Ridley Scott's newest film qualifies as a comedy, according to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The organization, which conducts the annual Golden Globes Awards, recently had to decide whether they should honor 20th Century Fox's request to place The Martian in the comedy category. In the end, the movie made it through by just a single vote.
The Golden Globe Awards have had a history of putting films that are clearly dramas in the comedy or musical section, including Birdman, The Wolf of Wall Street, Nebraska and Her. That's because a movie stands a much better chance of winning if it's separated from the other prestige dramas, so studios will generally lobby for this placement.
The HFPA also voted to classify David O. Russell's Joy as a comedy, although that decision is less surprising. The director's previous two films, American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook, both received the same treatment. Yet even Russel himself seems fully aware that is questionable.
"Obviously it was a bit less of a comedy, but Christian Bale was incredibly funny in that movie," Russell said of American Hustle in 2013. "I love to be the director who can bring that out of him, but it’s done from the heart of the dramatic character that he creates. So as far as he and I are concerned, we’re doing a drama.”
Many are already criticizing the HFPA's choice, which would force actual comedies like Trainwreck to compete with big budget dramas that simply have a few laugh lines. When put next to a giant Ridley Scott film, Trainwreck stands virtually no chance.