Once more, Ricky Gervais, the Golden Globes host, bit the hand that feeds him by launching into celebrity targets during the annual awards ceremony.
Return invited for a second consecutive year, the British comedian appeared to have had free rein to poke fun at his A-list audience, turning Brad and Angelina, Charlie Sheen, and Robert Downey Junior into the targets of his sharpest humor.
He left the audience in disbelief by mocking the Church of Scientology while mentioning films that had been overlooked this year.
Among those films was I Love You, Phillip Morris, featuring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, which he described as featuring ‘two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay.’
He continued with, ‘That’s sort of the complete opposite of some famous Scientologists then.’
The audience reacted with a collective, ‘Oooooooo,’ to which Gervais responded, ‘My lawyers assisted me with the phrasing of that joke.’
Alec Baldwin was seen wiping away a tear, while Robert De Niro was doubled over with laughter.
In a backstage interview, Gervais playfully narrowed down the identity of his target, quipping, ‘I hope nobody figured out who it was.’
No one was exempt from his broad approach. He initiated the night much like he continued, mocking Charlie Sheen.
The well-paid star of Two And A Half Men has had a rocky year, first splitting from Denise Richards, and more recently, spending time in Las Vegas with a porn star named Bree Olson.
‘It’s going to be a night filled with partying and heavy drinking,’ Gervais began his monologue while sipping on what appeared to be beer.
‘Or, as Charlie Sheen might say, breakfast.’
He then took a swipe at the nominated film The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.
‘I feel guilty about that joke,’ he admitted after his initial jab. ‘I’m just joining the bandwagon, because honestly, who has seen The Tourist?’
He was just getting started. He continued by telling the audience that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had nominated The Tourist solely because its members wanted an excuse to be around the film’s stars.
‘But that’s not the only reason,’ Gervais asserted with a mischievous grin. ‘They also accepted bribes.’
Gervais didn’t shy away from knocking the Hollywood Foreign Press, who were hosting the event, for nominating Burlesque after allegedly being bribed with tickets to a Cher concert.
He quipped that it wasn’t a substantial bribe, considering no one has wanted to attend a Cher concert since 1975.
Gervais also took a jab at the stars of Sex & the City 2, stating, ‘I was certain the Golden Globe for special effects would go to the team behind the airbrushing of the Sex and the City 2 poster.
‘Ladies, we know your ages. I recognized one of you from an episode of Bonanza.’
Gervais experienced a bit of his own medicine when Steve Carell snubbed him after he introduced Tina Fey to the stage.
Gervais launched into a rant, labeling Carell, who is responsible for adapting The Office for the US, as ‘ungrateful’ for choosing to depart the show. However, Carell got his revenge by ignoring Gervais when he extended his hand for a shake.
Carell exclaimed, ‘I love it! It never gets old!’
Following that, Gervais continued…The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
He shared that Eva Longoria would be next, tasked with the ‘daunting task’ of presenting Philip Berk, the president of the association.
‘That’s nothing,’ Gervais remarked. ‘I just helped him off the toilet and popped his teeth in.’
Unlike the rest, Berk did not find it amusing.
Berk, with a tight-lipped smile before addressing the audience, said: ‘Ricky, if you want me to assist you in qualifying your movie next time, go to someone else.’
The audience responded with an ‘Oooooooooo’ once again.
As the Globes ceremony was nearing its conclusion, presenters Tom Hanks and Tim Allen joined in on the jokes towards Gervais after he introduced the Toy Story duo on stage.
He went on to list Hanks’s numerous achievements and accolades over the years, adding, ‘The other … is Tim Allen.’
Hanks reminisced, ‘Remember when Ricky Gervais was a slightly chubby but very kind comedian?’
Allen chimed in, ‘Neither of which he is now.’
When Gervais introduced Downey Jr. to the stage with a list of his extensive film credits, Downey seemed unamused as well.
However, he later added, ‘But many of you in this room probably know him best from venues such as the Betty Ford Clinic and Los Angeles County Jail.’
Making his way on stage, Downey took a slight bow and quipped, ‘Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?’
Backstage after the show, he further noted, ‘I think it’s great to be funny, but it’s just better if you can do it without hurting people.’
Yet, halfway through the ceremony, Gervais vanished for nearly an hour, sparking rumors and speculation that he had been dismissed.
When he returned, he was noticeably more subdued, prompting Piers Morgan to inquire, ‘What the hell did they do to you backstage?’
The American media quickly voiced their criticism. The New York Times predicted, ‘It was Mr. Gervais’s second chance to host the Golden Globes… he may not get a third.’
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News remarked, ‘Gervais never recovered from a poor start that included a series of Charlie Sheen jokes.’
‘Those jokes appeared somewhat redundant and outdated, particularly when the audience clearly found them to be tasteless, bordering on nasty.’
‘Gervais has always walked that tightrope between naughty and unpleasant, and here’s the distinction… the former feels like good fun, while the latter feels uncomfortable. Sunday night was uncomfortable.’
Despite some taking offense, not everyone was upset with Gervais’s remarks, as Alec Baldwin was spotted wiping a tear from his eye while laughing along from the audience.
Rapper and actor Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs expressed, ‘I’m really enjoying it,’ praising Gervais for ‘doing an excellent job.’
However, Bruce Willis was not in agreement. He stepped onto the stage and said pointedly, ‘Some people get very lucky in Hollywood, don’t they Ricky,’ though backstage he admitted, ‘He was fantastic, he killed it, he did great.’
Emerging British actor Andrew Garfield confessed it had been a cringeworthy performance, ‘He’s been terribly nasty and horribly rude, and I think he’s genius.’
Christian Bale stated he didn’t believe Gervais pushed the envelope far enough, adding, ‘Thank God for comedians; they have the most important job. I hope he keeps going further!’
De Niro was also seen bursting into laughter, but he had his own jabs to make about the event while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.
Targeting the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Homeland Security, 3-D, and even his own recent film, he remarked, ‘I was very, very moved and gratified when you made the announcement of this award two months ago.’
‘Well before you had a chance to review Little Fockers. These movies … are like my children.
‘Except my children are pricier, and you can’t remake them in 3-D to increase their box office sales.’
As for Gervais, he may have polarized the audience at the Beverly Hilton and beyond, but the lingering question is, will he be invited back next year?
by Milo Johnson