Silent-era film ‘The Artist’ and family drama ‘The Descendants’ were the top film picks at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday in a loose-lipped awards show that even had host Ricky Gervais walking onto the stage with a drink in his hand. ‘The Descendants’, starring George Clooney as a man steering his family through a tragic time when his wife is in a coma, won two Golden Globe trophies, including the top honor of best dramatic movie and another for Clooney as best dramatic actor.
‘The Artist’, a romantic tale about a failing actor who finds love at a time when movies were changing from silents to talkies, picked up three awards including best musical or comedy and best actor in a musical or comedy for its star, French actor Jean Dujardin. Other key winners included Meryl Streep for best actress in a film drama with her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’.
Streep, who is typically reliable with a funny acceptance speech had a difficult time reading hers this year when she forgot her glasses. Veteran Christopher Plummer, 82, won supporting actor with his portrayal of an elderly man who comes out as gay to his family in ‘Beginners’, bringing both poignancy and a touch of humour to their lives. The Golden Globe Awards are given out by the roughly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at what annually is among the key events during Hollywood’s awards season because of the media exposure it brings.
Many of the movies and stars that win here also go on to compete for Oscars later this year, and “The Artist,” which was the most-nominated film coming into the Golden Globes with six nods overall, will certainly become a frontrunner for the world’s top film honors, as will ‘Descendants’ and ‘The Help’. Oscar nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will given out on January 24.
