Golden Globes 2021 winner predictions: I Care a Lot, The Queen’s Gambit, Borat

We’ve seen her magnificent performance as Marla Grayson in I Care a Lot, and now it’s almost time to find out whether Rosamund Pike takes home an award at this year’s Golden Globes. She’s up for best actress (musical or comedy), but faces stiff competition from Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma) and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm).

Elsewhere, the TV and movie awards show dropped a few surprise nominations this year, embracing revenge thriller Promising Young Woman with four nods. The film starring Carey Mulligan sits behind The Trial of Chicago 7 (five nods) and overall leader Netflix’s Mank (six). But Chloé Zhao’s lauded Nomadland is probably the favorite to win best picture (drama), making Zhao’s entry to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Eternals (arriving at the end of the year) even more enticing.

Best TV series (drama) looks like it’ll go to a splashy season 4 of The Crown, which faces off against Ozark, Ratched, Lovecraft Country and The Mandalorian. Based on the general snubbing of sci-fi, it’s hard to see the latter pair in with much chance. It’s surprising Ratched is in there at all given its overall mixed reception.

Read more: Golden Globes 2021: The full list of nominations | How to watch the Golden Globes 2021

Let’s take a stab at predicting some of the major Golden Globes winners for 2021. We’ll find out if we’re right this Sunday (Feb. 28).

Best motion picture, drama

• The Father
• Mank
• Nomadland — should win, will win
• Promising Young Woman
• The Trial of the Chicago 7

Nomadland has already seen awards success at Venice and Toronto. With its best actress nod for lead Frances McDormand, plus best director and best screenplay for Chloé Zhao, it’s a big shout for best picture. David Fincher’s Mank is right behind it and leads overall nominations with six.

Best actress in a motion picture, drama

• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — will win
• Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
• Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
• Frances McDormand, Nomadland — should win
• Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

As delicious as Carey Mulligan’s performance is in Promising Young Woman, this race is looking like a two-hander between Viola Davis and Frances McDormand. McDormand is sweeping critics awards for her performance as a woman who leaves her small town to travel around the American West. Davis is still a hot favorite, for her tour-de-force performance as legendary blues singer Ma Rainey.

Best actor in a motion picture, drama

• Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
• Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — should win, will win
• Anthony Hopkins, The Father
• Gary Oldman, Mank
• Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian

An apt posthumous win for Chadewick Boseman doesn’t look in doubt for his invested performance as a hot-heated trumpeter. Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins are distant second places.

Best motion picture, musical or comedy

• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm 
• Hamilton 
• Music
• Palm Springs — should win
• The Prom — will win

As problematic as James Cordon’s flamboyant performance in The Prom was, it’s hard to see Borat taking home a gold statue over the star-studded Netflix flick (Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington). In the perfect world, the delightful time travel rom-com Palm Springs would take home the sash and crown.

Best actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy

• Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm — should win
• Kate Hudson, Music
• Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
• Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot
• Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma — will win

After Meryl Streep’s snub for The Prom, this category looks like anyone’s game. Rosamund Pike’s memorable con artist Marla Grayson from I Care a Lot is a terrific wild card, but Maria Bakalova deserves an award for the juggling act that is playing Borat’s teenage daughter. But, just for the sake of it, let’s say Anya Taylor-Joy, who deserves to hit full stardom, will win (although she should win for The Queen’s Gambit in the best actress (limited series) category).

Best actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy

• Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm — will win
• James Corden, The Prom
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton — should win
• Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
• Andy Samberg, Palm Springs

Now that we’re going with Hamilton being a film-film, Lin-Manuel Miranda stands a huge chance of earning even more recognition for his momentous Broadway musical. But Sacha Baron Cohen might just pip him with his own, very different, creation, putting his body on the line to deliver pranks for the Borat sequel and its commentary on American culture.

Best TV series, drama

• The Crown — should win, will win
• Lovecraft Country
• The Mandalorian
• Ozark
• Ratched

Despite some confusion over the veracity of its story, The Crown stepped up its game for season 4, introducing Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher. Its lavishly-produced world is just about second to none, making it our pick, closely followed by Lovecraft Country and Ozark.

Best TV series, musical or comedy

• Emily in Paris
• The Flight Attendant
• The Great
• Schitt’s Creek — will win
• Ted Lasso — should win

It’s really a tie between Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso, but after the former’s comprehensive sweep at the Emmys, it would be nice for the equally feel-good Ted Lasso to receive a share of recognition. Shoutout to the compulsive thriller-comedy The Flight Attendant.

Best limited series or TV movie

• Normal People
• The Queen’s Gambit — should win, will win
• Small Axe
• The Undoing
• Unorthodox

The Queen’s Gambit should win an award for increasing the popularity of chess alone. A complete package with a mesmerizing Anya Taylor-Joy at the heart, the Netflix hit is a deserved winner.

What are your picks? Let us know in the comments.

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