The Golden Globes is an unusual beast when it comes to awards season in that it splits its Best Picture categories along genre lines, meaning that you have Drama and Musical / Comedy awards with entries along those lines.
Of course, there's been plenty of examples of movies not fitting any one particular category. Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic 'The Martian' was bizarrely taken for Best Comedy / Musical one year, and the upcoming Golden Globes is going to have another baffling twist in the categories as it's been reported by IndieWire that both 'A Star Is Born' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' will not compete in the Best Comedy / Musical categories for Picture, Actor, Actress or Supporting Actor and Actress.
It's pretty ridiculous, considering that both movies are built around music-led setpieces and are about the music industry in general, 'A Star Is Born' following two fictitious musicians whilst 'Bohemian Rhapsody' follows Freddie Mercury and Queen. That being said, both movies do have strong dramatic performances from their leads, particularly Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in 'A Star Is Born', and there's also the fact that the Comedy / Musical category doesn't carry as much weight as the Drama category.
Although Warner Bros. and Fox haven't released any statement explaining their decision as to placing their respective entries in the Drama category, the likelihood is that they feel there's a better chance at an Oscar statuette with a Drama category win than a Comedy / Musical. It's worth noting as well that 'Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!' is likely to perform across the Comedy / Musical category, and Christian Bale's performance in 'Vice' - directed by comedy veteran Adam McKay - is likely to be a strong contender in the Best Actor (Comedy / Musical) and would likely give Bradley Cooper a run for his money.
Not only that, you have Disney's 'Mary Poppins Returns' in contention and expected to be a big hitter and Yorgos Lanthimos' period comedy 'The Favourite' is likely to scoop up a win for Olivia Colman, meaning the Comedy / Musical categories are basically chockablock with talent.
Of course, all of this depends on whether or not the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sees 'A Star Is Born' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as a Comedy / Musical or a Drama. It's entirely possible that HFPA might reject their entries and force them into the Comedy / Musical category, but given the sheer weight of the campaigns put behind both movies, it seems unlikely that that'll happen.
The Golden Globes nominations are expected to be announced in early 2019.
