2024 Oscars: Yes, ‘The Color Purple’ is still in the Best Picture race despite Golden Globes snub
All hope is not lost for “The Color Purple” to land a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. It was looking dicey for the film adaptation of the Broadway musical and Alice Walker‘s book after the Golden Globes passed it over, but its inclusion at the Critics’ Choice Awards is keeping its metaphorical heart beating.
The Globes’ recent category expansion allowed 12 films to be lauded, so the snub stung even more when “The Color Purple” missed. However, when you consider that Critics’ Choice only nominated 10 films for the top prize, it says even more that they included “The Color Purple,” framing the fact that it was omitted at the Globes as more of a fluke versus an issue involving the quality of the film. While neither awards body has overlap with the academy, it’s not out of the ordinary to see the Globes pass over a film that goes on to show up at Critics Choice and then, eventually, the Oscars. In fact, it’s happened annually to at least one film for the last 15 years.
Starting in 2008, the Critics’ Choice Awards nominated films that the Golden Globes ignored, only to be validated once said film achieved Oscar recognition. From 2008-2011, a whopping 11 movies were singled out for Best Picture by Critics’ Choice and the academy after a Golden Globes snub: “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Up,” “A Serious Man,” “An Education,” “True Grit,” “Winter’s Bone,” “127 Hours,” “Toy Story 3,” “The Tree of Life,” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” The animated films were recognized in their own category at the Globes, but they were able to pull double duty at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Oscars. Thus, a trend was born that continues to this day.
The Globes haven’t missed as many since, but there was still always a film that fit this bill. 2012’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club,” and 2014’s “Whiplash” were embraced only at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Oscars. The Globes differed in 2015 and 2016 as well, blanking two films for each year (“Brooklyn” and “Bridge of Spies” in 2015 and “Fences” and “Arrival” in 2016). In 2017, “Darkest Hour” was highlighted by the critics and the academy, but then this streak came as close to ending as it ever has.
In 2018, the film that the Globes “missed” was “Roma.” I use quotes because it was nominated for Best Non-English Film, but due to the rules in place at the time, that made “Roma” ineligible for the Globes’ equivalent of Best Picture. It still counts, though, because had the Globes nominated “Roma” for Best Film Drama, they would have had to drop one of the films that made it in. Each of the last four years also had a film miss at the Globes, but land at Critics’ Choice and ultimately the Oscars: “Ford v Ferrari” (2019), “Sound of Metal” (2020,) “Nightmare Alley” (2021) and “Women Talking” (2022).
There are a few factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Firstly, all three voting bodies are comprised of different people, so their preferences just contrast at times. Additionally, eligibility rules, like the now defunct Globes one that prevented “Roma” from simultaneously competing for Best Film Drama and Best Non-English Film, also affect the outcome. Finally, the quantity and characterization of available slots leads to discrepancies. The Golden Globes have traditionally had five slots for dramatic films and five for comedies/musicals (this year they upped it to six apiece) while the Oscars and Critics’ Choice Awards do not differentiate by genre when nominating for Best Picture. So, if the top films of a given year are predominantly dramatic, the critics and the academy could theoretically fill all of their slots with drama films, while the Globes would be limited to the number of slots specifically allocated for dramas. In that scenario, the Globes wouldn’t be able to match the other bodies exactly, creating opportunities for trends, such as this, to thrive.
The most likely beneficiary of the pattern this year is “The Color Purple.” Not only did it land a Best Picture nomination at the Critics’ Choice Awards, but the Globes even singled out Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks for Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. This shows admiration for the film despite its Best Picture snub.
With a wide release beginning on Christmas, “The Color Purple” can also benefit from good reviews, word of mouth and box office performance. Once the reviews embargo was lifted, praise began pouring in and Blitz Bazawule‘s musical scored an 88% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Alex Bentley (CultureMap) lauded the film, saying the fact that it could “deliver the goods just as much as the original book demonstrates the power of Walker’s story, and of everyone involved in the film.” Jorge Rivera Rubio (QiiBO) called it “a triumph in every sense.”
All of this is to say that this marathon is far from over. “The Color Purple” may have to overcome this Globes snub, but opportunities abound for it to show its strength. Heavy-hitting producers like Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones don’t hurt. The film is currently 11th in Gold Derby’s odds to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. It’s not over until it’s over, and I would still place my bets on seeing “The Color Purple” achieve awards success.
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