I am wondering why did HFPA put The Martian under comedy? Is it because they wanted to give it an award? Has something similar happened before?
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1Well there are only two categories: Drama and Comedy/Musical... The Martian may not qualify as a pure comedy, but it most certainly is not a Drama in the traditional sense either...– F.PJan 13, 2016 at 10:29
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1Certainly funnier than The Tourist. Then again, what isn't?– WaltJan 13, 2016 at 10:31
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With the recurring motif of "70s disco music" throughout - maybe it really was a "Comedy/Musical"?– davidbakNov 17, 2021 at 17:21
1 Answer
The Martian was classified as a Comedy by HFPA because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s eligibility committee voted to make it so. According to the LA Times the HFPA vote was very close as The Martian ended up classified as a comedy by just one vote.
Without specific comments from those who voted it would be nothing more than speculation to discuss the "why" however it's worth noting that the Golden Globes comedy category is the weaker of the two categories it awards and this isn't the first time a movie has been classified as a comedy at the Golden Globes.