Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Will Meryl be nominated for Golden Globe Award?

As the most nominated actor in Globes history, Streep will be seeking her 30th nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association next week.  Normally, a nod is a foregone conclusion.  With the tepid critical and box office responses to August's Ricki and the Flash, however, Meryl's almost automatic nomination could be in jeopardy this year.

Up to this point, I've only seen Meryl's performance and one other that is likely in contention, Amy Schumer in Trainwreck.  According to the "experts" at Gold Derby, the current odds for Actress in a Musical or Comedy are as follows:

1. Jennifer Lawrence (Joy) 14/5 odds
2. Lily Tomlin (Grandma) 3/1
3. Amy Schumer (Trainwreck) 4/1
4. Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van) 10/1
5. Blythe Danner (I'll See You in My Dreams) 18/1
6. Melissa McCarthy (Spy) 18/1
7. Meryl Streep (Ricki and the Flash) 20/1
8. Sandra Bullock (Our Brand is Crisis) 25/1

After the top eight, all contenders as given 100/1 odds.

Ok, a few thoughts.  At the top of the list, we have Jennifer Lawrence, who has been regularly in award conversations for almost five consecutive years now.  And Joy's positioning is highly likely category fraud.  I'm not even going to get into it, because the occurrence is perennial and widely known.  For crying out loud, even The Martian is competing in the Musical/Comedy category this year.  We just have to deal with it.  

I enjoy that the majority of actresses in this category are over the age of 40.  In the top eight, four are over 65, two over 45.  Schumer is 34 and Lawrence, the front-runner, is 25.

Meryl is totally on the bubble for a nomination in my opinion.  I cannot imagine that Sandra Bullock will get in for a film that made back only quarter of its budget and is only at 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.  But I have a hard time figuring out whom among the top five could be replaced.  Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are locks in my opinion.  Do they dare not recognize Tomlin, Danner and Smith?  Three women of a generation that is increasingly less visible in cinemas of leading ladies.  I suppose the same could be said for Meryl, but come on.

The only path I can foresee for Meryl's name to be mentioned next Thursday is that voting members of the HFPA want to ensure higher viewership for their telecast.  Meryl's absence in a year where she has a film in contention may seem bizarre to filmgoers.  Fingers crossed.

The Golden Globe Awards will be announced December 10.



13 comments:

  1. I was thinking about this as well. Since they announced Joy would run in Musical/Comedy it's mixed things up a little. It would be criminal to deny Maggie Smith for such a wonderful performance (superior to her GG-nominated Quartet role several years back) but it really is a testament to the good roles/films women have enjoyed this year that all races are so hotly contended. Also, it adds to the fun :-)

    If Meryl gets in I think Danner could be the one to lose out. Her film is relatively small and could easily be seen as a Drama from what I understand. I usually don't care too much about the category fraud but I wish the Globes would put their foot down a bit more with all this game playing. Apart from The Martian the most irksome one is putting Mara in the Supporting field which is such a blatant tactical move. (I'd love to see Fonda waltz up and take it just to send a message to the film companies..)

    It would be almost incredible to think Meryl could lose a nomination for critically heralded work in a "just okay" film. How could she miss when she made the cut for "She-Devil"?!
    Think of her track record; even landing noms in the "tougher" Drama category: Marvin's Room, The River Wild..
    The only roles I can think of where she was (mildly) snubbed was Ironweed and poooosssssibly a supporting nom for Lions for Lambs (her class of acting belonged in a different film, haha).

    If she doesn't make the cut this year I think it's only due it being one of the tightest years on record for the category and not a reflection on Meryl's credibility in a role that, let's face it, is more Musical AND Comedy than any of the others. Meryl should turn up dressed as Ricki and hit that dreadful other Ricky with her guitar...!

    Ultimately it's again reminding me of the disappointment of what seemed so promising a few months ago didn't live up to expectations. If the film was better or it made more money the case would be stronger. I did have hopes this could bring Meryl her 9th win at one point but it's not to be. I think Lawrence stands a good chance of getting her third but I'd love it to go to Tomlin or Smith.

    All being said, fingers crossed Florence can get us back there next year!

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    1. You may be right about Danner. Few have seen it. Streep more mainstream and although not a huge hit, Ricki surpassed its budget.

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  2. But next year there are the life archivment golden globes and Meryl is nominated there was a voting online and Meryl had the most votes .so I think she will receive this life archivment golden globe next year

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  3. Haha that's a nice thought but Meryl is much too young and happening to be given that award anyway. I hope Angela Lansbury gets it next...

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    1. Well Angela landsbury isn't nominated but Meryl and Meryl has the most votes so I think she will win ! And she is not to young she is one of the best actresses and 2003or4 she recieved the life archivment award and there she was much younger (just saying )

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    2. I don't think the HFPA decide who gets the Cecil B. DeMille award by a public vote if that's what you're meaning. There is a board which meets each year to decide.

      I'm not sure where some of the choices have come from, I would prefer it going to older people who may not be acting for much longer rather than those (like Meryl) who are still very much in the game. George Clooney's honor for instance confused me as he's still very much in his element.

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  4. Frankly I hope she sits out completely this year and perhaps return in a year or two with stronger performances (if not Florence, then hopefully something else in the pipeline). It's always good to step out of the spotlight for a while so that you will be missed when you make your return. Incidentally, I was re-watching two of her older movies last weekend (Falling in Love & Dancing at Lughnasa) and I truly miss that part of her output in which she was subtle and nuanced - eg. that window scene from Lughnasa and her look on the train (Falling). They both seemed to communicate tons of mixed emotions with just one flourish or gesture. Compared to her recent output where she tended to be more blatant and in some cases hammy, those earlier performances were simply breathtaking like the way I feel about Ronan's and Blanchett's turns in their respective movies this year. Does anyone notice the change in Meryl's performance in the last ten years compared to some of her earlier work? It seems to me she's now more 'theatrical' than ever, even in quieter roles like Hope Springs. I miss those old nuances and flourishes somehow....

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    1. I think some of the roles she's played recently like Violet, Julia and Sister Aloysius are pretty big personalities where it's hard to do them justice by being subtle. I still think Meryl is highly expressive in all of her work, even Into The Woods where she was buried under such heavy make-up.

      I agree with sitting out this year but I still think her performance merits a GG nomination at the least. I think if she were in contention for other awards the nay-sayers would be more angry than ever before simply because Ricki didn't really take off.

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    2. There's no doubt that Meryl brings her A-game to every role she plays but what I've observed is that she's become more 'theatrical' in her later years. Maybe it's just her process, maybe it's her actorly evolution, who knows. Even in relatively subtle roles like Hope Springs and It's Complicated (as opposed to Violet or Sister Aloysius), her acting seems more 'go for the jugular' as opposed to what she used to summon like in Out of Africa or Bridges of Madison. I reckon actors evolve over the decades. Maggie Smith is one good example,,,if you study her earlier roles like Prime of Jean Brodie, it's so radically different from Lady in the Van - the facial expressions, the gestures, etc. I'm not saying one is superior to the other but if anything, it's the nuances that get lost along the way. Just thinking aloud.

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    3. I think perhaps when Prada became so successful I remember reading of Meryl going from revered to adored. She got such a surge in popularity and with her successive film hits she became more and more exposed in a way she never had been before. Suddenly she was in films geared towards a popular audience and when that happens it can make it harder to see the character onscreen instead of the actor.

      I must say I continue to be transported with each piece – I almost never think of it being Meryl up there.

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  5. Well... nominations for SAG Awards... Will she get a nod for the Golden Globes for her work in Ricky? It would be totally deserved... If she is not nominated, it will only be to leave her out from this year edition. I think next year, for Florence, it will be her 30th nomination for the Globes and her 20th for the Oscars...

    Hugo

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  6. Well, no GG nomination for Meryl!
    Not surprised though it'd be nice to see her on the list...

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    1. I'm a bit shocked and miffed. McCarthy was good in Spy but hardly as impressive as Meryl BEING a faded rock star and actually singing. I would have even preferred a 'snub' for Into The Woods or Hope Springs than missing out for this performance.

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