What the Critics Choice Awards herald for the Oscars
Barbenheimer are the movies to beat; Paul Giamatti and Emma Stone solidify their front-runner status; Scorsese's "Killers" justly falters; Black films overlooked.
I’m hoping you had a chance to watch the Critics Choice Awards last night. Although it’s not the ostentatious affair of the Golden Globes or Oscars, the broadcast film critics group — of which I am a voting member — has steadily increased its profile in the last few years. Our awards have become a key precursor and predictor of the main event, the Academy Awards, which arrive March 10.
If you missed my sharing of my own CCA ballot, an annual tradition to give readers a glimpse into the mind of one critic, you can check how I did by clicking here.
I’ll append the full list of winners at the bottom of this article, but I’m not going to go through them one by one. Instead, we’ll look at trends and notable wins or snubs. We’ll also factor in the Golden Globes given out a week earlier. I thought they were done after the scandals of recent years, but have come roaring back — more for the red carpet fashions than the actual awards, I’d argue, but here they are.
The biggest headline is that Barbenheimer — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” famously released on the same day on July 21 — are clearly the movies to beat.
They dominated the CCAs, with “Oppenheimer” holding the clear edge with eight wins to six for “Barbie,” including Best Picture, director Christopher Nolan, ensemble acting, cinematography and best supporting actor Robert Downey Jr.
“Barbie” won original screenplay for director Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and cleaned up in the “technical” awards — production design, costumes, makeup and hair, plus “I’m Just Ken” for best song.
It also won the award for Best Comedy, but unlike the Golden Globes that’s not considered a co-equal award as they split up dramas and comedies/musicals. Still, it proves “Barbie” has serious muscle in the race for top picture of the year.
I’m surprised — but not displeased — that Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” has fared poorly in the awards season so far. It came out late in the year so has the advantage of recency bias over Barbenheimer, and has gotten some of the best notices of Scorsese’s storied career. Lily Gladstone did win best actress at the Globes, which I found bewildering since 1) it’s not even really a lead role, and 2) it’s written as a totally reactive part of this vessel of victimization.
It’s passing strange to me that Scorsese has made a major awards push for his last two films, “Killers” and “The Irishman,” both of which I found tedious, and did none for “Silence” a few years ago, which I consider the best film of the final act of his career (so far).
Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” has a classic awards pedigree, a lush historical biopic with gorgeous production values, even shot in black-and-white. Like me, I think awards voters are respectful of it but not overwhelmed with ardor.
“Poor Things” and “Saltburn” are too out there — not to mention sexualized — to compete for best picture awards, and audiences and critics haven’t been as enthused about “Rustin,” “The Color Purple” remake and “American Fiction” as I was (all three made my top 10 list). Black filmmakers are putting out tremendous work that’s just not getting recognized.
Though I was VERY happy to see Cord Jefferson win the adapted screenplay award from CCA. I think his was one of the most audacious filmmaker debuts I’ve seen in the last decade.
The acting awards appear to be solidifying with Emma Stone and Paul Giamatti as the clear front-runners in the leading categories, as each won at both the CCAs and Globes. Stone gave one of the weirdest, bravest and most groundbreaking performances in recent memory. And really there isn’t another female performance of similar weight out there for her to compete against, with Gladstone or Carey Mulligan in “Maestro” as the stalking horses.
The Oscars have a long history of “make-up” awards for best actor: giving the prize to a performer who clearly deserved to win previously but hasn’t, and so they wind up getting the award for something else. Paul Newman winning for “The Color of Money” being the classic example.
My blood still boils for Giamatti not winning for “Sideways” two decades ago, and I think that sentiment is shared widely in Hollywood for an actor who is cherished as a prodigious talent who is generous with other performers, not to mention a true gent. I’m thinking, and hoping, he’s got it locked up this time.
The viral photo of him treating himself to a meal at In-N-Out burgers after his Golden Globes win, the statuette perched among the greasy wrappers, was perhaps the best unintentional campaign move in the history of Tinsel Town.
Looking at the supporting acting awards, Giamatti’s “The Holdovers” co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph is looking more and more like the woman to beat in the supporting actress category, with wins at both the Globes and CCAs. I liked her a lot, but would have gone with America Ferrera or Danielle Brooks.
Similarly, Downey won at both awards and seems well on his way into the next phase of his career post-Iron Man. The fact he chose to pursue a really challenging supporting role in “Oppenheimer” rather than extending his leading-man status for its own sake speaks well of him. Personally I’d have chosen Sterling K. Brown from “American Fiction.” The popular sentiment will be for Ryan Gosling as Ken in “Barbie.”
(I’m still scratching my head at all the awards nomination love for Charles Melton in “May December,” a severely underwritten role.)
We’ll see how things shake out as the awards season progresses. Other key dates are as follows:
Oscar nominations announced — Jan. 23
Directors Guild Awards — Feb. 10
Screen Actors Guild — Feb. 23
Producers Guild Awards — Feb. 25
Oscars — March 10
CCA Winners
(I’m only listing the film awards for CCA; you can see the whole list including television here.)
Best Picture
American Fiction
Barbie
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer - WINNER
Past Lives
Poor Things
Saltburn
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers - WINNER
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Greta Lee, Past Lives
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things - WINNER
Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer - WINNER
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Charles Melton, May December
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Julianne Moore, May December
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers - WINNER
Best Young Actor/Actress
Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Ariana Greenblatt, Barbie
Calah Lane, Wonka
Milo Machado Graner, Anatomy of a Fall
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers - WINNER
Madeleine Yuna Voyles, The Creator
Best Acting Ensemble
Air
Barbie
The Color Purple
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer - WINNER
Best Director
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Greta Gerwig, Barbie
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer - WINNER
Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Original Screenplay
Samy Burch, May December
Alex Convery, Air
Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie - WINNER
David Hemingson, The Holdovers
Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Adapted Screenplay
Kelly Fremon Craig, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Andrew Haigh, All of Us Strangers
Cord Jefferson, American Fiction - WINNER
Tony McNamara, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Cinematography
Maestro
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Poor Things
Saltburn
Oppenheimer - WINNER
Best Production Design
Saltburn
Oppenheimer
Killers of the Flower Moon
Barbie - WINNER
Poor Things
Asteroid City
Best Editing
Air
Barbie
Oppenheimer - WINNER
Poor Things
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Best Costume Design
Barbie - WINNER
Wonka
The Color Purple
Poor Things
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Best Hair and Makeup
Barbie - WINNER
The Color Purple
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Priscilla
Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer - WINNER
Poor Things
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Comedy
American Fiction
Barbie - WINNER
Bottoms
The Holdovers
No Hard Feelings
Poor Things
Best Animated Feature
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse -
WINNER
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Wish
Best Foreign Language Film
Anatomy of a Fall - WINNER
Godzilla Minus One
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Taste of Things
The Zone of Interest
Best Song
“Dance the Night” – Barbie
“I’m Just Ken” – Barbie - WINNER
“Peaches” – The Super Mario Bros. Movie
“Road to Freedom” – Rustin
“This Wish” – Wish
“What Was I Made For” – Barbie
Best Score
Jerskin Fendrix, Poor Things
Michael Giacchino, Society of the Snow
Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer - WINNER
Daniel Pemberton, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Robbie Robertson, Killers of the Flower Moon
Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie