While the list of winners has certainly met some raised eyebrows, last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards was actually not a total disaster. Hosted by Megan Mullally, the show seemed to lack the laughter-free awkwardness that has been pervasive early in the 2019 awards season. Mullally was quick, fun, and apolitical, traits rarely seen in a host. The show stuck to its mission of actors celebrating actors, with most winners remembering to thank their acting colleagues and teachers, not lecturing on progressive politics.
As far as the winners, there were few surprises and even fewer upsets. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” continued its tour of winning most of the awards it was nominated for, while “A Star is Born” continues to win almost nothing, despite early predictions.
Glenn Close won yet another award for her work in “The Wife”—a movie no one had heard of before she was nominated—and Rami Malik’s prosthetic teeth continue to get top recognition for sort of looking like Freddy Mercury in the somewhat mediocre “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
There were a few other special moments that serve as a reminder of why these shows can actually be fun.
Tracey Morgan
Morgan presented the television award for “Best Ensemble in a Comedy” and offered some of the biggest comic relief of the night. Poking fun at the potential career impact a SAG win could mean, he said, “I gotta say, it’s an honor to be presenting this award tonight. It’s a very prestigious award and can be life-changing, and trust me when I say, as a former winner, if you win this award tonight, and get hit by a Walmart truck, and survive with all your arms and legs, you gonna be set for life.”
Morgan was in a terrible accident caused by a Walmart truck in 2014. He went on to bypass the nominees and began to tear into the envelope to announce the winner before he was mercifully interrupted. He recovered, waited for the reading of the nominees, and correctly announced the winner as “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (only slightly mispronouncing the show’s title).
Michael B. Jordan’s Fashion Accessory
Unsure what to call this particular item, I will go with the general consensus on the internet, which seems to be that it is a “harness.” This particular piece of couture was made by Louis Vuitton and features sequins, rhinestones, flowers, and has absolutely zero reason to exist. Good for Michael B. Jordan for being bold, I guess.
Timothée Chalamet Reading
At one point during the ceremony, the cameras caught the young “Beautiful Boy” actor taking advantage of some down time. At least Chalamet thought it was down time. The rest of the attendees looked dutifully toward the stage, ready as always for their moment on camera. The internet buzzed with speculation about what was important enough to distract from an evening with the Screen Actors Guild.
What's Timothée Chalamet reading at the #SAGAwards? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/4GmfbYJY0m
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 28, 2019
Emily Blunt
Blunt, donning a pink dress that seriously resembled female genitalia, won the award for “Best Supporting Actress” for her work in the dialogue-light horror thriller, “A Quiet Place.” In her acceptance speech, the always-charming actress gave a particularly poignant thank you to her husband, John Krasinski, who had written and directed the film.
“The entire experience of doing this with you has completely pierced my heart directly. You are a stunning filmmaker,” she told him. She also thanked their two young children, whom she referred to as their “the little poems in our life, our daughters Hazel and Violet.” They’re just too cute.
The Two-Hour Run Time
Unlike the Emmys, the Golden Globes, and the Oscars, the SAG Awards has the decency to only give out 13 awards and clock in at a very thoughtful, organized, and reasonable time of two hours. Ending at a totally normal hour of 10 p.m., viewers can still enjoy their normal Sunday evening programming and not feel like they just slogged through a marathon of Hollywood elites virtue-signaling each other just to see their favorite movie lose “Best Adapted Screenplay.”
All awards ceremonies should drop a handful of lame awards and adopt the two-hour run time immediately.
