2020 Golden Globes Video Highlights: Ricky Gervais' Scathing Monologue And The Best Speeches Of The Night

Ricky Gervais opened the show with the traditional monologue. While everyone expects Gervais to be irreverent and subversive, constantly making jokes about how much he doesn't care about the show or who he pisses off, this year he genuinely seemed to be over it. The problem isn't that he took jabs were provocative and made the room uncomfortable, especially when be broached the subject of sexual assault accusations against people like Harvey Weinstein. The problem is that the jokes themselves weren't very funny, felt stale, and actually felt more bitter and venomous than humorous. If you need anymore evidence of that, Cecil B. DeMille honoree Tom Hanks had quite the reaction to some of Gervais' bits, and supporters of Donald Trump were hootin' and hollerin' on Twitter like it was a white power rally.

As someone who has consistently enjoyed the smug, smarmy stand-up comedy of Ricky Gervais, not to mention his various movies and TV shows that he's written, produced, and directed, this turn as Golden Globes host felt lazy and curmudgeonly. Gervais kept saying this would be the last time that he would host the show, so hopefully he stays true to his word.

There was another comedian at the Golden Globes who didn't stir up much controversy during the broadcast, and that was Ellen DeGeneres. She took home the Carol Burnett Award, honoring her lifetime of achievements in television, spanning stand-up comedy, sitcoms, game shows, and of course, her own extremely popular daytime talk show. Not only was the montage paying tribute to Ellen a wonderful collection of her finest moments, but her speech was wonderful too.

The other lifetime achievement honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, went to Tom Hanks for his long and decorated career in film and television. The montage preceding the award was quite the eclectic collection of clips, ranging from his time on Bosom Buddies and guest starring role on The Love Boat to Oscar-winning turns in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia, tear-jerking moments from Captain Phillips and Saving Private Ryan, and even a quick clip of the viral SNL sketch featuring Hanks as David S. Pumpkins.

But the real treasure is the speech Hanks gave to accept the award. Not only was he humble and heartfelt, but he also paid tribute to everyone who makes it possible for him to do his job well, from the directors to the focus pullers. The man is a class act, and he will forever be one of the finest talents Hollywood has ever seen.

Quentin Tarantino's speech was an amusing one. Not only did he pay tribute to two names that only the most hardcore of cinephiles appreciated, but he didn't refrain from being a little cocky. After winning the award for Best Screenplay for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker said, "The thing is, when you win a writing award and you don't share the script with anyone else, you write it by yourself, you kind of don't really have anybody to thank. I did it." But Tarantino did go on to thank his incredible ensemble cast, so it wasn't a totally arrogant moment.

In a brief speech accepting the award given to Parasite for Best Foreign Film, director Bong Joon-ho (and his all-star translator) made a great push for lazy audiences to give more foreign films a chance to wow them. Through his translator Sharon Choi, the filmmaker said, "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." And if you haven't seen Parasite yet, maybe make that your first intentional foray into watching more foreign films, because it's one of the best of the year.

Joaquin Phoenix took home one of the big acting awards last night. While his speech was a little meandering in its subject matter, ranging from a push for recognizing climate change to praising his fellow nominees, it was rather amusing hearing the handful of profane spots that live censors had to cut from the live broadcast. Phoenix certainly made them earn their paycheck that night.

Finally, perhaps the most succinct and inspiring speech came from Michelle Williams, who won Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie for her performance in Fosse/Verdon. Williams made her speech all about choice, the choice a woman rightfully has for what is done with her body. It was an indictment of sexual assault, a support for abortion rights, and a powerful speech that simply demands respect for women and their well-being.

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If you'd like to see more from the 77th Golden Globes, head on over to NBC's YouTube channel for the entire collection of acceptance speeches from all the winners.