Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were announced as the hosts of the ceremony, for the fourth time, in January 2020,[7] but for the very first time to co-host the Golden Globes bicoastally, both from Manhattan and from Beverly Hills, California. By June 2020, the HFPA decided to postpone the ceremony from its normal date in early January to February 28 due to both the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema and on television production.[2][3] On February 2, 2021, it was reported that the ceremony would be held from both the Rainbow RoominNew York City and the Golden Globes' usual home at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, allowing those on the East Coast to participate without having to make the cross-country trip.[4] The nominees were announced on February 3, 2021.[8][9]
Timetable
The eligibility period for motion pictures was extended to February 28, 2021.[2]
Winners and nominees
Chadwick Boseman, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama winnerAndra Day, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama winnerSacha Baron Cohen, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy winnerRosamund Pike, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy winnerDaniel Kaluuya, Best Supporting Actor winnerJodie Foster, Best Supporting Actress winnerJosh O'Connor, Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama winnerJason Sudeikis, Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy winnerCatherine O'Hara, Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy winnerMark Ruffalo, Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film winnerAnya Taylor-Joy, Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film winnerJohn Boyega, Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film winnerGillian Anderson, Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film winner
The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary award bestowed to honorees who have made a significant mark in the film industry. It is named after its first recipient, director Cecil B. DeMille.
The Carol Burnett Award is an honorary award given for outstanding and lasting contributions to television on or off the screen. It is named in honor of its first recipient, actress Carol Burnett.
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, which sampled 15 critic reviews and calculated a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, the ceremony received "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]OnRotten Tomatoes, 10% of 21 critics have given the ceremony a positive review, with an average rating of 3.52/10. The critics consensus on the website reads: "Disappointingly dull and disturbingly lacking in self-awareness, The 78th Golden Globes ceremony wastes its menagerie of celebrities—and some well-deserved wins—on a stilted ceremony overshadowed by HFPA's questionable behind-the-scenes behavior."[13]
Controversies
The ceremony received criticism regarding certain nominations. James Corden's nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (for his performance in The Prom) and the two nominations for Emily in Paris have faced controversy.[14][15] The HFPA also drew criticism for the placement of Minari in the Best Foreign Language Film category, despite being an American film about a Korean-American family; it ultimately won.[16] The determination that the film would be eligible for this category rather than Best Motion Picture – Drama, based on the Globes' rule that any film with over 50% of its dialogue not in English would be considered a Foreign Language Film, invited controversy.[17][18][19][20]Lulu Wang, whose film The Farewell was subject to the same rule the previous year, wrote that "I have not seen a more American film than #Minari this year. It's a story about an immigrant family, IN America, pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these antiquated rules that characterize American as only English-speaking".[17] Author Viet Thanh Nguyen wrote that the "decision speaks powerfully to the issue of what makes something — a language or a person or a culture — foreign".[21] Many other filmmakers, actors, and authors, including Nia DaCosta, Daniel Dae Kim, Min Jin Lee, Franklin Leonard, Simu Liu, Phil Lord, Celeste Ng, Harry Shum Jr., and Phillipa Soo criticized the decision on similar grounds.[22]
The nominations for the film Music also faced criticism for the casting of Maddie Ziegler as an autistic person, and concerns over what impact the film could have on the perception and handling of autistic people,[23] with co-host Tina Fey joking that "Twitter is saying it's the most offensive casting since Kate Hudson was the Weightwatchers spokesperson".[24] Hosts Fey and Amy Poehler also acknowledged the recent revelation that the HFPA has not had a single Black member for over twenty years.[24]