The last time Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes, Harvey Weinstein joked afterwards (maybe, who can be sure, really?) that he would have him killed. But last night, it was Harvey who was throwing his head back in a close-up, laughing at this joke:
“One Hollywood publication said that me hosting would mean that some film star would stay away for fear of being made fun of. As if film stars would stay away from the chance of winning a Golden Globe. Particularly if their film company has already paid for it.”
And that’s basically what Ricky did all night. He shat on the people who paid him to come back to the Globes. He shat on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. He repeatedly demeaned them. At one point, even Jim Carrey demeaned them, and his own Golden Globe awards. Tina and Amy did this too, slyly. But sly is not Ricky’s style. Ricky doesn’t leave any room for interpretation. Ricky, basically, spent 3 hours telling a room full of narcissists that they take themselves way too seriously…and then they all proceeded to take themselves way too seriously. I’m looking at you, Inarritu.
I loved that he opened with Sean Penn. I loved that he closed with “Shalom”. Shalom! I did not love the multiple shots at the trans community. But the difference between this Ricky and the one from 2011, when he looked more and more ragged every time he came out, was that he seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more. He wasn’t any kinder but there was joy in his attack; he was throwing poison darts with a smile on his face, not gritting his teeth. Like here, right before he introduces Matt Damon? One of the best moments of the night. He’s laughing before the joke comes. He can’t wait, he had so much fun with this particular slam that he couldn’t wait to get it out, and it had nothing to do with The Martian not being a comedy. It had everything to do with the fact that he was about to throw down gold:
I mean there’s loyalty, and then there’s no denying that you’ve been had. Or, rather, that your best friend had it coming. Some people are complaining about Ricky at the Globes. About how he made everyone uncomfortable. That’s never going to be my problem. I’ll never bitch about someone who makes celebrities squirm for a few hours when their entire existence is about how much glitter they can have shoved up their asses. Also, if we’re talking about funny and who was and who wasn’t? Um, didn’t Jonah Hill, 2X Oscar nominee and friend of Leo, Marty, and Brange take care of that?
