Awards shows like the Golden Globes sometimes thrive on front runners and predictable victories, but sometimes there are nights like tonight, when a huge upset can do an awesome job shaking things up. Bohemian Rhapsody just delivered such an upset, as it just won Best Motion Picture -- Drama at tonight's awards ceremony, beating out the favorite for the award, A Star Is Born. And it looks like this could be the boost the film has been looking for all season.
It was the result heard around the world when it was announced that the Bryan Singer-directed musical biopic had won Best Drama. For weeks, the front runner seemed to be the popular collaboration between Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but when all was said and done the life and times of Queen and Freddie Mercury proved to be the main attraction. This was on top of Bohemian Rhapsody winning one of its own front runner categories, with Rami Malek nabbing the Best Actor -- Drama trophy.
Put those two wins together, and what do you get? A higher profile for Bohemian Rhapsody to dine out on through the rest of the awards season; particularly during the Academy Awards voting period, of which we're square in the middle.
There are some important distinctions that need to be made when considering the relationship between the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They're two separate voting bodies with no overlap, seeing as the HFPA is made up of foreign journalists and the AMPAS is full of working professionals in the film industry. So it's not like one group can run from their Golden Globes ballot to their Oscar ballot in the name of favoritism.
However, these two big ticket wins help Bohemian Rhapsody keep itself fresh in the minds of the Oscar's voting board. This adds in a major way to the movie's profile, coming after impressive box office returns, and a very supporting public reaction. While it may not be the model of a prestige picture, the public certainly loves it, and that could be the golden ticket for which the Oscars is looking.
While the "Popular Oscar" isn't in place this year, the Golden Globes wins Bohemian Rhapsody just scored give the film some decent award credibility - particularly after getting a lukewarm critical response when it was released. A major voting board just rewarded the movie with two of its highest awards, and that's nothing to sniff at when it comes to its odds for Oscar glory. At the very least, Rami Malek's odds are definitely rising for a Best Actor win, with the nomination odds for the film on the whole being pretty secure as well.
We'll have to wait until the Academy Award nominations are announced on January 22nd to see the full effect, but as it stands tonight, Bohemian Rhapsody's stock is rising quite well.
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