Four heads are better than one, we say. That’s why Hollywood.com’s editors and writers got together to debate the pros and cons of the contenders for the top Golden Globe awards. We’ve also got predictions for who will win–and who deserves to win–and a poll where you can pick your favorites.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
What It’s About: Jack Nicholson is Warren Schmidt, a man who finds himself alone after the sudden death of his wife. He packs up his 30-foot Winnebago for a journey across the Nebraska plains to try to stop his daughter’s wedding, and he discovers more than bad roadside food along the way.
For It: An excellent script and a tremendous performance by star Jack Nicholson.
Against It: It’s just one man’s story, and it might not have much appeal for a younger audience, which could rule it out with some voters.
What It’s About: In 1860’s lower Manhattan, lawlessness, rampant political corruption and great unrest fester. It all comes to a head during the 1863 Civil War Drafts Riots–one of the most explosive episodes of urban unrest in American history.
For It: It’s Scorsese, it’s Daniel Day-Lewis, it’s a big-budget epic. What’s not to love?
Against It: It’s Scorsese. It’s loooooong, and everybody was sick of hearing about its tormented journey to release six months ago.
What It’s About: The second part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
For It: The vision is incredible and technically well executed.
Against It: Fantasy never wins, especially when there’s no beginning and no end.
What It’s About: Based on a novel by Michael Cunningham, this drama weaves the stories of three women and their connections with Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway in a story that spans the 20th century.
For It: Intense performances from everyone in the cast, a good script based on a literary figure–always a plus.
Against It: Three depressive women in one movie? Kind of a downer. Will any male voters have voluntarily seen this?
What It’s About: An adaptation based on the autobiography of acclaimed Polish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), the film details his survival during World War II.
For It: Holocaust movie. It’s a well-done take on a familiar theme.
Against It: Holocaust movie. If it were a documentary it would win hands down, but it’s not, so it won’t.
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Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
What It’s About: Hugh Grant stars as a child-free and irresponsible Londoner who reluctantly befriends a 12-year-old boy. They end up changing each other’s lives.
For It: This is the film that let Grant break out of that hair-flippy thing he does.
Against It: It may not be memorable enough to overcome the time that’s passed since its release.
What It’s About: The Academy Award-nominated creators of the ultra-quirky Being John Malkovich go on another twisted head trip in this movie about the adaptation of the offbeat book The Orchid Thief.
For It: It’s a complex story told in a very different way. Points for originality.
Against It: It’s a movie about Hollywood, and award-givers tend not to enjoy being poked fun at.
What It’s About: Straight from the Broadway stage, Chicago is the feature film version of the hit Bob Fosse musical. In this town, infamy is your ticket to stardom and crimes of passion can make you a celebrity.
For It: It took more nominations than any other film; Richard Gere tap dances. It’s well choreographed and the musical numbers blend well with the storyline of the film.
Against It: Singing! Dancing! Voters may shy away from signaling the revival of the musical, especially after Moulin Rouge! won this category last year.
What It’s About: A young Greek-American woman (Nia Vardalos) falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to convince her family to accept him up to the very day of her wedding.
For It: This comedy has wide appeal, and a massive hype machine behind it that’s been steamrolling through the year.
Against It: The hype about this cutesy movie may be better than it actually is.
What It’s About: Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel about an impoverished family that’s torn apart, and one young man’s efforts to bring them back together.
For It: Period drama based on a Dickens novel, with a high profile, star-studded cast.
Against It: Who will have seen it?
See our editors’ movie predictions
View TV nominee profiles and predictions
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
From Our Review: “Mastering the skills of a silent screen star, Brody–silently, but with a menu of facial expressions and physical mannerisms–conveys the endangered Wladyslaw.”
For Him: The movie is entirely his, and he bears the burden well.
Against Him: He’s a newcomer, which may work against him in this field.
From Our Review: “Michael Caine‘s subtle, nuanced performance is sublime, and it’s the only thing that elevates this movie from dated costume melodrama.”
For Him: Michael Caine carried the movie, and voters may reward his long career.
Against Him: This movie flew way under the radar.
From Our Review: “If it weren’t for his searing performance as the murderous Bill the Butcher…the film wouldn’t have nearly the impact it does…Day-Lewis’ superb acting makes this good movie great.”
For Him: Day-Lewis chose a heck of a movie to make a comeback in–he has a starring role in potentially the biggest movie of the year.
Against Him: His character’s not very sympathetic (you can tell from the over-abundant facial hair). Plus, some may consider his role more a supporting one.
From Our Review: “He fits the part like a glove–all at once charismatic, childish, vulnerable and deadly intelligent.”
For Him: The role suits him to a “T.” Leo gets to play somebody young and charismatic. You completely believe in him. Surprise, surprise.
Against Him: The breezy subject matter of the film doesn’t exactly make him a heavyweight contender.
From Our Review: “Nicholson lets his vanity go to epitomize the aging, white, Midwest American man. The process the actor uses to transform Warren from a cold and selfish man into a somewhat decent human being is mesmerizing. This is Jack‘s movie and he should almost certainly get an Oscar nod for this.”
For Him: He’s not afraid to show his age, and he carries the film.
Against Him: Not much; Jack‘s virtually a shoo-in.
See our editors’ movie predictions
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Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
From Our Review: “The entire cast is a marvel to behold, especially Cage, even if he is the wild card of the bunch.”
For Him: He plays two people, and he’s very creative and subtle about how he does it.
Against Him: Cage‘s track record is spotty, to say the least. Will voters recognize his great performance? Or will they remember Windtalkers?
From Our Review: “There isn’t one false move in the film…Kieran Culkin, the middle child of the Culkin acting clan and by far the better actor (word is still out on Signs‘ young Rory), turns in a tour de force performance as Igby.”
For Him: Everybody’s thrilled that he got nominated, and for a 21-year-old he shows amazing range.
Against Him: The movie didn’t get a lot of attention.
From Our Review: “Gere continually surprises you, once you get over the fear that he’s going to fall flat on his face. He even manages to pull off a tap-dancing number.”
For Him: He tap dances! He sings! Who woulda thunk it? This role is a real departure for Gere, and we like that.
Against Him: Could he make it on Broadway? We think not. Careful edits do not a tap dance make.
From Our Review: “In About a Boy, [Grant] sticks with familiar territory but has actually matured right before our eyes (and cut his hair into a short, spiky ‘do) and sheds those charming mannerisms to expose another side of himself in a way he has never done before.”
For Him: He’s soooooo cute! Seriously, he brought depth to a very shallow role.
Against Him: Same cad, different hair.
From Our Review: “Let’s get this over with right now: Adam Sandler kicks ass in this movie.”
For Him: The movie was critically acclaimed, and Sandler hit the mark.
Against Him: The king of gross-out comedy gets a nomination? Lawrence Olivier is turning over in his grave.
See our editors’ movie predictions
View TV nominee profiles and predictions
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Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
From Our Review: “The acting here is outstanding. Salma Hayek as the wild and quietly creative Kahlo is in practically every frame and dazzles in a variety of moods and situations.”
For Her: Hayek worked very hard to get this movie made, and that passion comes through in her performance.
Against Her: Alfred Molina is getting a lot more buzz than she is for this film, and most critics’ responses to her performance were lukewarm.
From Our Review: “[one of the] most solid, intelligent, nuanced female performances of the year.”
For Her: Kidman loses herself in the character, to the point of adding on a prosthetic nose. That the character is a key literary figure doesn’t hurt.
Against Her: Kidman and Meryl Streep, nominated in this category for the same film, may cancel one another out in this category. Plus, Kidman won last year.
From Our Review: “This may be jumping the gun, but Lane could quite possibly snag an Oscar nomination for her performance–and you heard it here first.”
For Her: An intense performance from this underrated actress has put her in the spotlight–at last.
Against Her: Harlots never win.
From Our Review: “It’s one of those roles actresses dream of, and Moore could finally get her chance at winning Oscar gold this year.”
For Her: She’s winning everything, plus voters may recall their appreciation for her performance in The Hours when considering her for this role.
Against Her: Melodrama isn’t as advantageous during awards season as real drama.
From Our Review: “It’s such a sublime performance that it’s almost not a performance; it seems more like we’re spying on [her character’s] interior and exterior life and she doesn’t even realize the camera is following her.”
For Her: She’s Meryl Streep, for heaven’s sake–and she’s back!
Against Her: Streep’s nomination for supporting actress may make her less likely to win this category.
See our editors’ movie predictions
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Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
From Our Review: “Maggie Gyllenhaal [plays] a mentally disturbed woman who mutilates her body, takes a typing course, goes looking for a job and is immediately lucky.”
For Her: Whips, chains–it’s all in there.
Against Her: The nomination is the recognition in this case.
From Our Review: “…this is Hawn‘s movie. She simply shines with an effervescent glow as Suzette. Sure, she could have played the sexy ex-groupie with her eyes closed, but Hawn makes Suzette the heart of the story.”
For Her: She sure does look like a road-weary groupie.
Against Her: Didn’t her daughter play this part? Better?
From Our Review: “Vardalos is great as Toula…. It’s quite charming.”
For Her: The buzz about this movie is all about this sweet girl next door–and that’s Vardalos.
Against Her: It’s her first big role, and she was good but not great.
From Our Review: “[Zellweger] certainly possesses the right amount of charisma to pull the whole musical thing off.”
For Her: She completely nailed the part, and it may be her turn after fruitless nominations for Nurse Betty and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Against Her: The competition from her co-star may cancel out some votes, or else the attention may fall on Zeta-Jones because her part was flashier.
From Our Review: “Zeta-Jones makes her talent as a dancer evident.”
For Her: She shines in the song-and-dance numbers, much more so than her co-stars.
Against Her: Like Zellweger, Zeta-Jones‘s chances may be hurt by having a co-star nominated in the same category.
See our editors’ movie predictions
View TV nominee profiles and predictions
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Best Director – Motion Picture
From Our Review: “Director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter David Hare don’t take the easy way out of the complex literary material they tackle.”
For Him: He basically directed three movies in one, each in a different time period–then brought them all together. That takes real talent.
Against Him: Daldry’s proved his mettle with Billy Elliot, but that still doesn’t make him Scorsese.
From Our Review: “…the tremendous undertaking by director Peter Jackson of filming all three films at once continues to inspire breathtaking visuals.”
For Him: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a massive undertaking, and Jackson should win for endurance alone. Plus, it’s not often that the second movie in a trilogy is as good or better than the first–and this one is.
Against Him: If voters didn’t give it to him for the first one, they certainly won’t give it to him for the second. They’re probably holding out for the finale to reward the complete effort.
From Our Review: “One thing has been made very clear–Being John Malkovich wasn’t a fluke. The talented team of Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman have come up with another pure gem.”
For Him: Jonze takes advantage of great script, putting that at the center of the film. This is a director who knows when to stay in the background.
Against Him: Such subtly may go unnoticed. Also, like another Spike, who wasn’t nominated at all, Jonze will have to move a little more into the mainstream to be recognized for an award.
From Our Review: “Marshall…knows how to frame the musical numbers within the context of the story.”
For Him: If voters go for the big musical comeback, Marshall should win–and Golden Globes voters like their musicals.
Against Him: Chicago is not the epic that Gangs is. Besides, Chicago has already been directed very successfully on Broadway, so voters may question Marshall‘s originality.
From Our Review: “…writer/director Alexander Payne likes to paint a picture of true-blue Americans, perhaps somewhat exaggerated for the big screen but nonetheless real.”
For Him: Payne succinctly gives us a slice of American life.
Against Him: Does it really take that much effort to bring out a great performance from Jack Nicholson?
From Our Review: “From images of white snow turned pink by the blood of a gang battle to shots of the Irish being herded off the boats, Scorsese completely immerses viewers in the film’s universe.”
For Him: This was a labor of love–and he’s due.
Against Him: The birth takes hours. Bring on the epidural.
See our editors’ movie predictions
View TV nominee profiles and predictions
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