Jennifer Lawrence's "I Beat Meryl Streep!" Joke at the Golden Globes: Funny or Not?

USMagazine, Sunday, January 13, 2013, 7:00pm (PST)

Jennifer Lawrence could hardly contain her excitement as she took the stage to accept the award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 13. But it wasn't just the trophy that had the Silver Linings Playbook star so euphoric -- it was what the trophy represented. Namely, victory over a certain screen legend.

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"I beat Meryl!" Lawrence exclaimed as she took the stage, referring to fellow nominee Meryl Streep, who was up for the romantic dramedy Hope Springs. The off-the-cuff quip was meant as a joke, but it earned only a handful of chuckles from the audience. (Access Hollywood points out that the one-liner is actually a callback to the film First Wives Club, in which Bette Midler's character admires an Oscar won by her pal, played by Goldie Hawn.) 

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Lawrence quickly recovered, however, with a sweet speech in which she gushed about co-star Bradley Cooper and expressed her gratitude toward everyone who had helped get her to that point.

"You're incredible, and you make me better every single day," she told Cooper. Then, addressing Harvey Weinstein, she said, "Harvey, thank you for killing whomever you had to kill to get me up here today."

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The actress also thanked her family in the acceptance speech. "Mom, people said you were crazy for believing in me, but you did it anyway," she said. "Dad, you taught me to laugh, and that has been my salvation through all of this."

Then, giving a shout-out to her brothers, she added, "I wouldn't be where I am today without you being mean to me...but then really supportive and loving. So thank you."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Jennifer Lawrence's "I Beat Meryl Streep!" Joke at the Golden Globes: Funny or Not?