81st Golden Globes: ‘Oppenheimer’, ‘Succession’ rule the awards ceremony

‘Oppenheimer’ ruled the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday (U.S. Pacific Time) just as it once loomed large at the summer box office, wrote ‘Variety’. The sprawling examination of J Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb racked up five wins, the most for any movie, including the Globes for ‘Best Motion Picture - Drama’. ‘Poor Things’, a feminist reimagining of the Frankenstein tale, was named ‘Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy’, one of two victories for the post-modern film.

On the television front, reported ‘Variety’, ‘Succession’, a scabrous look at a Murdoch-esque media mogul and his dysfunctional family, won leading four prizes, including ‘Best Drama Series’. The show ended its four-season run in May 2023.

‘The Bear’, the story of a Chicago restaurant struggling to keep its doors open, earned three prizes, including ‘Best Comedy Series’ and ‘Best Leading Actor and Actress’ in a musical or comedy for Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri.

‘Beef’, a dramedy about the aftermath of a road rage incident, also won three Globes. It was named ‘Best Limited Series’, while picking up acting prizes for Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Lee Sung Jin, the show’s creator, thanked the real-life driver who prompted him to make the series.

‘Oppenheimer’ director Christopher Nolan, who leveraged his success making blockbusters such as ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Inception’ to get ‘Universal’ to produce a 100-million-dollar drama about a physicist, won ‘Best Director’. Cillian Murphy, who played the brooding scientist at the centre of the film, was named ‘Best Actor in a Drama’. The film was also honoured for its atmospheric score, added ‘Variety’.

Lily Gladstone received ‘Best Female Actor in a Drama’ for playing an Osage woman who is targeted for her oil wealth in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. She noted that the recognition was a historic moment for the indigenous community, which has often been overlooked or marginalised by the entertainment industry.

Emma Stone was honoured as ‘Best Female Actor in a Comedy’ for playing a childlike woman who embarks on a journey of sexual and emotional discovery in ‘Poor Things’. It was a role that Stone said, according to ‘Variety’, made her ‘look at life differently’ because of the way her character ‘accepts the good and the bad in equal measure’.

Paul Giamatti, named ‘Best Male Actor in a Comedy’ for his portrayal of a caustic prep school instructor in ‘The Holdovers’, dedicated his award to teachers.

Winners of Golden Globe Awards 2024

Films

Best Motion Picture - Drama: Oppenheimer

Best Performance by a Female Actor (Motion Picture, Drama): Lily Gladstone (‘Killers of the Flower Moon’)

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy: Poor Things

Best Performance by a Male Actor (Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy): Paul Giamatti (‘The Holdovers’)

Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement: Barbie

Best Score (Motion Picture): Ludwig Göransson (‘Oppenheimer’)

Best Song (Motion Picture): Barbie’s ‘What Was I Made For?’ (Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas O’Connell)

Best Director (Motion Picture): Christopher Nolan (‘Oppenheimer’)

Best Performance by a Male Actor (Motion Picture, Drama): Cillian Murphy (‘Oppenheimer’)

Best Performance by a Female Actor (Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy): Emma Stone (‘Poor Things’)

Best Picture (Animated): The Boy and the Heron

Best Picture (Non-English Language): Anatomy of a Fall (France)

Best Screenplay (Motion Picture): Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (‘Anatomy of a Fall’)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Motion Picture): Da’Vine Joy Randolph (‘The Holdovers’)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Motion Picture): Robert Downey Jr (‘Oppenheimer’)

TV

Best Drama Series: Succession

Best Performance by a Female Actor on Television (Drama Series): Sarah Snook (‘Succession’)

Best Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Motion Picture: Beef

Best Musical/Comedy Series: The Bear

Best Performance by a Male Actor on Television (Drama Series): Kieran Culkin (‘Succession’)

Best Performance by a Female Actor on Television (Musical/Comedy Series): Ayo Edebiri (‘The Bear’)

Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy: Ricky Gervais (‘Armageddon’)

Best Performance by a Male Actor on Television (Musical/Comedy Series): Jeremy Allen White (‘The Bear’)

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television (Television Series): Matthew Macfadyen (‘Succession’)

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television (Television Series): Elizabeth Debicki (‘The Crown’)

Best Performance by a Female Actor (Limited series): Ali Wong (‘Beef’)

Best Performance by a Male Actor (Limited Series): Steve Yeun (‘Beef’)