Here’s Who Should Have Won: 2025 Golden Globe Award Edition

First up on our list is Brady Corbet for his film The Brutalist. In this film, his direction brought to life the story of a Jewish architect rebuilding after World War II.

Corbet turned what could have been a cold story about buildings into a story about architecture that felt deeply personal. He told a thirty-year story that never lost its heart. Furthermore, with knockout performances in this piece from Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce, he’s our top pick for the directing category.

Next among our Golden Globe Award nominees, Edward Norton stood out for his performance in A Complete Unknown. Norton brought his signature intensity to the role of Bob Dylan‘s controversial manager, Albert Grossman. Yet he kept the performance grounded, as he so often does.

Additionally, he stole every scene without overshadowing Timothée Chalamet’s character, Dylan, which was no easy feat. It was the kind of supporting performance that reminded us why Norton is one of the best character actors working today.

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Meanwhile, in the best actor category, Adrien Brody delivered the performance of his career in The Brutalist as László Toth, the Jewish architect we talked about earlier who was haunted by his past. As Toth, he masterfully portrayed the weight of post-war trauma. Through this lens, audiences saw a man desperate to create beauty from the ashes.

We haven’t seen Brody in a role this good since The Pianist. But, in the end, it was the soul he brought to every moment that made him our pick for Best Actor.

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Another change we would have made was Nicole Kidman for Best Actress in a Drama for Babygirl. In this film, she played Romy, a CEO whose carefully controlled world began to spiral.

As a woman balancing corporate power with her personal desires, she brought precision to every scene that critics couldn’t stop talking about. And, of course, the film’s steamy scenes with Harris Dickinson made tons of headlines. But, to us, it’s Kidman’s subtle portrayal of Romy’s internal struggle that earned her place on our list.

It’s exactly the kind of mature role that Golden Globe voters love. It’s controversial enough to get attention but elevated by an actress who knows exactly what she’s doing.

In the next spot on our list of our top Golden Globe Award nominees of the year is Hugh Grant in Heretic, taking his rom-com charm to darker places. Playing Mr. Reed, he turned his famous quirks (the nervous blinking, the shy smiles) into something deeply unsettling. Gone was the nice guy we knew from the ’90s. In his place stood someone far more dangerous.

This performance truly worked because of how Grant played with our memories of him. He gave long speeches about faith with that familiar timing we all knew so well. But now, there was a unique, dark edge beneath the surface. At 64, he found a way to make his classic mannerisms feel completely new. It was exactly the kind of performance that we think deserves recognition.

Next, in the comedy or musical category, Mikey Madison played Ani in Anora with a perfect balance of grit and heart. She turned a story about a Vegas dancer’s wild romance into something that felt real and magnetic.

Undeniably, her performance had it all. Her comedic timing was sharp. Her dramatic moments were… well… dramatic! And the camera surely loved her in every scene.

She made us feel the panic of searching for her missing “husband,” handling the dark moments as skillfully as the funny ones. It’s the kind of star-making role that had gotten Globe voters excited.

Another winner (in our eyes) is Ariana Grande for her performance as Glinda in Wicked. She made the beloved character feel fresh and new. And her chemistry with Cynthia Erivo lit up every scene. Even longtime fans of the musical were surprised by her take on the role.

To us, what made Grande’s performance award-worthy was how she balanced the flash with genuine emotion. She nailed the big musical numbers but also gave us a Glinda who felt real beneath all that glitter.

For her first major film role, Grande proved she’s got serious acting chops to match those vocal skills. I mean, after all, Ariana was on Broadway when she was younger… she’s made for this kind of spotlight.

Beyond individual performances, as you could probably tell from the other nominees on this list, The Brutalist dominated film festivals and critics’ conversations this year. Brady Corbet‘s three-and-a-half-hour piece turned the story of a Hungarian-Jewish architect into a story about art and the American Dream.

Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones also delivered career-best performances. The way the film showed how pain shaped his art makes it the kind of drama that voters can’t ignore in a year of strong contenders.

Finally, capping our list of 2025 Golden Globe Award “Should Have Won’s” this year is Wicked. Jon M. Chu transformed the Broadway hit into what was probably the most anticipated movie musical in years. Every frame was filled with color and imagination. And the production design brought Oz to life in ways the stage never could.

In the end, what set this adaptation apart from all the rest was its bold vision. The film didn’t just copy the musical stage show. It reimagined everything that it originally was for the screen, earning the final spot on our list of our top 2025 Golden Globe Award nominees.

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