Jewish Actors and Jewish-Themed Films Honored by the Golden Globes

This week’s announcement of the Golden Globe nominations brought a smile to my face.

“A Real Pain,” which opened the Boulder Jewish Film Festival last month, was nominated in four categories, including best musical or comedy, best actor AND screenplay for Jesse Eisenberg, and best supporting actor for Kieran Culkin. Although not Jewish, Culkin deserves to win for his edgy performance, and I am rooting for him. In fact, I am taking bets.

There are three upcoming Jewish titles I am excited about seeing, and all three garnered nominations.

At the top of my eagerly-anticipated list is “The Brutalist,” based on the life of Hungarian Holocaust survivor and architect Laszlo Toth, played by the amazing Adrien Brody – whose mother happens to be a Jewish Hungarian refugee. The 3 ½ hour film is nominated for best motion picture, and Daniel Blumberg has been nominated for its score.

Timothee Chalamet, whose mother is also Jewish, has been nominated as best actor for his performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” another promising holiday release.

“September 5,” also opening this month, which is about the live broadcast of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, has also been nominated as best picture. In the meantime, I highly recommend watching the 1999 Oscar-winning documentary “One Day in September,” directed by Kevin MacDonald – who is Jewish – available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Gabriel Labelle is up for his role as Lorne Michaels in Jason Reitman’s uneven but entertaining “Saturday Night,” now available for purchase on Amazon Prime.

I have not seen Sean Baker’s highly touted “Anora,” which won the Palme D’or at Cannes and is a front-runner for best picture Oscar, but Mikey Madison (Mikaela Madison Rosberg) is nominated for best actress for her portrayal of a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch (played by Russian Jewish actor Mark Eidelstein).

On the small screen, Jewish nominees abound. I did not like the stereotypical “Nobody Wants This” but am not sorry that Adam Brody is nominated for his portrayal of a hot rabbi in this love-it-or-hate it rom com.

The hilarious mensch Adam Sandler is nominated for his stand-up special, while fellow Jewish comic Hannah Einbinder is nominated for the excellent comedy series with Jean Smart as a Joan Rivers-style comedian, “Hacks.” Einbinder is the daughter of SNL’s Laraine Newman, who is a character in the film “Saturday Night.”

One of my favorite current shows, Apple TV’s “Shrinking” received nods for Jewish co-stars Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.

Jake Gyllenhaal is nominated for the suspenseful “Presumed Innocent” – reprising a role originally played by Harrison Ford.

The marvelous Kevin Kline has his first nomination in years for “Disclaimer,” while Ebon Moss-Bachrach is up again for the addictive dramatic series “The Bear.”

The Golden Globes will air on January 5. The Oscar nominees will be announced on January 17 and the Academy Awards will air on March 10.