Mike Leigh is bringing love and care to the Golden Globes’ comedy race. Bleecker Street will submit “Tender Loving Care,” Leigh’s likely final film, in the musical or comedy categories at the upcoming 84th Golden Globes, Variety has learned exclusively. Marion Bailey will compete for best actress in a musical or comedy, where she is expected to face contenders including Julianne Moore (“The Debut”), Inde Navarrette (“Obsession”) and Olivia Wilde (“The Invite”).
Kate O’Flynn, Alice Bailey Johnson and Paul Jesson will compete in the supporting acting races, which the Globes do not divide by genre. The submissions mirror the studio’s overall acting strategy heading into the Oscar campaign. The news comes a week after Focus Features submitted “Obsession,” Curry Barker’s horror breakout, as a comedy — a classification that prompted plenty of head-scratching among awards pundits and moviegoers on social media.
Leigh’s film, however, seems like a more natural fit. It can be argued that Leigh has never really made comedies or dramas; rather, he makes films about life, which tends to be both at once. Meanwhile, Amy’s parents, Birdie (Bailey) and Geoff (Jesson), navigate the indignities of getting older.
Drunken singalongs and kitchen dancing sit alongside hospital visits, with the laughs often arriving with a wince attached. The last time the Golden Globes classified a Mike Leigh film as a comedy, Sally Hawkins walked away with the best actress prize. That was 18 years ago, for “Happy-Go-Lucky,” with a 21-year-old O’Flynn in a small role that marked her first screen job.
Coming off her Emmy win for supporting comedy actress in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” O’Flynn’s momentum is building. She won the Silver Shell for best leading performance at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September, where the film also took the Golden Shell and the best screenplay prize. For Bailey, the Globes push represents long-overdue recognition for the veteran performer.
Leigh’s real-life partner and a longtime member of his acting company, she previously played Sophia Booth, J.M.W. Turner’s Margate landlady and companion, in his 2014 film “Mr. Turner.” In “Tender Loving Care,” she acts opposite her real-life daughter, Johnson, who plays Amy’s best friend.
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