Though many wondered whether it really belonged in the category at all, “The Martian” won the Golden Globe Award for best motion picture comedy or musical Sunday night, beating out “Joy,” “The Big Short,” “Trainwreck” and “Spy.”
From the moment the film was nominated, many complained that the sci-fi adventure film about an astronaut (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars wasn’t really a comedy. (“A comedy’s a film whose #1 goal is to make people laugh,” “Spy” director Paul Feig tweeted in response to the film’s nomination.)
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Golden Globe winners, including Rachel Bloom with her Golden Globe for Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical, stop by the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards press room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Actor Sylvester Stallone, winner of Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture for “Creed,” poses in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Kate Winslet accepts her Golden Globe for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, left, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio pose with awards for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Director, Motion Picture; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for “The Revenant” in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Winner Oscar Isaac for Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Taraji P. Henson in the press room with her Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Matt Damon, winner for Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Producers Mark Pybus, left, Colin Callender and Rebecca Eaton, winners of Miniseries or Television Film for “Wolf Hall,” pose in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Jimmy Naples, left, and Sam Smith, winners of the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “Writing’s On The Wall” from the movie “Spectre”, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Aaron Sorkin, winner of Screenplay - Motion Picture for “Steve Jobs” at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Laszlo Nemes, center, actor Geza Rohrig, second from left, and other members of the “Son of Saul” team pose with the award for best foreign-language film for “Son of Saul,” in the press room at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday.
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Jennifer Lawrence won the award for lead actress in a motion picture comedy for “Joy.”
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Christian Slater took home the prize for actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television, for “Mr. Robot.”
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Gael Garcia Bernal of “Mozart in the Jungle” wins for actor in a TV series, musical or comedy.
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“Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, center, and the cast pose together after winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series drama.
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Maura Tierney holds her Golden Globe for supporting actress in a limited series/TV Movie for “The Affair.”
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Jon Hamm holds his Golden Globe for “Mad Men.”
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Winners of the best motion picture musical or comedy for “The Martian”: Simon Kinberg, left, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer.
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Pete Docter, left, and Jonas Rivera, winners of the best animated feature film for “Inside Out.”
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Lady Gaga with her Golden Globe for actress in a miniseries or a motion picture. She will perform the national anthem at Super Bowl 50.
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Gael Garcia Bernal, Bernadette Peters and Lola Kirke share the Golden Globe for TV series comedy for “Mozart in the Jungle.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Golden Globes 2016: Full Coverage | Complete list| Red carpet | Highlights | Fashion | Backstage | Ricky Gervais insults
Taking the stage to accept the award, Ridley Scott seemed sympathetic to that view. “Comedy?” he said, waving his hand in an “eh, maybe not so much” motion. “But we’re grateful.”
Coming into the Globes, some had thought that Adam McKay’s financial-crisis dramedy “The Big Short,” another movie that stretched the definition of comedy, could pull out the win. But in giving the award to “The Martian,” the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. clearly saw an opportunity to recognize Scott’s entire career as a filmmaker.
“Where have you been?” Scott said, laughing. “I was thinking this was going to be posthumous.”
While humor is clearly an essential ingredient in “The Martian,” Damon, who earned the award for lead actor in a comedy, acknowledged that its inclusion in the comedy category was eyebrow-raising.
“No, it’s a musical,” Damon joked. “And the 18 year gap [since his last award] was me working on my singing.”
In his acceptance speech, Scott took a moment to acknowledge this year’s record-setting box office and the massive success of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in particular.
“Our business is like sport,” he said. “We had success and ‘Star Wars’’ majestic success is inspiring. You’ve got to stay hungry and keep bouncing the ball. That’s me.”
Twitter: @joshrottenberg
MORE GOLDEN GLOBES:
Alejandro G. Inarritu wins best director for ‘The Revenant’
Matt Damon wins lead actor in a musical or comedy motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence wins actress in a musical or comedy motion picture for ‘Joy’
