Golden Globes: 'The Martian' gets a 'grateful' win for best picture comedy - Los Angeles Times
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Golden Globes: ‘The Martian’ gets a ‘grateful’ win for best picture comedy

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Though many wondered whether it really belonged in the category at all, “The Martian” won the Golden Globe Award for best motion picture comedy or musical Sunday night, beating out “Joy,” “The Big Short,” “Trainwreck” and “Spy.”

From the moment the film was nominated, many complained that the sci-fi adventure film about an astronaut (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars wasn’t really a comedy. (“A comedy’s a film whose #1 goal is to make people laugh,” “Spy” director Paul Feig tweeted in response to the film’s nomination.)

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Taking the stage to accept the award, Ridley Scott seemed sympathetic to that view. “Comedy?” he said, waving his hand in an “eh, maybe not so much” motion. “But we’re grateful.”

Coming into the Globes, some had thought that Adam McKay’s financial-crisis dramedy “The Big Short,” another movie that stretched the definition of comedy, could pull out the win. But in giving the award to “The Martian,” the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. clearly saw an opportunity to recognize Scott’s entire career as a filmmaker.

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“Where have you been?” Scott said, laughing. “I was thinking this was going to be posthumous.”

While humor is clearly an essential ingredient in “The Martian,” Damon, who earned the award for lead actor in a comedy, acknowledged that its inclusion in the comedy category was eyebrow-raising.

“No, it’s a musical,” Damon joked. “And the 18 year gap [since his last award] was me working on my singing.”
In his acceptance speech, Scott took a moment to acknowledge this year’s record-setting box office and the massive success of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in particular.

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“Our business is like sport,” he said. “We had success and ‘Star Wars’’ majestic success is inspiring. You’ve got to stay hungry and keep bouncing the ball. That’s me.”

Twitter: @joshrottenberg

MORE GOLDEN GLOBES:

Alejandro G. Inarritu wins best director for ‘The Revenant’

Matt Damon wins lead actor in a musical or comedy motion picture

Jennifer Lawrence wins actress in a musical or comedy motion picture for ‘Joy’

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