Golden Globes - Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama

The category of Best Actor is divided into the sub-categories of "drama" and "musical or comedy." The list of musical/comedy nominees includes former Oscar winners Javier Bardem and Dustin Hoffman, as well as James Franco and Colin Farrell (Brendan Gleeson is the other). However, the meatier roles are certainly those for the drama category, and you can expect that at least three of the eventual Oscar nominees will come right out of this list.

Let's take a look at the contenders:

BetUS Sportsbook Odds

Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road) +1000

Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) +300

Sean Penn (Milk) Even

Brad Pitt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) +750

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) +250

SEAN PENN (Even at BetUS) is considered by many to be the front-runner not only for this award but the Oscar as well. That doesn't necessarily mean he is the consensus choice, but Penn is starring in a biopic, which is usually something that scores well, and he is also playing a gay character - former San Francisco city councilman Harvey Milk - and that is something which may be considered daring and will resonate with many of these Golden Globe voters. The fact that "Milk" did not get a nomination for Best Picture could mean a couple of things as it relates to this category - that either the film was not appreciated as much by the HFPA as it will to Oscar voters, or that the film will get its recognition by way of a win by Penn. He's already won from the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle and the L.A. Film Critics.

MICKEY ROURKE (+250 at BetUS) can not really be considered a darkhorse here, but he definitely has a chance to snatch the award away from his close friend Penn. In "The Wrestler" Rourke turns in that tour de force that many of his loyal fans thought he was always capable of. He goes through something of a physical transformation to portray the over-the-hill Randy "Ram" Robinson, yet the movie isn't carried by his physical presence, but by the many layers Rourke installs into the character. I have always thought that voters, regardless of the award, have looked for a good reason to vote for Rourke, or better yet, to root for him. Earlier in his career Rourke was abrasive enough within the industry that he wasn't going to catch a break from anyone. Now, though, he is the "comeback kid," and that is always a story awards voters enjoy facilitating. Remember also that Rourke has always maintained a certain level of respect with foreign audiences. I think he is the eventual winner.

FRANK LANGELLA (+300 at BetUS), like Josh Brolin, who was not nominated for his turn in "W," faced a different challenge than Sean Penn, in that he played a lead character that was recognizable to everybody. This is always tricky, because viewers will inevitably make the comparison, on all levels, with the real-life person they are accustomed to. So you have to maintain a "suspension of disbelief" on a couple of levels. That having been said, it was risky for the producers, and director Ron Howard, to go with Langella, who had played Richard Nixon in the stage play, in the film version, rather than go with a bigger "name." Yet it does work out beautifully in the movie. Maybe that is part of the story that will play well with the voters. Langella was nominated for a Golden Globe way back in 1971 when he was in the "Most Promising Newcomer" category for "Diary of a Mad Housewife." He should have been nominated for a Globe and an Oscar for "Starting Out in the Evening" last year. Those who aren't sentimental about Rourke may feel that way about him.