Who will (and should) win at the 2023 Golden Globes

Cate Blanchett, Olivia Colman, Viola Davis,  Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams, Who will win: Cate BlanchettThis is going to be one of the toughest categories at the Oscars this year, but the Golden Globes offers two opportunities for a Best Actress win due to the way it splits up its categories. People have been talking about Cate Blanchett’s performance as problematic maestro Lydia Tár since the film started screening for critics months ago, and that buzz has catapulted her to front-runner status and will likely translate to a Golden Globe win at this year’s ceremony.Who should win: Cate BlanchettFrom a cynical point of view, you could argue that Tár was engineered as a vehicle to deliver some hardware to its star come awards season, but that doesn’t change the fact that Blanchett gives an incredible performance in the film. Lydia is a complicated character, full of nuance and contradictions—a predator who’s also a victim of her own success, outwardly resolute while her life falls apart. Blanchett allows us to access Lydia’s complex inner world through her unflinching performance, and for that she deserves the recognition she’s bound to get.

Austin Butler, Brendan Fraser,  Hugh Jackman, Bill Nighy, Jeremy Pope, Who will win: Austin ButlerThere are few more solid bets in Hollywood than the star of a musical biopic being in contention in an acting category come awards season. It may not always mean they take home a statue, but there’s no denying that awards voters love to see actors fully immerse themselves in the role of a famous musician. It helps if they have a voice to match the looks, and that little extra star quality that’s hard to define. Austin Butler has the goods, and his performance as The King in Elvis proves it. Or maybe he just looked really good next to Tom Hanks’ Colonel Tom Parker, about whom the less said, the better.Who should win: Brendan FraserIt’s hard not to root for Brendan Fraser, but he’s already announced that this year, and as much as we respect his choice (stemming from his accusations of sexual assault by a former HPFA president), we worry that it may count against him when it comes to choosing a winner. We still think his touching and critically acclaimed performance in The Whale is worth recognizing, though. The film may have its problems, but Fraser’s performance is not one of them.

Lesley Manville,  Margot Robbie, Babylon Anya Taylor-Joy,  Emma Thompson,  Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At OnceWho will win: Michelle YeohWe’re still talking about Michelle Yeoh’s astonishing performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once for a reason. Amidst a cacophony of visual and narrative chaos, and throughout a staggering variety of multiverses, Yeoh capably held the film together as its grounded center. The sci-fi premise may have been way out there, but the emotional stakes felt real, and she gave those moments the resonance needed to achieve something very special.Who should win: Michelle YeohWhile Cate Blanchett may be taking up a lot of oxygen in the early Oscars race, the Globes have an opportunity to recognize Yeoh for her extraordinary work in the parallel category of best performance in a musical or comedy. It’s a different kind of performance, requiring a whole separate skill set, and we’re glad there’s room for both to be awarded for their outstanding achievements this past year.

Diego Calva, Babylon Daniel Craig, Adam Driver,  Colin Farrell, The Banshees Of Inisherin Ralph Fiennes, The MenuWho will win: Colin FarrellIf you’ve seen The Banshees Of Inisherin, Colin Farrell’s performance as a simple Irish herdsman struggling to understand why his best friend suddenly breaks up with him isn’t one you’ll soon forget. We don’t think HFPA voters will forget it either. Farrell brings a tenderness and a boyish quality to Padraic that’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. If he’d played it any other way, or if anyone else had played him, the film would not have worked as well as it does.Who should win: Daniel CraigIf we’re talking about the most enjoyable performance of the year, the standout on this list has to be Daniel Craig as famed detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion. If we were talking purely in terms of memes and popularity, well, Craig would still win. His initial outing as Blanc in Knives Out was enough to bring us back for another twisty murder mystery, and Craig did not disappoint. The impeccable outfits, the affectations, the accent, the sharp wit, and even sharper intellect—it all adds up to an instantly iconic character we’d be willing to follow anywhere.

James Cameron,  Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once Baz Luhrmann, ElvisMartin McDonagh, The Banshees Of Inisherin Steven Spielberg, The FabelmansWho will win: Steven SpielbergThe HFPA passed over Steven Spielberg last year when he was nominated for West Side Story (they honored Jane Campion for The Power Of The Dog, and she went on to win an Oscar), but we don’t think they’ll miss their chance to give him a statue this year. Spielberg has been nominated 13 times for a Golden Globe for Best Director, and won it twice. His semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans has all the qualities HFPA voters love in a film—a feel-good narrative about the power of the movies, loosely based on a true story.Who should win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel ScheinertBefore we get to our pick for who should win, a word on who should have been nominated. Despite some outstanding directing by women this past year, including Sarah Polley for Women Talking and Gina Prince-Bythewood for The Woman King, this list of nominees is strictly made up of men. Having said that, we can’t deny that the Daniels’ spectacular work on Everything Everywhere All At Once merits this award above all the others in contention this year.