American Hustle goes full comedy at the Golden Globes

It’s official. It’s now been announced that American Hustle will be classified as a comedy in 3 major categories at the Golden Globes. Not only does this free up slots in the Globes drama divisions for Best Picture, Actor and Actress, it allows American Hustle to compete against several less substantial performances less momentous films. (Not that there aren’t any substantial comedy performances every year; there just aren’t 10 of them).

By definition, it’s rare to find a comedy the Oscars take seriously. Over the past 40 years, only 3 winners of the Golden Globes Musical/Comedy prize have gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

1998 – Shakespeare in Love
2002 – Chicago
2011 – The Artist

Other illustrious winners of the Globes Best Comedy/Musical category have included The Longest Yard, The Sunshine Boys, Green Card and The Hangover. The Goodbye Girl beat Annie Hall in 1977, typical of the Golden Globe’s flat sheen of comedy prestige.

Note: 36 hours ago Monica and bennett drew our attention to a lone tweet from HFPA member @anamariabahiana: “American Hustle (A Trapaça, no Brasil) acaba de passar para a categoria comedia nos #GoldenGlobes.” I wanted to post the news but couldn’t find a second source to confirm until this afternoon. In the future we’d be wise to pay attention when Monica and bennett tell us what Ana Maria Bahiana is saying.

I like to quote the feedback card from a Pomona guy at the first test screening for The Magnificent Ambersons: “People like to laff, not be bored to death.” Allowing for the possibility that death by boredom and laffing aren’t our only options, I’ll see if I can list 50 substantial Golden Globe comedy nominees from the past 50 years.

Tom Jones
The Graduate
The Odd Couple
MASH
American Graffiti
Paper Moon
Shampoo
Annie Hall
Heaven Can Wait
Breaking Away
Being There
Melvin and Howard
Diner
Zelig
Prizzi’s Honor
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Hannah and Her Sisters
Peggy Sue Got Married
Broadcast News
Working Girl
Big
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
A Fish Called Wanda
Driving Miss Daisy
The Fisher King
The Player
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Babe
Get Shorty
Fargo
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Wag the Dog
Shakespeare in Love
Bulworth
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Being John Malkovich
O Brother Where Art Thou
Almost Famous
Gosford Park
Adaptation
Lost in Translation
Finding Nemo
Sideways
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Incredibles
Pride & Prejudice
The Squid and the Whale
The Devil Wears Prada
Burn After Reading
In Bruges
(500) Days of Summer
The Kids Are All Right
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Artist
Moonrise Kingdom