‘Succession' closes the deal and other big takeaways from the 2024 Golden Globe Awards

Beyond the practical aspect of the Golden Globes, Sunday’s televised ceremony reinforced the notion that Hollywood has a hard time quitting those who lavish honors upon it. Although this marked the 81st edition of the Globes, comparisons to previous ceremonies should come with an asterisk. That’s because of sweeping changes the Globes have undergone as an organization, phasing out the scandal-plagued Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. (HFPA) and establishing a revised and expanded voting group under new management. That said, after staying away from the ceremony, Hollywood again turned out in force, with top talent filling the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The tone, however, felt somewhat subdued. They weren’t needed, nor was there much in the way of political statements. Despite the turmoil surrounding the Golden Globes, they structurally accomplished something that the Oscars have tried to do but couldn’t: creating a category to include movies that achieved box-office success. ‘Barbie,’ the year’s box-office champ, won that inaugural prize, giving director Greta Gerwig, star Margot Robbie, and company a chance to take a bow, while nabbing a second statuette for best song. The other half of the ‘Barbenheimer’ box-office juggernaut had the better night award-wise, augmenting its status in a wide-open Oscar year. The film’s five victories included Downey, Cillian Murphy in the title role, musical score, and director Christopher Nolan, receiving his first Globe after six nominations. The whimsical ‘Poor Things’ also received a boost, doubling up its win for musical or comedy movie with another for star Emma Stone. Among other key acting races, Lily Gladstone took home the sole Globe for director Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ in a historic acknowledgement of a Native-American actor; and Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph won for ‘The Holdovers,’ reuniting the former with ‘Sideways’ director Alexander Payne. Historically, the Hollywood Foreign Press gave its selections a strong international flavor, a trend that seemed to survive its membership changes. Elsewhere in television, the final season of ‘Succession’ tuned up for next week’s Emmys by garnering four awards, more than any other series, including best drama and for stars Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and Matthew Macfadyen. There were similar sweeps by the limited series ‘Beef’ and comedy ‘The Bear,’ with three each. The Globes have always recognized both movies and television. This year, the Emmys will actually follow the Globes on January 15, having been postponed four months due to the writers and actors strikes. Voting for the Emmys has long since been completed. In fact, the Television Academy handed out honors primarily in technical areas over the weekend, with HBO’s new drama ‘The Last of Us’ topping all programs with eight awards, including guest-actor honors.