Golden Globes Predictions: Who Will Win in the Film Categories?

By Marc Malkin

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – With the Golden Globes just around the corner, there’s only one thing that seems inevitable: Renée Zellweger will win for best actress in the drama category when the awards are handed out on Jan. 5.

Besides that, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. can go in so many different directions, as the Globes are arguably the most unpredictable of all the awards shows.

But that’s not going to stop us from trying to read the HFPA tea leaves. Here, we give you our predictions for the big night.

Best Motion Picture — Drama

“The Irishman” (Netflix)
“Marriage Story” (Netflix)
“1917” (Universal)
“Joker” (Warner Bros.)
“The Two Popes” (Netflix)

Winner: 
“The Irishman”
The HFPA can’t get enough of Martin Scorsese, particularly the access the group has been given to the director and his stars Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama

Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”)
Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”)
Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”)
Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”)
Renée Zellweger (“Judy”)

Winner: 
Renée Zellweger
The three-time Globe winner has been the favorite to sweep awards season ever since “Judy” premiered at Telluride. 

Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama

Christian Bale (“Ford v Ferrari”)
Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”)
Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”)
Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”)

Winner: Adam Driver
The actor is working overtime this season, so the award is his to lose. 

Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

“Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix)
“Jojo Rabbit” (Fox Searchlight)
“Knives Out” (Lionsgate)
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Sony)
“Rocketman” (Paramount)

Winner: 
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Quentin Tarantino’s ode to Tinseltown has had a long stretch since premiering at Cannes in May, but it hasn’t lost a bit of steam heading into awards season. 

Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy

Ana de Armas (“Knives Out”)
Awkwafina (“The Farewell”)
Cate Blanchett (“Where’d You Go, Bernadette”)
Beanie Feldstein (“Booksmart”)
Emma Thompson (“Late Night”)

Winner: 
Awkwafina
It’s a contest between Awkwafina and Beanie Feldstein, but in the end the Globe goes to the one-time YouTube star. She’s served well by having more name recognition. 

Best Actor in a Motion Pictyre — Musical or Comedy

Daniel Craig (“Knives Out”)
Roman Griffin Davis (“Jojo Rabbit”)
Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”)
Eddie Murphy (“Dolemite Is My Name”)

Winner: 

Eddie Murphy
He’s the only true comedic actor nominated in the category. The love and nostalgia for Eddie Murphy can’t
be underestimated, and his return to “Saturday Night Live” solidified his standing just nine days before Globes voting closed on Dec. 30. 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Kathy Bates (“Richard Jewell”)
Annette Bening (“The Report”)
Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”)
Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”)
Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”)

Winner: 
Jennifer Lopez
J.Lo hasn’t been nominated since her star-making turn in “Selena” in 1998. Even so, she’s been a frequent presenter at the HFPA shindig ever since, and has been one of this season’s most vigorous campaigners.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”)
Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”)
Al Pacino (“The Irishman”)
Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”)
Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)

Winner: 
Brad Pitt
The HFPA’s affinity for the world’s most famous stars will shine on Brad Pitt. He’ll snatch his second Globe for acting, 24 years after winning in 1996 for “12 Monkeys.” 

Best Director — Motion Picture

Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”)
Sam Mendes (“1917”)
Todd Phillips (“Joker”)
Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)

Winner: 
Bong Joon Ho
Bong Joon Ho is likely to go home with a Globe for best foreign language film and best director — just like Alfonso Cuarón did last year with “Roma.” 

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”)
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won (“Parasite”)
Anthony McCarten (“The Two Popes”)
Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”)
Steven Zaillian (“The Irishman”)

Winner: Quentin Tarantino

If the last three years are any indication of what’s to come — each screenplay winner also took home a best picture win — then the award goes to Tarantino, continuing his legacy of picking up the same award for “Django Unchained” and “Pulp Fiction.”

Best Motion Picture — Animated

“Frozen 2” (Disney)
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (Universal)
“The Lion King” (Disney)
“Missing Link” (United Artists)
“Toy Story 4” (Disney)

Winner: “Toy Story 4”

The second and third installments of the beloved Disney franchise took home the prize so expect the fourth to win again on the same night that star Tom Hanks receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award — and 25 years since the original made history as the first fully computer-animated feature film.

Best Motion Picture — Foreign Language

“The Farewell” (USA)
“Les Misérables” (France)
“Pain and Glory” (Spain)
“Parasite” (South Korea)
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France)

Winner: “Parasite”

Bong Joon Ho’s comic thriller should have absolutely no problem winning. The film is a favorite of just about everyone in Hollywood, including the HFPA.

Best Original Score — Motion Picture

Alexandre Desplat (“Little Women”)
Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”)
Randy Newman (“Marriage Story”)
Thomas Newman (“1917”)
Daniel Pemberton (“Motherless Brooklyn”)

Winner: Thomas Newman

Thomas Newman’s score for Sam Mendes’ World War I epic was a perfect match for Roger Deakins’ cinematography to capture the physical and emotional horror of war.

Best Original Song — Motion Picture

“Beautiful Ghosts” (“Cats”)
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again” (“Rocketman”)
“Into the Unknown” (“Frozen 2”)
“Spirit” (“The Lion King”)
“Stand Up” (“Harriet”)

Winner: “I’m Gonna Love Me Again”

Going into awards season, “Cats” was supposed lap up all the music awards, but we know how that movie turned out. So look for Elton John to pick up his second win, made even sweeter because he’ll share it with his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin.