Since 1944, the Golden Globes have honored the work of nominees who have performed outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television within the year the award ceremony is held.
The Golden Globes recognize outstanding performances by awarding separate categories, like Best Actor/Actress in a Drama Motion Picture and Best Actor/Actress in a Musical or Comedy TV series, to honor the most exceptional works in entertainment.
This year, films such as “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” made an outstanding impact, and rightfully secured spots at the Golden Globes.
With both films being released on July 21, 2023, viewers made it a goal to watch both on the same day. Together, the films provide an interesting contrast, as “Oppenheimer” centralizes on the regret the titular character faces after creating the atomic bomb, while “Barbie” provides a spin of comedic relief when she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and womanhood.
Barbenheimer, an iconic and powerful duo, won seven awards total at the Golden Globes 2024.
Barbie won the categories of Original Song, in which it had three nominations, including Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, which served as the winner of the night, as well as Box Office Achievement.
Comedian Jo Koy was chosen to host the Golden Globe 2024 awards, but his speeches were highly controversial. After careful observation from critics and award winners, people concluded that some of his comments seemed to completely disregard the message of “Barbie.”
The Barbie movie touches on emotional themes relating to self-discovery and the harsh expectations women are faced with daily.
While in theaters, I felt touched by the comedic yet impactful approach to the storytelling of Barbie. The movie’s themes focus on women being expected to give up their own childhood and joy for the benefit of others, as shown through Ken’s attempts to take over Barbie Land.
Actress America Fererra, who plays Gloria in “Barbie,” performs an unforgettable monologue where the impact of the message matches the speed of its delivery. Her character represents the everyday human being from the “normal world” who embarks on a quest with her daughter and Barbie to save Barbie Land from Ken.
During her monologue, she states, “You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.”
However, Jo Koy’s comment about the Barbie movie marks the lowest, most ignorant point of his entire gig.
He stated that “‘Oppenheimer’ is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and ‘Barbie’ is based on a plastic doll with big boobies.”
It highlighted the movie’s exact point, proving that misogynistic ideas still exist, while disregarding Barbie as a mere figure with big features.
However, Greta Gerwig, director of “Barbie,” spoke out in response to the speech itself, claiming that he wasn’t entirely incorrect.
“She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on,” Gerwig said. “And you know, I think that so much of the project, of the movie, was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll.”
In fact, Greta Gerwig seemed pleased that her film has driven such a wide variety of reactions.
According to many, the meaningful messages throughout “Barbie” seemed to be completely disregarded and crushed under the misogynistic statements made in Jo Koy’s speech.
However, Jo Koy himself has spoken out against the criticism, seemingly unfazed by the impact of his words.
“It was a tough room,” Jo Koy stated to justify his stance in an interview with Time Magazine. “It’s a hard job, I’m not going to lie…I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t hurt. We had ten days to write this monologue. It was a crash course. I feel bad, but I got to say I loved what I did.”
The comedian has been claimed by many to be an “unknown host” and after this controversial monologue, it seems his reputation isn’t emerging any higher from that title – in fact, many still believe he was a poor choice for a Golden Globes host.
Although Barbie is told near the end of her movie that ideas outlive the humans that create them, I surely hope that Jo Koy’s idea of a funny monologue doesn’t.
