The SAG Awards tried some new tricks to spice up their show, but everything still felt average at best, stale at worst. The SAGs have a problem in that they fall between the Golden Globes and the Oscars, and fall in the same tier as the Critic’s Choice Awards. While the idea of only honoring actors helps boost the star power of every cut away to the crowd, the pace of the show was in need of a pacemaker.
Girl Power
It’s no surprise that the female actors took center stage. From Kristen Bell as host to using all ladies to present awards, this was not only about highlighting #MeToo & #TimesUp, but making a point that their actions would speak at least as loud as their words. But Bell was severely underused to the point of malpractice. If you’re going to change your format and introduce a host, USE HER!!! Kristen is incredibly funny and sweet and relatable. We saw her at the top for a good, and safe, monologue. But then it was a couple hit-and-runs until she said goodbye at the end of the show. She needed at least one skit. These are actors.. let them act! I guarantee you we will see A LOT more James Corden next week at the Grammys.
No Surprise Here
When it comes to winners, they were as predictable as an eclipse. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for female comedy in Veep and the cast won for TV Comedy Ensemble (how is this the first time they’ve won?!?!). Sadly Julia wasn’t there to accept. She wrapped up chemo for breast cancer last week. She’ll be back to pick up a SAG next year!
Big Little Lies cleaned up as Nicole Kidman completed the trifecta of EMMY, Golden Globe and now SAG for her amazing performance. Alexander Skarsgaård won as well.
Sterling K Brown also finished the EMMY/Globe/SAG trifecta for his role in This Is Us.
But the biggest winner is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film continues to pull away from the pack. At this point it’s clear that Sam Rockwell will win Supporting Actor and everyone else is just vying for a nomination. Remember: it’s an honor just to be nominated (uh huh). Frances McDormand won actress in a movie and is a frontrunner, although we still believe Sally Hawkins is a deserving competitor.
Oscar nominations come out Tuesday, and after this we have a pretty good idea how the actors’ vote is gonna swing next month.
The Critic’s Cocktail Recommendation
When you wake up in the morning, pour the last of the warm, leftover Taitenger into a juice glass and use it to chase your Excedrin. It will be just like the SAGs: stale with an A-List aftertaste.
Critic's Cocktail 