The 2025 Golden Globes ceremony lit up the Beverly Hilton Hotel for another year running, awarding all of the best movies of 2024 including the biggest cinema releases and popular movies from the best streaming services. As it goes with all award ceremonies there were some obvious victories, but weaved in between were a few surprises that shocked me to say the least.
Aside from Demi Moore's triumph for her performance in Coralie Fargeat's horror The Substance, which we crowned one of the best horror movies to stream right now, the 2025 Golden Globes presented a slew of unexpected wins - some I thought were deserved, and some not so much.
Given my initial shock to Emilia Perez's whopping 10 nominations, you can imagine how I reacted when I saw it walk away with four awards, including one of the biggest of the night. However, I should've expected it, because this is how the cookie crumbles when it comes to the biggest award shows. Here are five wins from the 2025 Golden Globes that shocked me the most.
Emilia Perez wins Best Film (musical/comedy) over Anora and Challengers
I haven't held back with my opinions on Netflix's Emilia Perez, and after I gave the movie a ruthless two stars on Letterboxd, I was utterly shocked when it became the most-nominated movie at the 2025 Golden Globes. I was even more stunned when it won Best Film (musical/comedy), defeating masterpieces Anora and Challengers - two of the best movies of 2024.
Where Anora and Challengers packed an engaging viewing experience, Emilia Perez packed three discombobulating plotlines into a 132-minute time run that failed to move me - despite the movie having a lot of potential. If it were a crime drama minus the unnecessary musical element, then I would've given it a lot less slack. However, Challengers wasn't robbed entirely, and reclaimed its victory beating Emilia Perez for Best Original Score.
Flow takes home Best Animated Film
Of all the nominations for Best Animated Film, the Latvian animated movie Flow was least likely to snag the big award - especially being up against Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, and Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. But alas, it took home the prize, even though I had never heard of it until now.
I'm not discrediting its win in the slightest, and I'm sure to add it to my watchlist as soon as it comes to streaming, but given that it was up against a major Disney animated feature that just so happened to be the highest grossing movie of the year, the odds were very low to me.
Inside Out 2 misses out on the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award despite being the highest grossing movie of 2024
Inside Out 2 didn't just miss out on Best Animated Film but it was also snubbed of its chance at a Golden Globe in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category. Being up against cinema giants Gladiator II, Deadpool and Wolverine, and Wicked, the competition was tough, but Wicked snatched it at the last call.
I saw Wicked three times when it was released in cinemas, and its inescapable presence on social media explains why it took home the Golden Globe. I'm not mad at this win, however Wicked's box office revenue is no match to Inside Out 2's which earned over $1 billion becoming the highest grossing movie of 2024.
Jodie Foster beats Cristin Milioti in the best actress in a limited series
The Penguin, which is one of the best Max shows, has been credited for its performance from Collin Farrell as the titular character, but some critics have come forward to say that Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone that was the main attraction. So when Colin Farrell won the award for Best TV Actor (limited series), it was sort of a let down when the Best TV Actress award went to Jodie Foster instead.
Though Jodie Foster's performance in True Detective: Night Country is more than worthy of the Golden Globe win, it doesn't quite add up when Miloti had been heavily praised by critics and fans alike. While this win is less a surprise than the others, it's still a snub for Milioti.
Fernanda Torres wins Best Actress in a drama for I'm Still Here
This category is one I look out for the most, and this year had some powerful performances including the comeback of Pamela Anderson in Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl as well as other big names including Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet, and Nicole Kidman.
Walter Salles' drama I'm Still Here, which follows a woman (Fernanda Torres) struggling to keep her family together amidst the disappearance of her husband, proved to be the stand out for the drama category with Torres taking home the award.
You might also like
