Category Confusion '24: COMEDY or DRAMA – Part One
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 12:00AM 
Is THE SUBSTANCE a comedy or a drama? What gives?
This year, I am part of the voting body for the Golden Globes, which gives me access to a cornucopia of screeners and FYC material that was erstwhile inaccessible to me. This also means I get a front row seat for the absolute circus that is category fraud from studios and distributors alike. Not just in terms of finagling distinctions between lead and supporting performances. Because this is the Globes, there's also the matter of which films compete in Drama, and which others battle it out in the presumably less competitive realm of Musical or Comedy. Because we all need distractions right now, let's ponder these inconsequential genre divides and enjoy some benign polls whose results don't really matter beyond these awards obsessive circles of ours…
Because some outlets have been reporting things that don't match with what voters get access to, I'm only going to present films already submitted and on the Golden Globes screener services. I will also keep this to works that have already been released, whether theatrically or digitally, so the readership's vote on stuff like Nightbitch will have to wait until December.
DRAMA
With all that out of the way, here are some movies presently running as Dramas whose categorization might raise some eyebrows. Sometimes, it's a matter of musical elements. In other cases, we've got tonally complex pieces that shapeshift across their runtime. And then there's the genre conundrum of action and horror films and others that don't quite fit in this present binary but need to go somewhere. So, here we go – do you agree with the official Golden Globe classification for these "dramas"?
MUSICAL or COMEDY
The Drama field is nothing compared to the chaos of Musical or Comedy. You got your psychosexual melodramas, your horror satires, your bildungsroman-esque dramedies, straight-up horror, animated weepies, behind-the-scene panic attacks stretched to feature length, camp, and cruelty, and India's official Oscar submission. In other words, it's a lot, and one mind reels to fit all these movies under the Musical or Comedy umbrella. Let's assess!
What movies would you like to see in future Category Confusion polls?
Reader Comments (17)
There really is no winning with the separation between Drama and Musical or Comedy. For example, I remember the confusion of Bjork being nominated for Leading Actress in a Drama for Dancer in the Dark when the film is quite literally a musical. But it's not a musical comedy, as one would expect most musicals to be, so the film might have struggled to garner support in that category.
Horror films, for whatever reason, do tend to default to the Musical or Comedy submission, which teeters between "comedy isn't as serious" and "horror is commenting on society like satire." Neither is always true. I can see the argument for The Substance tilting that way as it is a scathing satire of how the industry treats women after 50, but I'm not exactly chuckling at that level of body horror. The Horror films that get pushed to drama are the ones that take critical response, wave their magic wands in marketing, and transform into a psychological thriller or suspense film for awards season.
I just like that they try to spread the love and let a wider variety of performances into the conversation.
The Substance starts as a drama and then turns into a comedy. The last half is hilarious.
I've decided that, with the election results, I can't even look at the news or even Facebook for a while. So I'm going to spend a lot more time here.
That said, I'm so happy you're a GG voter, Cláudio.
And yes, some of these category calls are nuts. CHALLENGERS and LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL are comedies. And I say that as someone who has made the case that ROSEMARY'S BABY can be considered a comedy.
"The Substance" is a movie in a very specific situation.
Not exactly a drama, certainly not a comedy.
A satire? Sure.
But considering the right category between drama or comedy?
It's really hard!
I'd put it in drama.
Late Night With The Devil is a horror/drama,I didn't laugh once.
The Substance i'm seeing tonight.
Kinds of Kindness is a comedy with a few dramatic bits
Twisters is an action/drama..
Blink Twice is a drama thriller.
You are lucky fella to be getting all those screener and FYC ads.
Robert G -- "I just like that they try to spread the love and let a wider variety of performances into the conversation." - agreed!
Peggy Sue -- I watched it at TIFF with the Midnight Madness crowd and we certainly reacted to the film like a comedy. Except that mirror moment before the date. That thing broke through the camp satire and just left everyone silent in sympathy. The last act is a glorious piece of comedic cinema, for sure. I laughed, laughed and then laughed some more.
Dan H -- I'll try to keep the site active as best as I can, and I think other team members would say the same. Thank you for appreciating the work and for saying you're happy I'm a GG voter.
In other news, I was so confused when I saw how LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL was submitted.
Fabio Dantas Flappers - Strategically, I do think MUBI probably did the right thing with the movie. With six slots in Best Actress - Comedy or Musical, Moore seems like a shoo-in nominee at this point.
MrRipley-- I am very grateful.
I would make the case that horror and comedy have more in common than most people think, given that both are genres that rely on getting the timing right to get the desired reaction. This is something I learned from a very good friend of mine who has directed both comedy and horror, and the first time he did horror, he said he got the best results when he treated like a comedy... not by making it funny necessarily, but by using the skills he would use when directing comedy.
And, yes, while there are plays and films in both genres that have benefitted from a certain looseness in crafting them, they are usually genres that lean on more on precision (this is where great editing helps a lot, which is why it's always frustrating when comedies and horror films aren't taken as seriously in editing categories).
The Substance is a tricky one. For most of the runtime, it's a drama, but yes, towards the end, it becomes a total laugh-out-loud comedy. It's a satire from start to finish, though.
I'd probably go with drama, but with the tonal shift all the way for comedy at the end, I can't deny it's comedy categorization, either.
I'm fully onboard with The Substance as a full-on comedy. Body horror pic first and foremost, but then within that genre, everything is stylized for comedy. She even structures all the big moments in true joke format...set-up and payoff. The teeth scene set-up that pays off in that hilarious smile? I mean, that is superb comedy.
The colossal billboard right outside her apartment? Hilarious. Quaid in Great Balls of Fire, over-the-top mode? Making her an aerobics instructor? So many stylistic choices that indicate comedy. The beauty of the film, when it's at its best, is that the comedy reality does double-time as the horror reality.
Can Demi beat Mikey Madison for that Globe? I think she can!
Richter Scale-agree. Scream saga is the exaggeration of the thing, but is a proof of how the two genres are tied
Have now seen The Substance and to me despite a few chuckles at the sheer absurdity of the last 15 mins I think it's a drama for the majority of it's running time and all kudos to the cast esp Demi,the Academty is never going to go for this.
The Make Up should cake walk to the Oscar though.
The Substance is 100% a comedy. It's the whole point. You're supposed to laugh in horror and disgust. The monster irons her hair. She pulls a chicken leg out of her ass, It's a satire.
I love how you’re engaging with the confusion over genre classification because it’s such a big deal, yet often overlooked by casual moviegoers. There’s something both amusing and maddening about how a film can oscillate between being a “comedy” and a “drama” purely based on how it’s marketed or its Oscar aspirations. The examples you’ll probably highlight will no doubt get people talking about whether a film like Barbie should be classified as a Musical or a Comedy, or whether a high-stakes action movie really belongs in the “Drama” category when it’s technically more in the thriller or genre camp. lhiproviderportal
The idea of tonally complex pieces that could go either way is really interesting too. I’m sure there are films this year that are really walking a fine line, and I’m looking forward to hearing your breakdown of those edge cases. It’s definitely going to make for some lively discussion as voters decide which category feels most fitting.
Firstly - Congrats Claudio for getting such a great job. How I envy you!
Secondly - As long as it is allowed - is it possible for you to post the list of features that the HFPA have declared Drama and Comedy/Musical?
And again - if possible - can you post the list of eligible Foreign Language / International and Animation films?
I am a member of the AACTA ( formerly the Australian Film Institute) and currently watching eligible feature films, documentaries and shorts that have been submitted for the 2025 awards - but must confess would also love to be in your shoes and of course anyone that is privy to the Academy Awards as well.
Enjoy your new role and keep posting your wonderful articles.
Cheers
Challengers is a great film. It's highly entertaining and very much a film that should do well at the Globes. It's really fun in a way that most films aren't. But it's obviously a drama. Its construction is witty and there are some moments that made me smile, but at its core it's a drama film. But, it's smart strategy for getting their young stars nominations.
I haven't watched the Substance, but even if belongs in Comedy, I do wonder if it's a smarter strategy for it go as a drama. Though I think Moore has a good chance of winning the comedy globe which will be a big get for campaign. However, if she doesn't, I could see her campaign stalling out. Drama Globe contenders, even the losing ones are usually boosted in ways that losing comedy nominees aren't.
In the past decade, only Margot Robbie and Meryl Streep were able to translate their Globe loses into nominations. Obviously, there's a lot more that factors into the campaign, but I do wonder if folks tend to give the Drama Globe list more of a look.
I think The Substance should have went Drama. Moore could have easily won Drama Actress. In Comedy/Musical she'll have to face Gascon, Erivo, and Madison. Plus going Drama would have given the film a sheen of respectability.