Golden Globe Musings: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced shortly, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anything important. A reminder that the Globes are wildly unpredictable and that, especially this year, it’s hard to know which films and performances will end up being honored.

Last year’s nominees:
Daniel Craig (Knives Out)
Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Taron Egerton (Rocketman)
Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

This is a tricky category because there are a number of films that will probably do well and bring their lead actors along with them, and there’s also one project eligible that might trump everything this. Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), who won’t be in the running at the Oscars, are very likely given the popularity of the staged musical. Next up are Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Andy Samberg (Palm Springs), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island). I’m not sure if Dev Patel (The Personal History of David Copperfield) will be embraced by this group or not since his film is more fantasy than outright comedy. Watch out for also for Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round), whose film is a lock for a Best Foreign Film nomination, or it could be one or two nominations for Will Ferrell (Eurovision Song Contest) or Will Ferrell (Downhill).

Current predictions:
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton)
Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton)
Andy Samberg (Palm Springs)