On January 5th, the 2025 awards season was kicked off with a bang with the Golden Globes, an annual ceremony celebrating accomplishments in both TV and film. 9.3 million viewers tuned in to watch one of the biggest award ceremonies of the year (Los Angeles Times). Though not typically regarded as the most prestigious compared to ceremonies like the Oscars or Emmys, the Golden Globes is a key indicator of which films and TV shows might dominate the awards season.
This year’s Golden Globes was hosted by comedian, podcaster, and reality TV host Nikki Glaser. After comedian Jo Koy’s disastrous last-minute casting last year, audiences were in need of a new and refreshing face, and Glaser certainly delivered. Her jokes and commentary were sharp and had audiences at both the ceremony and watching the live-stream laughing out loud. Ramapo senior Keira Duffy commented, “I was disappointed with last year’s host, and thought a lot of his jokes were extremely distasteful. I was really pleasantly surprised with Nikki Glaser this year.”
With 27 awards handed out, the ceremony featured its highs and lows. The biggest winner in film was by far The Brutalist, a three hour and thirty-four minute drama telling the story of an architect who flees post-war Europe in 1947 to start a new life in the United States (IMDb). It came in with seven nominations and claimed the titles of several coveted awards, including Best Drama Motion Picture (CBS). The film faced some controversy after the director admitted to using AI tools for some dialogue (Variety). Ramapo senior Ina Nip commented, “I think it’s unfair that The Bruatlist won so many awards when its use of generative AI wasn’t clearly made known. It is something that I don’t feel has a place in film just yet and to be honest it diminishes the quality of the art created and the talents of the actors.”
On the musical and comedy film side, the movie Emila Pérez won big, earning the first award of the night for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, with a tearful acceptance speech from Zoe Saldaña (CBS). It also claimed the title of best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture, beating Cinematic and Box Office Achievement winner Wicked (CBS).
On the television side, FX’s The Bear once again came in with five nominations, with Jeremey Allan White winning the show’s only award for Best Actor. Another familiar winner was the historical drama Shōgun, which took home four Golden Globes after sweeping last year’s Emmys (abc).
The Golden Globes was, as usual, a memorable evening filled with surprises, emotions, and laughs. The 2025 Golden Globes set the tone for what is sure to be an exciting awards season.
