What to Watch First: 82nd Golden Globes Nominated Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

The nominees for Golden Globes Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy are a great selection of films. This year, we see Ariana Grande facing off against Zendaya and Selena Gomez, actresses who are also successful singers and child stars from Nickelodeon and Disney. There’s also a film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, a movie about a stripper and a horror sci-fi film starring Demi Moore.  

If you and your friends can’t decide which of these six Golden Globes-nominated movies to watch first, continue reading to get an idea of what each film is about, without giving too much away.  

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum  

Plot: Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Wicked is set in the magical land of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival, as seen in The Wizard Of Oz. It showed how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West (played by Cynthia Erivo), and Galinda became Glinda the Good (played by Ariana Grande). It also stars Jeff Goldblum as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, the Dean of Sorcery at the Shiz University where Elphaba and Galinda met. Wicked is kind of a big thing, thanks to the movie’s marketing team ensuring not just Broadway and musical fans flock to the theaters to watch the film.   

Starring: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karaguilan, Vache Tovmasyan  

Plot: Anora follows the story of Anora “Ani” Mikheeva, a stripper in a Manhattan strip club. Since she’s the only Russian-speaking stripper, her boss introduced her to the son of a Russian oligarch. It was her highest-paying gig, but it was also her biggest heartbreak. The movie was critically and commercially successful and director Sean Baker’s highest-grossing film.  

Starring: Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Margaret Qualley,   

Plot: The Substance is a horror sci-fi movie that stars Demi Moore as (name), an aging celebrity fired by her boss, Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid (talk about ageism at its finest!) Her desperation led her to use a black-market drug that temporarily created a younger version of herself. Kudos to the people behind the film for opting to let Margaret Qualley play a younger version of Moore instead of de-aging her.  

Starring: Zendaya  

Plot: Zendaya starred as Tashi, an injured tennis star-turned-coach. The movie follows the love triangle between her and her tennis player ex-boyfriend (played by Josh O’Connor) and tennis champion husband (played by Mike Faist). The film was critically and commercially successful, earning $96 million over a budget of $55 million.  

Starring: Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir  

Plot: Based on the 2018 novel Écoute, the musical crime drama stars Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Pérez. The movie is about a leader cartel who transitioned into a woman with the help of his lawyer. Gascón made history as she is the first trans woman to be nominated in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. The movie was also included in the American Film Institute's top 10 films of 2024.  

The teaser trailer is NSFW. Just click here to watch it.  

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey  

Plot: Jesse Eisenberg stars in this comedy-drama film that he also wrote and directed. It follows Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, estranged Jewish-American cousins who traveled to Poland to connect with their heritage and honor their late grandmother. American Film Institute also included it in their list of top 10 films. Critics praised Culkin’s performance calling it a “career high.”  

With such a strong line-up of Golden Globes-nominated films, you’re sure to find something to watch not only to entertain you but also to increase your awareness about cultural issues. Whichever film you choose to watch first, you’ll be diving into a story that’s both entertaining and critically acclaimed.