Golden Globes 2025 Review

On this blog, I am passionate about the solo cinema experience. Awards season is also where I thrive, and I look forward to seeing what acclaimed films will take home the top prizes each year. Like every year, The Golden Globes kicks off the season and is often an indicator of who may sweep in the upcoming awards. 

The big winner tonight was Emilia Perez, which took home four awards and was nominated for ten, which is the most Golden Globe-nominated film in its history - so it is no surprise that it dominated the night. The film was awarded Best Motion Picture - musical/comedy, International Picture, Best Song in a Motion Picture and Zoe Saldana was awarded Best Supporting Actress and she gave a tearful speech dedicating her award to the women of Emilia Perez Carla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez who were also nominated for their roles in the film. 

Tailing on behind was Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, which took home three Golden Globes and arguably the most important ones of the night: Bes
t Director, Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Actor in a Drama for Adrien Brody. The film has put itself in the front position for winning Best Picture at The Oscars and has put Brody as the front-runner to win Best Actor, overtaking Timothee Chalamet, who would be the usual winner as he is in a biopic and delivers a transformative performance. However, Brody has a comeback story as he has been vocal in taking a break from the industry as he was not getting the roles that he wanted, but now he is delivering a performance that is worthy of award conversation, and it is a joy to see him return to the big screen. 

Someone else who has that same narrative is Demi Moore, who won Best Actress in a comedy/musical for The Substance, a truly vulnerable and unhinged performance. She cited in her speech that this was the first award she had ever won in her acting career, and her genuine joy for receiving this recognition later in her career and at a time when she was ready to finish in the industry has cemented her chances at taking home that Best Actress Win at The Oscars. This would not only be a historic win for her, but it would finally give recognition to the horror genre at The Oscars and in the mainstream award ceremonies, which are often overlooked and in the year that horror delivered some truly exceptional performances it is hard not to acknowledge the work. 

The true surprise of the night was the lack of awards going to Sean Baker's Anora, which, going into the ceremony, was predicted to win three or even four awards and took home none. The most surprising is for Mikey Madison, who has dominated the critic's circle and is the most-awarded actress of the season - so it was a shock to not see her up on the stage tonight. Also, the beloved film of the moment Wicked only took home one award which was Cinematic Box Office Achievement which is a newly concepted award for The Globes and can often feel like a consolation prize - if you are not winning one of the big awards it is still a way to celebrate the film and in Wicked's case how much loved the film has been received worldwide. 

Overall, The Golden Globes provided many surprises last night and has cemented people in the conversation to receive many more awards this season - it is set to be an exciting awards season differing from last year where the awards were pretty locked in from the beginning - so this makes for an exciting couple of months to come!