Do these local movies and shows have a chance at Golden Globes nominations?
Looking ahead to the 2018 Golden Globes nominations through the lens of films with local ties.
After a tumultuous year in Hollywood, rocked by widespread and far-reaching allegations of sexual misconduct, it’s hard to imagine what exactly the various awards shows will be like in the coming months. Despite a scandal that has engulfed the entertainment industry — and beyond — awards season officially kicks off with the announcement of the nominations for the 2018 Golden Globe Awards on Monday, Dec. 11, at 8 a.m.
After that, we’ll wait about a month to find out if any films or TV shows with local ties bring home the hardware at the 75th annual Golden Globes, which will be hosted by Seth Meyers and broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m. on NBC. For now, let the speculation begin: Will either of Matt Damon’s leading roles (in Suburbicon and Downsizing) garner a nod? Will Mark Wahlberg’s All the Money in the World, beset by delays after producers replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in the already-finished film, have even a tiny chance? And what about Stronger, the biopic of Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman?
To help navigate the mess of predictions and wild guesses, we put together a guide to films with local ties and their odds of scoring a 2018 Golden Globes nomination, according to the experts at award prediction site Gold Derby.
Stronger
Plot: Based on Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman’s 2014 autobiography of the same name, Stronger chronicles the life of Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal) both in the immediate aftermath of the bombings and during his long, difficult road to recovery, fraught with grueling rehab sessions and emotional arguments with then-girlfriend Erin Hurley (Tatiana Maslany).
Nomination odds: Not great, with one exception. Gold Derby thinks the film’s only major nomination will be for Best Actor (Drama), giving Gyllenhaal the fifth-best odds in the field to land one of the five nominations. The current favorites in the category are Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour, followed by Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread.
Battle of the Sexes
Plot: Acton native Steve Carell plays former-tennis-pro-turned-smarmy-showman Bobby Riggs, who, at the age of 55, declared that he could beat any of the best women’s players in the sport, eventually goading Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) into a nationally televised match.
Nomination odds: Very good. Gold Derby gives Battle of the Sexes the sixth-best odds for a Best Film (Comedy/Musical) nomination, just outside the range for one of the five nods. It likes Carell’s and Stone’s chances even better, giving each of them the third-best odds for nominations in the Best Actor and Actress (Comedy/Musical) categories, respectively, behind pack leaders Saorise Ronan (Lady Bird) and James Franco (The Disaster Artist).
Suburbicon
Plot: Matt Damon plays an average 1950s white-collar worker beset upon by mobsters and a suspicious insurance agent (Oscar Isaac) after the death of his wife (Julianne Moore) and sudden arrival of her sister (also Moore). All of the action is backdropped by the quiet suburb’s simmering racial anger toward the town’s first black family.
Nomination odds: Poor. Despite early buzz and the prestige of its stars, director (George Clooney), and co-writers (Joel and Ethan Coen), Suburbicon was torpedoed by its 28 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating, and is considered a longshot for any major nominations by Gold Derby.
The Post
Plot: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this true-life story of The Washington Post‘s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971 stars Tom Hanks as Post editor Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as publisher Katherine Graham (the first female publisher in the Post‘s history). The film also features Neal Huff as legendary Boston Globe editor Thomas Winship, who made the decision to follow the Post and The New York Times in publishing the leaked government documents.
Nomination odds: Excellent. Gold Derby gives top-five odds for The Post to be nominated for Best Film (Drama), Best Actor (Drama) for Hanks, Best Actress (Drama) for Streep, and Best Director for Spielberg. The only one who may be out of luck is Spotlight screenwriter Josh Singer, whose script is given the eighth-best odds for a nomination.
I, Tonya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZbTLdDHRvs
Plot: The film chronicles the life of troubled figure skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), whose rise to fame was marred when her chief rink rival, Stoneham native Nancy Kerrigan, was hit in the knee with a police baton by Shane Stant. Stant, Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gilooly, co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt, and getaway driver Derrick Smith all served time in prison for the attack, while Harding pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder prosecution, but avoided jail time.
Nomination odds: Very good. Gold Derby gives top-five odds for I, Tonya to be nominated for Best Film (Comedy/Musical), Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) for Robbie, and Best Supporting Actress (Comedy/Musical) for Allison Janney as Harding’s domineering mother.
Downsizing
Plot: Matt Damon plays Paul Safranek, an everyman who decides to improve his life (and help save the overpopulated world) by undergoing a new medical procedure that shrinks him to 5 inches tall. He struggles to adjust to the small life at first, but grows into himself with the help of his upstairs neighbor (Christoph Waltz) and a demanding, yet caring, cleaning woman (Hong Chau).
Nomination odds: Not great. Downsizing has the eighth-best odds for a Best Picture (Comedy/Musical) nomination, the seventh-best odds for Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) for Damon, and the ninth-best for Best Supporting Actress for Chau.
All the Money in the World
Plot: When the grandson of billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer, replacing Kevin Spacey) is kidnapped and he refuses to pay the ransom, the boy’s distraught mother (Michelle Williams) enlists the help of an ex-CIA agent (Mark Wahlberg).
Nomination odds: Slim. Though executives quickly enlisted Plummer to replace Spacey, it seems unlikely that voters have forgotten about him. Gold Derby put Williams, Wahlberg, Plummer, and director Ridley Scott well outside of its top five odds.
The Handmaid’s Tale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJTonrzXTJs
Plot: Based on the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, the show takes place in a future Cambridge, where a totalitarian Christian theonomy rules over women with an iron fist. With birth rates low, women are brought to landowners to serve as enslaved surrogates.
Nomination odds: A slam dunk. The Handmaid’s Tale cleaned up at the Emmys, and Gold Derby gives it the best odds for a nomination for Best Drama Series and Best Actress (Drama) for Elisabeth Moss. Their odds also suggest Joseph Fiennes and Ann Dowd could land nominations for TV Supporting Actor and TV Supporting Actress, respectively. Alexis Bledel could even join Dowd in the TV Supporting Actress category, with Gold Derby giving her the sixth-best odds in the category.
SMILF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg8lF5n1W7k
Plot: A single mother living in South Boston named Bridgette Bird (Frankie Shaw) navigates the financial difficulties of raising her son, Larry. Yes, his name is Larry Bird.
Nomination odds: A scrappy long shot. SMILF has the ninth-best odds for a nomination for Best Comedy Series, and it has been trending upward since its debut in November. While it’s unlikely Shaw and Rosie O’Donnell, who plays Bridgette’s mother, Tutu, will score a nomination, the show did recently get picked up for a second season.
