Not-So-Golden Globes

OPINION: Annual award show honors undeserving film in important category

By Janae Noriega
Bridge Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, April 8, 2025

The Golden Globes: a night where the stars of Hollywood come together to celebrate their achievements in the entertainment industry. The idea is that the most-deserving films and TV productions in their respective categories receive an award to acknowledge and demonstrate their impact.

This is the expectation of the audience watching the awards show. But in 2025, the annual show fell short, leaving viewers disappointed. If you were to ask me, I strongly believe two specific categories show this to be especially true.

The winner of Best Motion Picture for Musical or Comedy this year was Emilia Perez, a film sharing the story of drug lord Manitas Del Monte, who enlists the help of lawyer Rita Castro in order to disappear and transition into a woman in order to become their true self. Although this movie had such a big opportunity to bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ community with its powerful message, all the audience could focus on was the disappointing and distracting music, lyrics and voices throughout the film.

Problems include the consistent monotone tune, the obvious mispronunciation and finishing off with the excessive appearance of AI voices used in place of some of the actor’s actual voices. I feel this award was stolen from a more-deserving film: the movie adaptation of the well-known, award-winning broadway musical Wicked. In my opinion, Wicked is the perfect example of a film using both its script and soundtrack to its fullest potential to portray its message.

The central idea, which tells us an outcast can be accepted and valued by those around them and sticking to one’s values is more important than playing into what society feels we should, is portrayed through songs such as The Wizard and I, No One Mourns the Wicked and the show-stopping song Defying Gravity.

While watching the film, you can experience the authenticity and emotions the actors felt as each song was performed live instead of the use of the recorded soundtrack. Actors Cythia Eviro and Ariana Grande felt this was important to have those watching feel as if they were a part of the film in realtime. This choice was also made in order to honor those who, to this day, perform this musical in its entirety live each night on Broadway.

With all these factors in play, Wicked should have been the obvious winner for Best Motion Picture for Musical or Comedy.

[Editor’s Note: This specific Golden Globe Award has been awarded annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association up until 2023 when the organization became defunct and rebranded to the Golden Globe Foundation. To be eligible, a film must be at least 70 minutes, commercially released for at least seven days in the greater Los Angeles area and screened for HFPA membership.]