The Golden Globes 2022 occurred on January 9, 2022, with a twist – the event was not televised. It was, essentially, a private event, caused by not being able to secure actors and artists to pass out the awards. That being said, the Globes was not without its share of controversy, with a lack of diversity within the organization being heavily scrutinized last year, which could have also led to the privacy of the event. But concerning the picks themselves, there were quite a few unpopular and major picks that caused stirs with audiences. Here are the most major picks, and unpopular picks that could have been changed this year:

Best Picture Drama-The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog was a relatively well-received pick, a psychological drama that revolved around a rancher, Phil Burbank, in 1925. Burbank is a cruel, dominating rancher, cowboy to his core, but soon, after his brother marries a woman he insulted and becomes stepfather to her son, he changes, taking the boy under his wing. The movie is tragic but uplifting, and one of the better films of 2021.

Rating of the pick: 5/5.

Best Picture Musical/Comedy-West Side Story

While West Side Story was a solid movie all around, directed by the acclaimed Steven Spielberg, it didn’t have the impact that Don’t Look Up did. Director Adam McKay, the director of movies like Step Brothers, did a great job with the movie, using satire as a heavy message to all of us, prompting a look at the real world. It had more of this tangible impact, and this should’ve been the pick over West Side Story, which felt a tad bit on the lesser side in that category. Still, this award could have gone either way.

Rating of the pick: 2.5/5.

Best Director Motion Picture-Jane Campion

Jane Campion, the director of the award-winning The Power of the Dog, won the best director for the motion picture, which seems justified, as her film won the best picture drama. However, the true best director was Denis Villeneuve. Dune was a great movie, but what truly shined was its directing. Its visual effects, using sand screens instead of greenscreens, and everything in its directing was top-notch. Though “The Power of the Dog” was certainly the better movie, Denis Villeneuve was the better director. The effects he orchestrated and how he managed to transform this movie into a riveting story that stayed in our minds as we left the theater propels him to the front of this race. However, Jane Campion is a wonderful director in her own right, and the pick is still quite justified.

Rating of the pick: 3/5.

Best Actress Motion Picture Drama-Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman, the lead actress of the great movie Being the Ricardos, had a wonderful performance as Lucille Ball, an actress married to another Hollywood actor, Desi Arnaz. She portrayed the role very well, and in any other year, this globe would have been more than justified. However, a previously lackluster actress truly deserved to win this year, and it was Kristen Stewart, for Spencer. Through Spencer, Stewart portrayed Princess Diana with a side not originally seen. Her struggles with her mental health were thrust into the emotions of the audience through her acting, which really doesn’t happen very often. Though Kidman had a wonderful performance as Ball, and again, the Globes shouldn’t be to blame for this pick, Stewart was the true best actress for Spencer.

Rating of the pick: 2.75/5.

Best Actor Motion Picture/Drama-Will Smith

Will Smith won the best actor for a motion picture/drama, for his absolutely outstanding performance as Serena and Venus Williams’ father in the movie King Richard. He played the part to perfection, and had audiences invested in the Williams’ family, on the edge of their seats even though we all knew the ending. It was a wonderful film in general, and Smith was the best pick for the award. However, there was a dark horse in Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal in The Power of the Dog. His transition from an abusive rancher to a vulnerable older man with trauma is absolutely spectacular, but Smith takes this award.

Rating of the pick: 4.75/5.

Best Actor Motion Picture Musical/Comedy-Andrew Garfield

Andrew Garfield, the previous Spider-Man, won the best actor award for his great performance in tick, tick….BOOM! He had a great performance as Jonathan Larson in the movie, and it was a pretty good movie in general. It would have been a justifiable pick, but Peter Dinklage puts up a very solid fight for the award for his wonderful performance in Cyrano. The recreation of the novel was also a wonderful movie, and either of them deserved to win the award. Rating of the pick: 4/5.

Best Animated Picture-Encanto

Encanto was another animated movie by Disney, and it won the best Animated Picture at the Globes this year. Disney is, evidently, better known for their animated movies rather than their live action(Mulan, anyone?), but overall, there was a better animated film in the running this year, a lesser-known animated film called Flee. One of the few PG-13 animated movies, it tells the backstory of Amin Nawabi, a man about to marry his husband, relaying his past. It was a wonderful movie, and it had much depth, and should have definitely won this award.

Rating of the pick:1/5

Overall, the Globes this year didn’t have too many atrocious picks, but there were still quite a few that could have been resolved. It wasn’t awful, but it evidently wasn’t too great either. It will most likely be a Globes forgotten by history, though this year had some great movies. A decent show and success, overall. 

Rating of the Globes:3.5/5