The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has revealednominations for the 80th annual Golden Globes, which will be held on July 28, 2025. This will be theembattled organization’s first televised ceremonysince it moved to double its constituency and implement various structural changes.
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Did the announcement unveil a new and inclusive HFPA? It’s hard to tell, as much aligned with what prognosticators expect to see throughout the season. However, there were a few surprise nods and omissions. These nominations aren’t a preview of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' (AMPAS) leanings, but they represent an important stop on the road to the Oscars.
Snub: Billy Eichner and ‘Bros’
One of the best-reviewed movies of the year—a comedyRolling Stonehas already declared among the 21st century’s finest—isn’t having the awards impact its gangbusters premiere at TIFF promised.Brosdidn’t do big business at the box office, but the groundbreaking rom-com seemed like a lock forat leastone nomination, given the HFPA’s separate Drama and Comedy/Musical categories.
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Now thatBrosis a no-show at the Globes, its best shot at gaining some late-season visibility is Critics’ Choice. However, prospects for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination are looking dubious at best.
Surprise: Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann’s not-terribly-shocking but still pretty unexpected Best Director nomination forElvisconfirms what we’ve been suspecting for weeks: This candy-colored carnival attraction is way more formidable an awards contender than middling reviews suggested back in June. Those who’ve been turning their noses up atElviswere in for quite the wake-up call when Luhrmann made the cut overSarah Polley(Women Talking) andTodd Field(Tár), both of whom are predicted Oscar nominees.
Should anyone be surprised, though? This is the same (albeit expanded) organization that awarded Best Drama toBohemian Rhapsody. If the AMPAS contradicts the sentiment thatElvisisn’t “high-brow” enough for a directing nod, Luhrmann will be this award cycle’sTodd Phillips(Joker) andAdam McKay(Vice).
Snub: The Sandman
Adam Sandlerdelivers career-best work inHustlebut has gone unnoticed by the HFPA. No one would’ve called this a snub back in September, but recent weeks have seen Netflix mount an aggressive campaign to get him a nod for the sports dramedy, trotting the star out to screenings and roundtable talks. Sandler also received a special tribute at the Gotham Awards and did an actors-on-actors withThe Whale’sBrendan Fraser, who’s locked in for a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars.
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Even with the category split, the Sandman couldn’t get his flowers. He was passed over for, it seems,Adam Driver(White Noise). The rest of the category pretty much shaped out as pundits thought it would, withColin Farrell(The Banshees of Inisherin),Daniel Craig(Glass Onion),Diego Calva(Babylon), andRalph Fiennes(The Menu) getting heavily predicted nominations.
Surprise: ‘The Inspection’ Scoring 2 Acting Nods
The Globes are known for making particularly mainstream and star-friendly picks, so it’s refreshing to see A24’s tiny, intimateThe Inspectionsneak in. The semi-autobiographical drama from debut screenwriter-directorElegance Brattonis set in the ’90s. It follows the vicissitudes of an unhoused gay man (Jeremy Pope) who joins the Marines at the height of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The film got not one but two acting nominations, withGabrielle Unionsecuring a spot in an incredibly competitive Supporting Actress race for her performance as the protagonist’s homophobic mother.
Pope’s nomination is also a welcome surprise, though he admittedly faced less competition in Best Actor, which pundits agree is thin this year. Whether the push from the Globes materializes an Oscar nom remains to be seen, but it should help thisdeserving character studyreach a wider audience, and that’s what matters most.
Snub: The Fabel-men
The Best Supporting Actor lineup has been one of the season’s burning questions: WillJudd Hirschmake it in forThe FabelmansoverPaul Dano? Can both Fabel-men clinch nominations, especially withThe Banshees of Inisheringunning for two slots? As far as the HFPA is concerned, neither can. WhileBansheesgot the double nom, bothFabelmanboys were shut out. Though Dano will probably be unaffected, it’s possible theSteven Spielbergautobiopic’s ensemble won’t be the year’s most decorated, despite what many thought heading into the season.
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IfThe Banshees of Inisherinperforms as strongly with the Screen Actors Guild—voting is underway—it will likely win Best Ensemble and head into Oscar night a frontrunner. WithThe Fabelmanslooking slightly likeBelfast, could the Best Picture race boil down toBansheesvs.Everything Everywhere All At Once?
Surprise: Olivia Colman
It feels odd to call a nod forOlivia Colmana “surprise.” After all, betweenThe Favourite,The Father,The Lost Daughter,The Crown, andFleabag, the Oscar—and Emmy-winner has become an awards season mainstay, and her beautiful, tender work inSam Mendes’Empire of Lightis very deserving of a nomination. However, it’s been easy to doubt both her and the film’s chances in recent months, despite the Globes’ demonstrated affection for Colman and Mendes (his 2008Revolutionary Roadgot a Best Drama nomination even though other groups had largely ignored it).
ThoughEmpire of Lightlooks on paper like an obvious awards contender—it is a social-issue drama made by the director ofAmerican Beautyand1917, shot by beloved DPRoger Deakins, starring one of her generation’s finest performers, and set inside a seaside movie theater—critics have been trashing it since the fall festivals. Good for the HFPA for not buckling under pressure to dismiss the film.
Snub: Danielle Deadwyler
Tillpremiered in October at the New York Film Festival to stronger-than-expected reviews that unanimously praisedDanielle Deadwyler(The Harder They Fall) for her heart-rending turn as Mamie Till-Mobley.Deadwyler won the Gotham Awards’ gender-neutral lead acting category, beatingCate Blanchett,Michelle Yeoh, and Brendan Fraser. Not only did a nomination from the HFPA seems guaranteed, but Deadwyler stood a decent chance of winning, especially since one of her main competitors at the Oscars, Yeoh, is categorized at the Globes as a Comedy/Musical Lead.
Don’t take Deadwyler off your ballot just yet. Past years suggest that shocking snubs only make a performance more visible. A miss this early in the season could be a cue for MGM to ramp up its campaign. ExpectTillto start making more noise as other awards groups become eager to compensate for the HFPA’s glaring omission.
Surprise: Ana de Armas
Almost as shocking as Deadwyler missing the Best Actress shortlist isAna de Armasgetting in!Andrew Dominik’s highly experimental, surreal retelling of Marilyn Monroe’s life didn’t exactly get a warm reception when it dropped on Netflix in September. Viewers and critics took issue with what they felt was an exploitative depiction of the doomed icon, and there’s also thetalking fetus of it all.
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Nevertheless, de Armas’ performance garnered positive reactions.Blondeis a challenging but by no means worthless viewing experience. Nominating its lead is certainly an inspired choice, as well as a rebuke to those who feel the HFPA only goes with what’s popular.
Snub: All the Women Talking
The HFPA shutting outWomen Talking, a chamber drama about sexual abuse in a Mennonite colony,is by far the strangest thing about this year’s Golden Globe nominations. In addition to falling short of Drama and Director, for which many predicted it,Women Talkingdidn’t get asingleacting nod.Jessie BuckleyandClaire Foyhave for months seemed like locks, and while you could get away with doubting the double-nom, neither getting in was unthinkable. It’s safe to say no one predicted the Globes’ Supporting Actress lineup with a hundred-percent accuracy this year.
The synergistic effect of missing three categories and what seemed like four no-brainer nominations makesWomen Talkingthe HFPA’s most shocking omission this year. Granted, the film got nods for Screenplay and Score, but that’s not a good showing for a film many felt after thefall festivals would be a major contenderacross the board. And with such a meager haul, you have to wonder how formidable it is in Screenplay (the Globes don’t divide Adapted and Original) against four movies that have Picture and acting noms.
Surprise: Dolly de Leon
Dolly de Leon’s nomination forTriangle of Sadnessmay surprise some, but it makes complete sense to those who’ve been rallying around her performance for months. Though she’s been considered a wild card thus far, the HFPA’s bold move to recognize her work should finally prove she’s not as much of a dark horse as naysayers think. De Leon got in overHong Chau(The Whale), who many are still predicting for an Academy Award nomination, andWomen Talkingduo Buckley and Foy.
De Leon is essentially tasked in the final act with becoming the film’s lead, despite up to that point having not even three full minutes of screen time. It’s thrilling to watch the largely unknown actress take over thePalme d’Or-winning class satirewith such brutal precision and impeccable comedic timing. Oscar and SAG, take note!
