Golden Globe Winner Predictions: Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

The competition: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)

For your information: The only returning nominee is Inarritu, who was nominated for directing “Babel” in 2006. Along with Linklater and Anderson, he is also nominated for directing his film this year. Comedies rarely win this award, though “Midnight in Paris” won three years ago and “Her” won last year. “Gone Girl” is the only film not nominated for a Best Motion Picture prize.

Who should win? I loved the writing in “Birdman” though I can see why “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is here too. “Gone Girl” has its merits as does “The Imitation Game,” and “Boyhood” is a considerable undertaking whose screenwriting shouldn’t be undervalued. All in all, a pretty great list.

Who will win? It’s ill-advised because I can’t find a time in the past thirty years that a film not nominated for Best Motion Picture won this award, but I’m going to predict Gone Girl over the smarter choices of “Birdman” or “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”