By The Golden Globes were an unfunny joke this year, anchored by its comparatively unfunny Best Comedy, The Martian. The film’s win, paired with lead actor Matt Damon’s Best Comedy Actor win, was met with almost unanimous ire. However, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organizers behind the Golden Globes, is changing its rules to prevent such shenanigans from happening in the future.
According to The Guardian, the HFPA will prevent “dramas with comedic overtones” from officially categorizing as a comedy in the future. The update reads as follows:
Motion pictures shall be entered in the category that best matches the overall tone and content of the motion picture. Thus, for example, dramas with comedic overtones should be entered as dramas.
Hollywood comedy vet Judd Apatow, director of the Golden Globes-nominated comedy, Trainwreck, was one of the more outspoken critics of The Martian‘s distinction as a comedy, and rightfully so. Sure, The Martian had some funny moments (perhaps more than the standard drama/dramedy), but its inclusion as a comedy was a slap in the industry’s face, let alone the fact that it won. Thankfully, this is a wrong that will be righted and prevented going forward.
You can read all of the updated Golden Globes eligibility rules here.
[via The Guardian]