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The Golden Globes had a lot to prove Sunday night<\/a>. It was the award show\u2019s return to a primo broadcast time slot after a series of scandals over finances<\/a> and lack of diversity<\/a> upended what used to be known as the biggest party of the year in Hollywood. Now privately owned<\/a> with a greatly expanded pool of voters, the Globes were making a bid for relevance. Did that bid succeed? Well, it helped that this was the first major televised ceremony since the writers\u2019 and actors\u2019 strikes brought Hollywood to a halt, and stars and studios looking to goose their Oscar chances turned out after some skipped last year\u2019s event. Then again, this wasn\u2019t the liveliest show. Here are the highs and lows as we saw them.<\/p>\n In a momentous triumph, Lily Gladstone<\/a> became the first Indigenous person to win a Golden Globe for best actress, for her turn in \u201cKillers of the Flower Moon<\/a>\u201d as an Osage woman whose family members are killed in a plot to take their fortune. Gladstone, whose background is Blackfeet and Nez Perce, was only the second Native actress to receive recognition from the Globes: Irene Bedard was nominated in 1995 for \u201cLakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee,\u201d a television movie.<\/p>\n After receiving a standing ovation, an overcome Gladstone spoke a few lines in the Blackfeet language, \u201cthe beautiful community nation that raised me, that encouraged me to keep going, keep doing this,\u201d she explained in English.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so grateful that I can speak even a little bit of my language,\u201d she added later, \u201cbecause in this business, Native actors used to speak their lines in English, and then the sound mixers would run them backwards to accomplish Native languages on camera.\u201d She dedicated the award to \u201cevery little rez kid\u201d who had a dream. \u2014 Esther Zuckerman<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In the end, the great \u201cBarbenheimer\u201d face-off was a complete fizzle. \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d with eight nominations, won five trophies \u2014 best drama, director, actor, supporting actor and score. After sitting on the sidelines for most of the night, \u201cBarbie,\u201d the ceremony\u2019s most-nominated film, with nine nods, finally got in the game with a win in the rather meaningless category of best blockbuster (\u201ccinematic and box office achievement\u201d). \u201cBarbie\u201d got a second prize in the form of best song, which was kind of a no-brainer because the film\u2019s tunes filled three of the category\u2019s six slots. Time to rev up that Oscar campaign, Babs! \u2014 Brooks Barnes<\/em><\/p>\n Just in case anyone forgot about the \u201cBarbie\u201d effect of last year, which turned entire crowds pink, Margot Robbie managed to out-\u201cBarbie\u201d her own red carpets past in a sequined slither of hot pink Armani paired with a bristling pink tulle boa, all of it inspired by the 1977 Superstar Barbie.<\/p>\n As it turned out, however, that was just the beginning of the on-theme dressing. Oprah Winfrey wore Louis Vuitton in the color purple, in honor of \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 \u201cThe Color Purple<\/a>,\u201d for which she served as a producer. And Taylor Swift wore glimmering Gucci in the sort of bright leafy shade that evoked nothing so much as the color of money and made it impossible to forget just how much green her Eras Tour has generated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Together they made for a more interesting trend than the traditional strapless frocks that also proliferated. (The best of those being Elle Fanning\u2019s vintage Balmain and Rosamund Pike\u2019s not-quite-vintage 2019 Dior: If you\u2019re going to go with the classics, might as well go back to the source.) And the theme dressing added a new dimension to the brand-marketing machine that the red carpet has become. \u2014 Vanessa Friedman<\/em><\/p>\n I had high hopes for Jo Koy<\/a>, the 52-year-old Filipino American comedian who is only the second Asian American to host the Golden Globes. (Sandra Oh was the first, in 2019.) But Koy\u2019s opening monologue felt like a highlight reel of mortifying moments. From a weird joke about being attracted to a plastic Barbie to one about the \u201cKillers of the Flower Moon\u201d filmmakers stealing the plot, Koy\u2019s jokes met an icy reception from the audience. To be fair, he had barely any time to prepare. \u201cI got the gig 10 days ago!\u201d he said from the stage. \u201cYou want a perfect monologue?\u201d It\u2019s a shame, but Koy\u2019s jokes will probably end up being best remembered for the memes they inspire on social media. \u2014 Christopher Kuo<\/em><\/p>\n Why you gotta be so mean<\/a>? The host\u2019s jokes did not really improve as the night went on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came on after a football doubleheader,\u201d Koy said as the ceremony returned from its first commercial break. \u201cThe big difference between the Golden Globes and the N.F.L.? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.\u201d<\/p>\n Koy seemed to swallow the word \u201ccamera\u201d as he said it. And when the actual camera, on cue, panned to Swift, she appeared deeply unamused, her lips pursed, her eyes stern as she sipped a drink.<\/p>\n It is true that Swift has been shown many, many times on N.F.L. telecasts<\/a> since she began showing up at Kansas City Chiefs games to cheer on the team\u2019s tight end, Travis Kelce.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But Koy\u2019s joke, at the expense of perhaps the most famous person in a room full of famous people, fell flat again. So flat, that he muttered, \u201cSorry about that.\u201d \u2014 Matt Stevens<\/em><\/p>\n The most entertaining speeches take us on a ride. That\u2019s what Steven Yeun did when he won for actor in a limited series for his role in \u201cBeef.\u201d He started out with a serious and vulnerable tone, saying, \u201cThe story I usually tell of myself to myself is one of isolation and, like, separateness.\u201d But then he threw in a twist, saying that once he climbed onto the stage he realized that \u2014 wait, that inner monologue \u201cfeels a lot like the plot to \u2018Frozen.\u2019\u201d It was unexpected yet heartfelt, a joke for his daughter. \u2014 Brooks Barnes<\/em><\/p>\n Awards show speeches tend to be mash-ups of gushing adjectives meant to communicate maximum gratitude \u2014 \u201camazings\u201d and \u201cincredibles\u201d aplenty \u2014 but a couple of actors were refreshingly measured in their delight. This isn\u2019t the Oscars, after all. Winning for his role as Roman Roy in \u201cSuccession,\u201d Kieran Culkin told the audience, simply, \u201cThis is a nice moment for me.\u201d And when Robert Downey Jr. stepped up to the microphone, he deflected applause for his supporting performance in \u201cOppenheimer\u201d by addressing the prescription medication powering his nonchalance onstage: \u201cYeah, yeah, I took a beta blocker,\u201d he said, \u201cso this is going to be a breeze.\u201d \u2014 Julia Jacobs<\/em><\/p>\n The previous group of Golden Globe voters could always be counted on to give us a few unpredictable wins, and though they weren\u2019t always welcome swerves, they at least lent the night a charge of anything-could-happen frisson. That feeling was hard to come by this year, thanks to a series of respectable, safe choices, though the unexpected triumph of \u201cAnatomy of a Fall<\/a>\u201d in the screenplay category certainly woke up the ballroom: In years past, Globe voters almost certainly would have chosen a starrier pick like \u201cBarbie\u201d or \u201cOppenheimer,\u201d and it was fun to get a worthy upset. \u2014 Kyle Buchanan<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Globes added a new box-office trophy this year, with nominees required to have earned at least $150 million (or, as the guidelines put it, \u201ccommensurate digital streaming viewership\u201d). The whole thing is a little silly, especially in a year in which two huge hits \u2014 \u201cBarbie\u201d and \u201cOppenheimer\u201d \u2014 were also popular with critics and nominated for many awards. Is it an effort to revive the academy\u2019s widely derided attempt<\/a> to add a best popular film category to the Oscars? Or just to get more A-listers in the room (including, yes, Taylor Swift)?<\/p>\n Entertainment plaudits are basically made up of vibes and campaigning, meant to create heated discussions. But if there\u2019s anything in movies that\u2019s impossible to argue with, it\u2019s box office receipts and clicks. So what was the undisputed biggest box office achievement in 2023? \u201cBarbie.\u201d Who won this new Globe? \u201cBarbie.\u201d Who else could it have been? \u2014 Alissa Wilkinson<\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps as an ode to the recently settled Hollywood writers\u2019 strike, the presenters Daniel Kaluuya, Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore announced they would introduce the best screenplay nominees with words written by studio executives \u2014 although given the dry, stilted language, the script may well have been generated by ChatGPT.<\/p>\n \u201cI am relatable,\u201d Steinfeld intoned. \u201cI am enjoy the Golden Globes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do agree,\u201d Moore said.<\/p>\n \u201cAs do I,\u201d Kaluuya agreed.<\/p>\n At least the \u201cexecutives\u201d generated a few laughs.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonathan Abrams<\/em><\/p>\n What is a \u201cSuits\u201d reunion without Meghan Markle? The law-firm drama that has found unprecedented success<\/a> on Netflix more than a decade after its debut deserved a moment in the sun just for the sheer number of viewers it accrued in recent months. And I\u2019m sure the actors Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty were thrilled to present the award for best drama series. But where was Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who was a star of the show and played a key character? She doesn\u2019t live very far from the Beverly Hilton, where the ceremony was held. \u201cSuits\u201d fans had to be thrilled that their beloved cast was alive and well, but without Meghan, can you really call it a reunion? \u2014 Nicole Sperling<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Keeping things interesting visually during an awards show can be a challenging task. Talking heads. Nominees. Award. Speech. Rinse. Repeat. But on Sunday night, the producers mixed it up by pulling a simple reversal and shooting some of the presenters with the audience in the background. It changed the feel while allowing us at home to peek behind some of the presenters during the more boring banter to check out the celebrities behind them. Who\u2019s paying attention? Who can\u2019t be bothered? One drawback was that the lighting didn\u2019t always favor the presenters at these varying angles. But overall, it felt fun and gave a little jolt to the proceedings. \u2014 Mekado Murphy<\/em><\/p>\nMost Historic Win: Lily Gladstone<\/h2>\n
Least Suspenseful Rivalry: \u2018Oppenheimer\u2019 vs. \u2018Barbie\u2019<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best Looks: Stars Dressing on a Theme<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Flattest Monologue: Jo Koy<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Flattest Joke: Koy Riffing on Taylor Swift<\/h2>\n
Best Speech With a Twist: Steven Yeun<\/h2>\n
Best Speeches With a Dose of Honesty: Kieran Culkin and Robert Downey Jr.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Biggest Upset: Best Screenplay for \u2018Anatomy of a Fall\u2019<\/h2>\n
Worst Award: The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Globe<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Best Writers\u2019 Revenge: A Script \u2018Written\u2019 by Studio Executives<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Least Satisfying Reunion: \u2018Suits\u2019<\/h2>\n
Most Improved Angle: Shots of the Audience Behind the Presenters<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Most Surprising (Apparent) Spoiler: \u2018Anatomy of a Fall\u2019<\/h2>\n