Five Golden Globes takeaways: What were the surprises and what do they mean for the Oscars?
Peter Howell
Movie Critic
The most notable thing about the 82nd Golden Globes may be that they happened at all.
After their near-death experience of recent years, when racism allegations led to Hollywood and media ostracism and the dissolution of the ethically flexible Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the show, now administered by the Golden Globe Foundation, has struggled to regain its standing as an awards season powerhouse.
Sunday night’s telecast showed the comeback is well underway, thanks to many astute choices — “Emilia Pérez” and “The Brutalist” dominated film wins and “Shōgun” did likewise for TV — made by a 300-strong contingent of diverse global voters. The show also boasted a smashing new host in comedian Nikki Glaser, a huge improvement over last year’s Jo Koy.
There were bonus laughs courtesy of Canadian presenters Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara, soon to co-star in the Apple TV Plus Hollywood satire “The Studio,” as they amusingly riffed at length about having won little-known Canuck awards — “Golden Antlers,” “The Beavers” and “The Golden Gretzky” — early in their careers. I wonder how many of the Tinseltown types present realized these awards are bogus?
Here are my five takeaways from the 2025 Golden Globes:
The ceremony was no crystal ball for the Oscars. There’s still no clear signal of which films and talent are likely to prevail at March 2’s Academy Awards, which announce nominations Jan. 17. The two top film winners at the Globes, with four and three awards respectively, were “Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish-language musical comedy about a Mexican mob boss whose world radically changes, and “The Brutalist,” an epic tale of a Holocaust survivor pursuing architectural excellence in postwar America.
Other films perceived to be Oscar front-runners fared poorly: “Conclave” and “Wicked” nabbed just one prize apiece, while “Anora” won none. The Globes are rarely an Academy bellwether, so the Oscars field remains wide open, but “Emilia Pérez” and “The Brutalist” seem assured of multiple Academy nominations, including best director nods, respectively, for Jacques Audiard and Brady Corbet.
Nikki Glaser is a hilarious new host. The first solo woman to host the Globes telecast had two challenges going into Sunday’s show. She had to erase memories of Jo Koy’s embarrassing performance last year, with his crude jokes that prompted groans from the celebrity audience, especially a furious Taylor Swift. Glaser also had to avoid the bawdy humour she’s known for, as seen in her notorious roast last year of Tom Brady. She succeeded on both counts, cracking wise without splitting skulls. She razzed an amused Timothée Chalamet no less than three times: about his wispy moustache, his “absolutely horrible — you nailed it!” singing as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” and the euphonious sound of his surname, conscripting Adam Sandler to join in the mocking. Glaser also knew when to end a gag. At one point she quick-changed into formal Vatican attire, “Conclave”-style, and started singing “You’re gonna be Pope-ular,” to the tune of “Popular,” from “Wicked.” She was greeted with guffaws and left it at that. She deserves to be brought back next year.
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(Originally published in the Toronto Star.)
