The People Made Some Questionable Choices at the People’s Choice Awards
The people have been making some pretty questionable choices for themselves as of late. Some big politics thing is happening tomorrow, there’s that, and last night marked the 43rd Annual People‘s Choice Awards, the populist awards program that does away with the snooty prestige of the Oscars. The evening delivered some rather eyebrow-raising results in its recognition of the most widely beloved entertainers of the year, and though none quite confounded on a Trumpian level, the night was full of what we’ll diplomatically call “surprises.”
The most unexpected ruling of the evening concerned the “Favorite Movie Icon” category, where the likes of Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Cruise all lost out to Johnny Depp, a man who was recently revealed to have abused his former wife Amber Heard during their relationship. (Not to mention that the actor’s 2016 credits include the less-than-stellar Alice Through the Looking Glass, Yoga Hosers, and a cameo in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.) To quote the apoplectic text message my mother sent me during the telecast, “Who are these People that vote on this?!”
Beyond that, categories continued to defy basic logic. Jennifer Lawrence was named Favorite Movie Actress, apparently on the strength of her appearances in the bad X-Men: Apocalypse and worse Passengers. Me Before You, a film that some advocacy groups have accused of advocating for suicide as a noble and selfless act for burdensome disabled individuals, was improbably named Favorite Dramatic Movie. At least Deadpool and Finding Dory restored some semblance of order by continuing their solid awards-season showings and snatching up a couple prizes each.
Peruse the complete list of winners at Variety, and contemplate the infinite complexities and shortcomings of democracy.
FAVORITE MOVIE
Finding Dory (WINNER)
Captain America: Civil War
Deadpool
Suicide Squad
Zootopia
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTOR
Ryan Reynolds (WINNER)
Kevin Hart
Robert Downey Jr.
Tom Hanks
Will Smith
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence (WINNER)
Anna Kendrick
Margot Robbie
Melissa McCarthy
Scarlett Johansson
FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE
Deadpool (WINNER)
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Captain America: Civil War
Suicide Squad
X-Men: Apocalypse
FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr. (WINNER)
Chris Evans
Liam Hemsworth
Ryan Reynolds
Will Smith
FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE ACTRESS
Margot Robbie (WINNER)
Jennifer Lawrence
Scarlett Johansson
Shailene Woodley
Zoe Saldana
FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIE VOICE
Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Dory (WINNER)
Bill Murray in The Jungle Book
Ginnifer Goodwin in Zootopia
Jason Bateman in Zootopia
Kevin Hart in The Secret Life of Pets
FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE
Bad Moms (WINNER)
Central Intelligence
Ghostbusters
How to Be Single
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTOR
Kevin Hart (WINNER)
Chris Hemsworth
Dwayne Johnson
Ryan Gosling
Zac Efron
FAVORITE COMEDIC MOVIE ACTRESS
Melissa McCarthy (WINNER)
Anna Kendrick
Kristen Bell
Kristen Wiig
Rebel Wilson
FAVORITE DRAMATIC MOVIE
Me Before You (WINNER)
Deepwater Horizon
Miracles From Heaven
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Sully
FAVORITE DRAMATIC MOVIE ACTOR
Tom Hanks (WINNER)
Ben Affleck
Chris Pine
George Clooney
Mark Wahlberg
FAVORITE DRAMATIC MOVIE ACTRESS
Blake Lively (WINNER)
Amy Adams
Emily Blunt
Julia Roberts
Meryl Streep
FAVORITE FAMILY MOVIE
Finding Dory (WINNER)
Alice Through the Looking Glass
The Jungle Book
The Secret Life of Pets
Zootopia
FAVORITE THRILLER MOVIE
The Girl on the Train (WINNER)
The Conjuring 2
Nerve
The Purge: Election Year
The Shallows
FAVORITE MOVIE ICON
Johnny Depp (WINNER)
Denzel Washington
Samuel L. Jackson
Tom Cruise
Tom Hanks