Marvel superhero series ‘WandaVision” was the big winner at the MTV Movie and TV Awards on Sunday, as Sacha Baron Cohen poked fun at his recent Oscars loss — with a little help from Borat, Bruno and the gang.
‘WandaVision’, which takes characters from Marvel’s record-breaking superhero blockbuster films and shifts the action to the Disney+ streaming platform, won four awards at the Los Angeles ceremony, including best show.
The oddball but acclaimed series set in a bizarre, sitcom-inspired world also bagged best performance in a series for its star Elizabeth Olsen, best villain for Kathryn Hahn, and “best fight.”
“This is bananas, this whole thing — this whole year has been so trippy,” said Hahn, one of several stars to refer to the pandemic’s impact, with the live in-person award show taking place in Hollywood a year after the previous edition was cancelled.
The late Chadwick Boseman — who surprisingly failed to posthumously win best actor for ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ at last month’s Oscars — was honoured for best performance in a movie.
The awards do not differentiate between male and female actors, and have been honouring Hollywood since 1992 with “golden popcorn” statuettes for unconventional categories including “best kiss.”
Taking place at the start of the summer blockbuster season, and voted for online by the public, the awards tend to recognise more mainstream and commercial favourites than other ceremonies.
‘To All the Boys: Always and Forever’ — the conclusion to Netflix’s trilogy of teenage romantic comedies adapted from Jenny Han’s young adult novels — was named best movie.
Baron Cohen won a non-competitive award — accepting in a video that saw him arguing with various of his own comic and frequently inappropriate personas such as Borat and Ali G.
“Right before anyone else does it, I am officially canceling myself,” joked Baron Cohen.
“I was actually really looking forward to this after losing at the Oscars. You can keep it. Go on, you’re a caricature,” he told his gay Austrian fashionista alter-ego Bruno, handing over his statuette.
Baron Cohen had been nominated for best supporting male in ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ and best adapted screenplay for ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’, but failed to win either Academy Award.
‘Black Widow’ star Scarlett Johansson was honoured with MTV’s Generation Award in recognition of her Hollywood career.
In a video message, Johansson thanked her fans for their support. “I realise what an absolute gift it is to be able to have the opportunity to do what I love,” she said.
However, her speech was cut short when her husband Colin Jost popped out of nowhere and slimed her, mistaking the MTV Awards for the Nickelodeon show where winners get green gunk dropped on them. Pure TV gold. — With staff inputs
Here is the full list of scripted winners:
BEST MOVIE
To All the Boys: Always and Forever
BEST SHOW
WandaVision (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MOVIE
Chadwick Boseman — Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Elizabeth Olsen — WandaVision
BEST HERO
Anthony Mackie — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
BEST KISS
Chase Stokes & Madelyn Cline — Outer Banks
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Leslie Jones — Coming 2 America
BEST VILLAIN
Kathryn Hahn — WandaVision
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Rege-Jean Page — Bridgerton
BEST FIGHT
WandaVision — Wanda vs. Agatha
MOST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE
Victoria Pedretti — The Haunting of Bly Manor
BEST DUO
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — Falcon (Anthony Mackie) & Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan)
