All of the pundits have reported by now that Get Out will compete as a comedy at the Golden Globes, while Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri will compete as a drama. I think both of these are smart moves. If Three Billboards was in Comedy you would never hear the end of “rape and murder, yeah, real funny!” even though the film is very funny throughout. Get Out will have a much netter chance to get nominated in Comedy and maybe even to win the category.
Get Out is a horror film – and it’s only kind of funny. We laugh so that we may not cry, perhaps, but it is a dark comedy, even though funny at times. I know that racism isn’t funny, but keep in mind that Get Out gets the most bang for its buck with the Globes if it goes in that category. This way it gets a major nomination heading into Oscar season. It’s true that there remains a stigma of sorts when a serious film is placed in the comedy category, but in the case of this film – I don’t think that will be a problem.
It’s worth noting that Jordan Peele himself has repeatedly asserted his belief that there is a fine line between horror and comedy:
They’re two sides of the same coin. Any really successful or great horror movie, you go and see an audience there’s going to be laughter from nervousness. They’re both about building the tension and releasing in some way. But most important for me, in order to achieve both of them you need to have a certain grounded-ness, a consistency. So for me it was like, ‘Look, this will work if I apply this absurd story to reality.’
Predicting the Golden Globes isn’t as easy as you’d think. Right now, the Critics Choice has crowded them out a bit, as their nominations and their show isn’t too far off what the Globes are doing. The Globes’ stand-alone early date in January has always given them significant positioning in terms of the Oscar race. But the Globes only tell half of the story. The Producers Guild winner that comes not too long after will either agree with the Globes or won’t, but given that the PGA is comprised of thousands of actual industry voters and uses the preferential ballot, the PGA does take precedence in terms of Best Picture signaling. We’ll know if we have a frontrunner kind of year or not at that point.
This year, Best Picture at the Globes may look like this:
Best Motion Picture — Drama:
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The Shape of Water
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Post or Call Me By Your Name
I would also think about Mudbound as a potential entry here. Remember, although the Academy snubbed them, the Globes went with both Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) and Ava DuVernay (Selma) for Best Director when they were up, which makes them more likely to nominate a woman. Right now I am predicting Greta Gerwig to make the cut, but Dee Rees could easily make it as well (and deserves to).
Best Motion Picture — Comedy/Musical:
Get Out
Lady Bird
Battle of the Sexes
The Big Sick
I, Tonya or Downsizing or The Disaster Artist
It’s entirely possible the Globes will lift Downsizing up significantly, with maybe nominations for Director and Screenplay, possibly Best Actor for Damon and a supporting nomination for Hong Chau. I don’t know this for a fact. It’s a hunch.
As always, watch the screenplay category and the director category as a potential indicator of what films they really liked a lot. The Globes are really the best “For Your Consideration” ad a studio can get, showcasing potential nominees in front of the largest possible audience before it comes time for Oscar voters to lay down their own picks.
