The Winners! Golden Globes 2016

Bring back Tina and Amy! Ricky Gervais was so intent on being outrageous he forgot to be funny for much of the 2016 Golden Globes broadcast. A running gag about being bored was just, well, boring. And the insults he swapped with Mel Gibson were tasteless. It’s fine to make fun of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who vote on these awards and who are trying to overcome the reputation of giving awards to filmmakers and studios in return for a little wining, dining, meeting, and greeting, but he repeatedly insisted that no one cares about the Golden Globes so that it went past insulting the HFPA and the nominees to insult the audience as well.

Winners included well-chosen long shots like the PBS series “Wolf Hall,” the Amazon series “Mozart in the Jungle” and its star Gael Garcia Bernal, and Rachel Bloom, co-creator and star of the CW musical comedy television series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and front-runners like “Inside Out” for best animated film. But there were also the usual GG puzzlers like Sam Smith’s “Spectre” theme, probably the worst James Bond song in decades and certainly the worst of the nominees. It was great to see “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm and “Empire’s” Taraji P. Henson get recognized for their outstanding work, and Henson gave one of the best speeches of the night, handing out cookies on her way to the stage, in honor of her character’s name, and showing the charm and the fire she draws on for her outrageous role. “Please wrap?” she responded to the teleprompter. “Wait a minute. I waited 20 years for this. You going to wait. Yeah, you going to give me a little more time.”

Presenters provided some bright spots, especially Jim Carrey (whose jokes about the Globes and movie star ego were as deft as Gervais’ were not), BFFs Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer (can’t wait to see the movie they’re writing) and Eva Longoria and America Ferrera, who were pointed but charming and funny about people who can’t tell Latina actresses apart.

It was great to see Brie Larson win for “Room,” and her speech was another highlight. “The Revenant” took home Best Drama, Best Actor, and Best Director awards. Matt Damon and “The Martian” won, oddly in the comedy categories. The most emotional award of the evening was Sylvester Stallone’s standing ovation win for “Creed.” Like Damon, he noted that it had been a very long time since his last Golden Globe and that he was much better able to appreciate it now. (He thanked his “imaginary friend Rocky Balboa,” but forgot to thank writer/director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan, but tried to make up for it off camera.) Lady Gaga was also very emotional as she said her thank yous for her award (“American Horror Story”). Her elegant black dress was one of the most beautiful of the evening, along with the red cut-away gown and gorgeous necklace worn by another winner, Jennifer Lawrence, for “Joy.” “I want to be buried next to you!” she cried out to writer/director David O. Russell.

Another highlight was the clip reel tribute to DeMille award winner Denzel Washington, a fitting reminder of the dazzling work he has done over the years. He brought his entire family (missing one son) up on stage with him to accept the award, but forgot his glasses, so stumbled through the acceptance. On one hand, he knew he was getting the award and he is a professional performer, so he should have done better. On the other hand, the Globes are known for being a bit off-the-cuff (liquor is generously served to all attendees), and it was fun to see his interaction with his wife.

The winners are:

Best Picture – Drama
“The Revenant”

Best Picture – Comedy or Musical
“The Martian”

Best Director – Motion Picture
Alejandro G. Inarritu, “The Revenant”

Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Brie Larson, “Room”

Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”

Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, “Joy”

Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy
Matt Damon, “The Martian”

Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs”

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Sylvester Stallone, “Creed”

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Aaron Sorkin, “Steve Jobs”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Son of Saul”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Inside Out”

Best Score – Motion Picture
Ennio Morricone, “The Hateful Eight”

Best Song – Motion Picture
“Writing’s on the Wall” from “Spectre,” by Sam Smith

Best TV Series, Drama
“Mr. Robot”

Best Actress – TV Series, Drama
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire”

Best Actor – TV Series, Drama
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Best TV Series, Comedy
“Mozart in the Jungle”

Best Actress – TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Rachel Bloom, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”

Best Actor – TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Gael Garcia Bernal, “Mozart in the Jungle”

Supporting Actress – TV Series, Miniseries or Limited Series
Maura Tierney, “The Affair”

Supporting Actor – TV Series, Miniseries or Limited Series
Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot”

Limited Series or TV Movie
“Wolf Hall”

Best Actor – Limited Series or TV Movie
Oscar Isaac, “Show Me a Hero”

Best Actress – Limited Series or TV Movie
Lady Gaga, “American Horror Story: Hotel”