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"The Social Network" Wins Big At The Golden Globes

Whitney Tolar |
January 16, 2011 | 11:25 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Natalie Portman wins the Best Actress Golden Globe for her role as Nina in "Black Swan" (Pictures courtesy of Hollywood Foreign Press Association)
Natalie Portman wins the Best Actress Golden Globe for her role as Nina in "Black Swan" (Pictures courtesy of Hollywood Foreign Press Association)
There were not many surprises this year at the Golden Globes, with the possible exception of David Fincher’s big win for "The Social Network." For example, the year 2010’s highest grossing film, "Toy Story 3," handily prevailed in the Best Animated Feature Film category, while Natalie Portman received her much-deserved Best Actress Golden Globe for her eerie, exquisite performance in "Black Swan."

The evening’s first award, however, went to Christian Bale, an obvious choice for his unforgettable supporting role in "The Fighter."

Bale’s performance in this true-story film is simply stunning. From his skeletal physique and thick, seemingly natural Boston accent, to the heartbreaking toll his drug use takes on his family and himself, Bale masterfully portrays boxer-turned-crack-addict, Dickie Ecklund.

Melissa Leo, who portrays Dickie and Micky’s mother and manager, Alice Ward, was also incredibly deserving of her Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe. As a mother of nine with a firm belief in the power of family, Ward struggles to prioritize Micky’s promising boxing career while Dickie spirals into a life of serious addiction. This results in a painful emotional roller-coaster for Ward, which Leo renders with astonishing expertise.

"The Fighter," in fact, swept the ‘supporting’ awards in the Motion Picture category, as did "Glee" in the category of Series, Mini –Series, or Motion Picture made for Television.

Chris Colfer, whose character is crowd-favorite Kurt on the hit show "Glee," delighted the audience and fellow cast-members with his emotional acceptance speech for his supporting role, while "Glee" counterpart Jane Lynch accepted her award calmly and with a few humorous asides.

Annette Bening at the Golden Globes
Annette Bening at the Golden Globes

Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical, Annette Bening for "The Kids are All Right," predictably beat out cast mate and on-screen partner Julianne Moore for the award. She gave a heart-warming acceptance speech that testified to the pure goodness of the film’s message. The controversial dark comedy, which took home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Musical, was the obvious winner in this category as its quality soars leagues above that of its fellow nominees.

In fact, judging by the other four contenders in the Best Picture-Comedy or Musical category, it seems as if the Hollywood Foreign Press struggled to find enough candidates worthy of a nomination and resorted to filling the empty space with mediocre films like "The Tourist" that just barely qualify as comedy—which raises the question of why "True Grit" was completely ignored.

Colin Firth is finally getting the accolades he so rightly deserves. Taking home the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama for his role as King George VI in "The King's Speech", the award may hint at the Oscar for the British actor.

As for the champion of the evening, "The Social Networkcomposers, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, first took home the Golden Globe for their simple, yet delicate original score, after which Aaron Sorkin accepted his award for Best Screenplay and David Fincher prevailed as Best Director.

With strong competition in the ‘Best Picture’ category—especially because of the immense acting talent seen this year—The  Hollywood Foreign Press clearly opted for a film boasting brilliant writing and an idea brimming with relevance in contemporary times, based on the true story of the world’s youngest billionaire and his rise to overwhelming success. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this film is the screenplay, namely the lawsuit scenes which incorporate subtle yet biting humor, truly bringing Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg's experiences to life.

Most importantly, and perhaps the main reason why the film prevailed in this competitive category, "The Social Network" succeeds in relating to its audience. Although the true stories of a blue collar worker overcoming countless obstacles to become a world champion boxer and a stammering King’s relationship with his speech therapist match "The Social Network" in brilliance and quality, the bottom line is that over 500 million people are active Facebook users.

In other words, the story of the man behind our social network has a potent relevance to audiences, a factor that no doubt contributed to the film’s Best Picture award. The basis of the movie itself was a stroke of genius that definitely deserved recognition.

Viewers can predict a similar outcome at the Academy Awards, although the Academy’s take on "The Social Network" could differ from that of the Hollywood Foreign Press. That said, look out for films that boast acting expertise such as "The Fighter," "The Kids are All Right," and "The King’s Speech" to bring home multiple Oscars at this year’s next big award show. 

Reach reporter Whitney Tolar here



 

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