2025 Golden Globes: A Dazzling Night of Glamour and Surprises!

After a year of genuine normalcy (one devoid of strikes or a pandemic), Hollywood is resuming its typical programming, highlighted by an exciting and chaotic Golden Globes. The amusing yet lighthearted relative of the awards events has finally regained its momentum, following the scandals involving the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. After a rather disappointing ceremony last January, the Golden Globes rectified its errors by providing nominees and viewers with something both entirely unique and wonderfully reminiscent.

Comedian Nikki Glaser, marking a milestone as the first solo female host in the event’s history, jumped right into action with a compelling and witty opening monologue. The former host of “FBoy Island” tackled a diverse range of subjects, such as the 2024 Presidential election results and the #MeToo movement, radiating energy and humor from the moment she began speaking. Glaser swiftly moved through topics, from Timothée Chalamet’s thin mustache to the viral holding space interview featuring “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo here. Glaser’s broad themes and several laugh-inducing moments served to restore the Globes to their former delightful charm.

This year introduced an engaging and entertaining element: on-screen facts and anecdotes about winners and presenters, displayed as they made their way to the stage. These graphic presentations aimed to keep viewers at home engaged and to reduce the stretches of silence, which often make award shows feel interminably drawn out. They were also strangely informative: Audiences discovered that Ariana DeBose once competed on “So You Think You Can Dance,” Colman Domingo performed on stilts in the circus, and Demi Moore has an extensive vintage doll collection.

With an abundance of tequila (as reported by Kieran Culkin), a cringeworthy incident involving Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, Nobu sushi, and a more immersive and visually appealing production experience, characterized by angled cameras and a Google Maps-style overview of the ballroom, showcasing each nominee’s seating arrangement, the Golden Globes has discovered a way forward. Glaser humorously poked fun using a Pope’s miter as a prop, a not-so-bad parody of the “Wicked” song “Popular” and maintained a leaderboard displaying whom the winners were acknowledging in their speeches. While Ariana Grande didn’t quite appreciate Glaser’s weed jab at Harrison Ford, and the exchange between Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara dragged on longer than necessary, the event never felt sluggish or, even worse, distasteful.

There were few unexpected moments this year (though some did arise): Jeremy Allen White didn’t even show up to accept yet another accolade for his role in “The Bear.” However, most of the winners appeared genuinely ecstatic. During first-time winner Demi Moore’s heartfelt speech, after receiving the award for actress in a musical or comedy for “The Substance,” she expressed, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, over 45 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor.” It was one of the highlights of the evening.

As with the Emmys last September, “Shōgun” rightfully emerged as the standout television series, clinching four awards. Tadanobu Asano and Anna Sawai earned honors for their performances along with Hiroyuki Sanada, while the FX show also secured the award for best drama series. On the cinematic side, perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was Fernanda Torres’ well-deserved recognition as actress in a drama for “I’m Still Here.” “The Brutalist” has now officially become the Oscars’ frontrunner.

All in all, the show proceeded rapidly, blessedly featuring brief and concise speeches, with only a few interruptions from Glaser. The Golden Globes were precisely what they ought to be: a jubilant, lively gathering. With a duration of just over three hours, it was, frankly, everything we could have hoped for.

Variety’s parent organization PMC possesses Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Prods. in a joint venture with Eldridge.