an Alzheimer’s affected mother in Still Alice. No one was shocked when Eddie Redmayne also won “Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” for his role in The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking.
The motion picture categories were fairly straight-forward, with little to no surprises. However, the television awards were more surprising. The first shock of the night came when Gina Rodriguez beat out Edie Falco and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her role of Jane in Jane the Virgin in the “Best Actress in Television – Comedy” category. Her speech, while at certain points pretentious, spoke out to the Latino community about the need for more of them to join the entertainment world. The award also was the first nomination and win for The CW Network.
Dominating the television categories were Transparent from Amazon’s streaming service and The Affair. Both won best television show in their respective categories, comedy and drama. Jeffrey Tambor, famous for playing George Bluth Sr. in Arrested Development, was awarded “Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy” for his portrayal of transgender parent Maura. Awards newcomer Ruth Wilson also won “Best Actress – Drama” for her role in The Affair.
Overall, the Golden Globes were fairly straight-forward and overall entertaining. The true stars of the evening are always the underappreciated shows, movies and performances and to have such gems as Jane the Virgin and The Affair pick up so many awards proves this. Needless to say, we’ll miss Poehler and Fey as hosts. Here’s to hoping the next host(s) shines as much as they did.
