Golden Globes Nominations 2021: Who will win, and who was slighted?

Since the event’s inception in 1944, the Golden Globes has been one of the most highly anticipated award shows in the film and television industry – closely behind the Oscars and Emmys. On February 28, the event will be hosted by comedic duo Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, from opposite coasts. According to Variety, Poehler will be based at the Beverly Hilton Hotel where the event traditionally takes place, while Fey will be live in New York at The Rainbow Room. This will be the fourth time the duo hosts the event, the last time being in 2015. Similar to the 2020 Emmy Awards and People’s Choice Awards, the Golden Globes will be a virtual event forgoing a live audience.

Amy Poehler (right) and Tina Fey (left), co-hosting the 2015 Golden Globes.

Copyright: 2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

As far as nominations go, Mank takes the lead with six total nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried), Best Director (David Fincher), Best Screenplay (Jack Fincher) and Best Score (Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor). The Trial of the Chicago 7 falls slightly behind, with a total of five nominations. Seemingly snubbed in the best picture category was One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

While Mank and The Trail of Chicago 7 racking up nominations was no surprise, there were other films nominated that were not as easy to predict. For example, Promising Young Woman is a pleasant addition in several categories. The film written and directed by Emerald Fennell received nominations for both Best Director and Best Screenplay, along with being included in the Best Picture category. The film’s star, Carey Mulligan, is nominated for Best Actress. Also unexpected were a few nominations within the Best Comedy/Musical category. These surprises include Palm Springs and Sia’s Music, which were nominated alongside shoe-ins Hamilton and The Prom. Sashsa Baron Cohen’s Borat Subsequent Film is also nominated in this category.

Pixar’s immensely-adored Soul is predicted to win Best Animated Picture, up against Disney Plus’ Onward, Wolfwalkers, Over the Moon and Croods: A New Age. Nominated in the foreign film category is Denmark’s Another Round, which won big at the 2020 European Film Awards, La Llorona, Life Ahead, Minari and Two of Us. Another Round and Minari are certainly the ones to beat in this category, given the world-wide praise they have each received thus far.

Laura Dern at the 2020 Golden Globes

Copyright: 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

The most controversial nomination is seemingly Netflix’s Emily in Paris, which received a nomination for Best Musical/Comedy television series. Upon its release in October, critics deemed the show nothing more than a guilty pleasure show. One can only imagine why a series like this received a nomination, while other shows like Never Have I Ever and Ramy did not. The Flight Attendant was another surprise in this category, along with Kaley Cuoco landing a nomination for Best Actress. Despite these unpredicted additions, Schitt’s Creek remains most likely to be named the winner for Best Musical/Comedy Television Series. The series’ Catherine O’Hara is expected to win Best Actress.

In the television drama category, fans of the HBO series I May Destroy You are unsettled after the series did not receive a nomination, despite having received critical acclaim. The Crown, The Mandalorian and Lovecraft Country came as no surprise as nominations in the category. Netflix’s Ratched, however, did. For the category of Limited Series Anthology, the nominees include Normal People, The Queen’s Gambit, The Undoing, Small Axe, and Unorthodox. The Queen’s Gambit appears to be the greatest contender and is most likely to receive the award.

In terms of content distribution, Netflix stole the show by acquiring 22 total nominations for motion pictures and 20 nominations for television series. While this may have been a big win for the streaming platform, other distribution companies such as ABC and BET appear to have been shut out from the competition entirely. Could this be a sign of favoritism in the industry?

The 2021 Golden Globes will air on Feb. 28 at 8/7 central on NBC.