“Girls Trip” made more than $115 million at the domestic box office — from a budget of $19 million — and its breakoug star Tiffany Haddish is fast becoming one of the most in-demand comic performers. Despite the film’s commercial and critical success (including an 89 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the comedy failed to nab any Golden Globe nominations. The lack of love from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization responsible for the Globes, came as an unwelcome surprise to a lot of people, including “Girls Trip” actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pinkett Smith used Twitter to take the HFPA to task, but not for failing to nominate “Girls Trip” and Haddish. She called them out for refusing to see the film. “I’m not upset about @TiffanyHaddish or @GirlsTripMovie not getting a nom… I’m discouraged about the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press/@goldenglobes wouldn’t even WATCH the movie,” she tweeted. “Girls Trip was one of the most successful films this summer & Tiff was hands down the funniest person on screen in 2017 and we couldn’t get eyes on the film or a press conference. How could a nom happen & how much more critical acclaim must a movie have to simply get a screening?”
@TiffanyHaddish I'm not upset about @TiffanyHaddish or @GirlsTripMovie not getting a nom… I'm discouraged about the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press/@goldenglobes wouldn't even WATCH the movie.
@TiffanyHaddish @girlstripmovie @goldenglobes Girls Trip was one of the most successful films this summer & Tiff was hands down the funniest person on screen in 2017 and we couldn't get eyes on the film or a press conference. How could a nom happen & how much more critical acclaim must a movie have to simply get a screening?
As THR reports, the HFPA was invited to screen “Girls Trip” on July 18, a few days before the film’s official release, but it’s not known how many members attended.
Pinkett Smith also used her platform to criticize the HFPA for ignoring or underestimating films by and about people of color. In particular, she called out the lack of nominations for “The Big Sick,” a romantic comedy about the relationship between a Pakistani comedian and a white woman, as well as “Get Out” being up for Best Musical or Comedy instead of Best Drama. (Best Drama nominees are often the ones that receive Oscar attention.)
She referenced “Get Out’s” “sunken place,” the place where the black protagonist is most terrified and powerless, in her tweet: “The fact that the brilliance of @TheBigSickMovie went unnoticed and the fact that one of the most prolific films of the year, @GetOutMovie, is considered a comedy… illuminates the depths of the sunken place… for real.”
@TiffanyHaddish @girlstripmovie @goldenglobes The fact that the brilliance of @TheBigSickMovie went unnoticed and the fact that one of the most prolific films of the year, @GetOutMovie, is considered a comedy... illuminates the depths of the sunken place... for real.
The HFPA has also come under fire for failing to nominate any women for the Best Director Golden Globe.
“Girls Trip” netted Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards nominations for Best Comedy, Best Actress in a Comedy, and Best Supporting Actress. The latter two went to Haddish. She has already won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for her turn as “Girls Trip’s” Dina.
The Golden Globes will be held January 7.
