TAGGED AS: Awards, Awards Tour, golden globes
(Photo by © STX Films)
Debbie Day, Jacqueline Coley, and Joel Meares contributed to this report.
The Golden Globes will be handed out this Sunday, with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honoring the best – by their assessment anyway – in film and TV for 2019. Some of the biggest names in entertainment are up for awards – among them Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, and Nicole Kidman – along with newer faces, like Ana de Armas, Roman Griffin Davis, and Kaitlyn Dever. But perhaps the biggest news out of the Golden Globe nominations was a slew of glaring omissions, with Little Women largely shut out in film categories and Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us conspicuously snubbed on the TV side.
Will the HFPA’s choice of winners elicit as much confusion (and in some corners outrage) as some of their nominations and non-nominations did? We’ll find out Sunday. In the meantime, the Rotten Tomatoes team is making some educated guesses as to whom those winners will be below – as well as giving our thoughts on who those winners should be. So, if you want to win your office pool, or just be the most informed person at your Golden Globes party, read below for our predictions for the 2020 Golden Globe winners.
Check out our picks for the Golden Globe winners, and let us know who you think will be win in the comments.
Who will win?
The Irishman (2019) 95%
Who should win?
Netflix’s The Irishman and Marriage Story are the favorites, and while the latter has more overall noms, we’re betting the (painted) house that the Scorsese flick will take home the big prize. We’re split on the “should,” but it’s between the two. Either one would be a worthy winner in the category, though, with mid-90% Tomatometer scores, audience acclaim, and bragging rights for capturing the zeitgeist upon release.
(Photo by Andrew Cooper / © Columbia Pictures)
Who will win?
Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019) 86%
Who should win?
Once Upon A Time is an audience (and office) favorite, but we’d love to see the HFPA honor one of the two socially conscious comedies in the category. Knives Out, Rian Johnson’s super critically lauded whodunit (97% on the Tomatometer), is so smartly constructed and well acted, it should rise above the “popcorn movie” label to awards contender. And Jojo Rabbit, while divisive, is also treasured by some as a one-of-a-kind blast of audaciousness; it’s also connected hard with fans, with a 95% Audience Score.
Who will win?
Renee Zellweger – Judy (2019) 82%
Who should win?
Renee Zellweger’s performance as Judy Garland has been hailed as electrifying ever since the Certified Fresh Judy premiered at Telluride, and we’re not going to argue: It’s a gutsy performance and an ideal comeback vehicle for the Oscar-winning Bridget Jones star whose own journey through Hollywood has shades of Garland’s. She will and should win, though Charlize Theron, playing her own real-life-figure-with-some-press-issues in Bombshell, also stands a chance.
(Photo by © Warner Bros.)
Who will win?
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker (2019) 68%
Who should win?
Experts are predicting Joaquin Phoenix will dance up the stairs, to the stage, and take out Best Actor – Drama for his deeply committed take on the Clown Prince of Crime. But, we simply can’t look past Adam Driver’s complete annihilation of the screen as one half of a crumbling relationship in Marriage Story for our pick in this category, closely followed by Antonio Banderas’s career-best work in Pedro Almadovar’s Pain and Glory, which nabbed him best actor honors at Cannes.
(Photo by Casi Moss, courtesy of A24)
Who will win?
Awkwafina – The Farewell (2019) 97%
Who should win?
The competition is tougher for actresses in the drama category, with most of the Oscar frontrunners parked there for the Golden Globes, leaving Comedy open to The Farewell’s Awkwafina. She’s more than deserving, but so is Emma Thompson, whose stellar work in Late Night – which lost some critical and awards steam in the space between its Sundance debut and mid-year release – we’d love to see recognized. Also, look out for Knives Out’s Ana de Armas, whose wide-eyed but savvier-than-she-seems Marta grounds the much-loved film.
Who will win?
Taron Egerton – Rocketman (2019) 89%
Who should win?
The HFPA loves a Brit, and a rising star, and Taron Egerton gives one of those absolutely-everything performances in Rocketman that will have folks seeing him as more than simply Eggsy from now on. But… we have to go with Eddie Murphy’s career-best work – and what a freaking career! – in Dolemite Is My Name for our in-a-fair-world pick.
(Photo by Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection)
Who will win?
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers (2019) 88%
Who should win?
Margot Robbie is completely transformed in Bombshell. Laura Dern out-Renatas herself in her fabulous Marriage Story turn. And Florence Pugh – who isn’t nominated, but should have been – gives us an Amy March for the ages in Little Women. But superstar and mogul J-Lo did more than just remind us she’s a talented actress in Hustlers, she lit up the screen unlike just about anyone else – man, woman, mad Titan – this year. A deserved win.
(Photo by © Columbia Pictures)
Who will win?
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (2019) 86%
Who should win? We could watch Brad do his thing for another three hours (shirt on or off) – he’s that good. But for our money, Joe Pesci, back on screens after almost a decade, is just that little bit better in The Irishman. As Russell Bufalino, he’s all quiet menace, and steals the show from under (the also excellent) Pacino and De Niro.
(Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
Who will win?
Bong Joon-ho – Parasite (2019) 99%
Who should win? The Bong Hive – that vocal group of online fans who’ve embraced the director with the fervor of an early 2010s One Direction fan – will have reason to celebrate Sunday, and deservedly so. With Parasite, still at 99% on the Tomatometer, Bong Joon-ho did the near-impossible: created a stateside stir with a foreign film. Surprising, thrilling, hilarious – Parasite is not eligible for major film categories, and here is where it will get its justice. Unless, that is, the epicness of The Irishman or technical wizardry of 1917 dazzle the HFPA enough to cause an upset.
Who will win?
Marriage Story (2019) 95%
Who should win? Hard to argue with Noah Baumbach’s deeply personal, beautifully observed, and very, well, wordy divorce tale taking home the prize. But we think Bong Joon-ho’s bracing, inventive, and richly allegorical Parasite would be the (slightly) more deserving choice.
Who will win?
Parasite (2019) 99%
Who should win? Parasite. For all of the reasons just mentioned. But shoutout to Portrait of a Lady On Fire, which, in any other year…
Who will win?
Toy Story 4 (2019) 97%
Who should win? Toy Story 4 may or may not be the “best” Toy Story movie – arguments in the comments, please – but it’s a deserving winner of best animated film of 2019, rounding out an amazingly consistent franchise with a Certified Fresh 97% on the Tomatometer. No upsets, here, but in a different year, Laika’s under-appreciated Missing Link may have found some traction.
(Photo by © Universal)
Who will win?
Thomas Newman – 1917 (2019) 88%
Who should win? Newman, facing off against his cousin Randy, who composed the score for Marriage Story, delivered something rousing-as-f–k for 1917, and were right there with him for George Mackay’s wild one-shot WWI adventure. But the tense strings that underscore the drama of Joker, composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, who also did the music for HBO’s Chernobyl, is to our mind’s the best of the category. [Editor’s note: a previous version of this story identified Thomas and Randy Newman as brothers; they are in fact cousins.]
Who will win?
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” – Rocketman (2019) 89%
Who should win? It’s Elton vs. Elsa, with Frozen II‘s vocal heptathlon, “Into the Unknown,” the biggest competition for the Elton John and Bernie Taupin jam, “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman. Both would be deserving victors, but we’re giving the edge to the duo played by Taron Egerton and Jamie Bell in the musical biopic.
(Photo by Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix)
Who will win?
The Crown 81%Who should win? Both The Crown and Succession had stellar recent seasons. The Crown jumped ahead in time and refreshed its cast to reflect it; Oscar winner Olivia Colman took over as Queen Elizabeth from Claire Foy, Tobias Menzies became Philip after Matthew Smith’s turn in the role, and Helena Bonham Carter stepped in as older, more fearless, and more volatile party girl Princess Margaret after Vanessa Kirby’s relatively reserved portrayal. Succession had no such dramatic alterations from season 1 to season 2, but its riveting second season insisted that awards consideration of the series is due.
(Photo by Amazon Prime Video)
Who will win?
Fleabag 100%Who should win? Aside from one major oversight in the nomination process (more on that later), the Golden Globes seems on target to reward some of the year’s best titles and performances, starting with Fleabag. From creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Amazon Prime comedy not only is our top-scoring series of the year – with a 100% score on the most reviews – but also of the decade. The series may be a more modest effort production-wise when compared to the Seinfelds, Veeps, and Marvelous Mrs. Maisels of former and current television history, but what it lacks in flash, it more than makes up for in pathos and laughs.
(Photo by Liam Daniel/HBO)
Who will win?
Chernobyl: Miniseries (2019) 95%Who should win? Terrifying HBO drama Chernobyl rightly won 10 Emmys, including Best Limited Series – and may have deserved even more recognition. It will and should win this category, even facing incredible Netflix drama series Unbelievable and beloved-by-Hollywood series Fosse/Verdon. But again (see “The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2020 Golden Globe Nominations”), the exclusion of Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us here is a crime and worthy of the social media outrage that followed the nominations announcement.
(Photo by Peter Kramer/HBO)
Who will win?
Brian Cox – Succession 95%
Who should win? Another category in which the frontrunner is also the most deserving, the best TV drama actor award should to go to Emmy-winner (for 2000’s Nuremberg) Brian Cox. His irascible and manipulative media-mogul paterfamilias Logan Roy in Succession radiates malice and seemingly supernatural intimidation abilities. Somehow, “controlling” just doesn’t quite say it.
(Photo by HBO)
Who will win?
Bill Hader – Barry 98%
Who should win? Bill Hader won an Emmy for his performance in season 1 and received a Golden Globe nomination. He again faces Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method), who won last year’s award in this category. This year, we expect the HFPA to recognize Hader’s role as star if not co-creator (because: Fleabag) of HBO comedy Barry. Not to take anything away from Netflix series The Kominsky Method, but Barry has two Certified Fresh seasons at 98% and 100% (making it a member of RT’s 100% Club) to TKM’s 79% Certified Fresh season 1 and 100% on its second season, but on only six reviews. Both series portray L.A.’s acting scene, but only one gives us a lonely hitman to root for.
(Photo by © HBO)
Who will win?
Jared Harris – Chernobyl: Miniseries (2019) 95%
Who should win? Jared Harris more than deserves this award for his lead role in HBO’s horror series Chernobyl. (Kidding about the “horror” thing – sort of.) That When They See Us actor Jharrel Jerome isn’t in contention, however, is an almost unforgivable oversight. Jerome took the comparable Emmy award, and some feel his absence here undermines the HFPA nominations process and the awards program overall.
(Photo by © Apple)
Who will win?
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show 66%
Who should win? Olivia Colman’s performance as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown doesn’t have the wardrobe or the hysterics of Aniston’s glamorous The Morning Show character Alex Levy, but is remarkable in its expertly measured simplicity, in which the cock of a brow or a half-completed hand-wringing believably set a nation on edge.
(Photo by Steve Schofield/Amazon Prime)
Who will win?
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Fleabag 100%
Who should win? Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Just give her all the awards already.
(Photo by Eric Liebowitz/FX)
Who will win?
Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon: Miniseries (2019) 81%
Who should win? Unfortunately for this deserving title, Unbelievable’s Merritt Wever or Kaitlyn Dever may split the vote in this category. Both were unbelievably good in the Netflix drama about female police detectives (played by Wever and Toni Collette) chasing down a serial rapist and one victim (Dever) who struggled to be believed by male detectives.
(Photo by Steve Schofield/Amazon Prime)
Who will win?
Andrew Scott – Fleabag 100%
Who should win? Scott charmed legions of Fleabag fans as a troubled man of the cloth conflicted by the love of an unstable woman and his love of God, earning his “Hot Priest” social media hashtag. In contrast, Kieran Culkin’s entitled, hard-partying Roman Roy in Succession most often inspires revulsion. That Culkin is able to reel viewers back in repeatedly shows how, in some ways, the youngest Roy is a much more complex role than Hot Priest, and Culkin’s investment should be rewarded.
(Photo by Jennifer Clasen/HBO)
Who will win?
Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies: Season 2 (2019) 85%
Who should win? The HFPA surely wants to again honor acting’s grand dame Meryl Streep, who is a three-time Oscar winner, eight-time Golden Globe winner. Helena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of an unhinged Princess Margaret in The Crown season 3, however, gave the critically-acclaimed series one of its best episodes ever in “Margaretology,” an hour of dramatic television so self-contained that it could’ve contended in the film categories had it been released in theaters. Carter, an eight-time Golden Globe nominee, is overdue.
The 2020 Golden Globe awards, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will air live on NBC on Sunday, January 5, 2020, at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST.
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