From the moment host Chelsea Handler’s first joke landed during her monologue, the Critics Choice Awards honoring the best in film and television was off and running. The ceremonies, televised live on the CW Sunday, January 14, came just one week after a massive awards show hosting fail at the Golden Globes by a former flame of Handler’s, Jo Koy.
Isn’t it ironic. Huge and lengthy applause came when Handler lauded her writers, not only because of strong support for the now-settled WGA (and SAG-AFTRA) strikes which derailed the industry, but because Koy had thrown his writers under a bus, blaming them for his lack of laughs.
Many of the winners brought their own brand of humor to the stage, starting with Robert Downey Jr., who read a series of scathing comments about his acting abilities. Which obviously didn’t stop the critics from voting him best supporting actor for his role in “Oppenheimer,” battled with “Barbie” in many of the key categories.
Among “Oppenheimer’s” trophies were best picture and best director for Christopher Nolan, but not, as widely expected for Cillian Murphy for lead actor.
That win went to “The Holdovers” Paul Giamatti, who gave an acceptance speech that mixed comedy and pathos as he talked about his late father, Bart Giamatti and of the picture of compassion bringing people together.
Both of his costars, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa, also won acting awards in their respective categories, best supporting actress and best young actor. The three essentially were the ensemble of director Alexander Payne’s period piece set in a New England boarding school over the holidays, but the CCA’s best ensemble award went to the “Oppenhomies,” as Downey first called them.
On the television side, the final season of HBO’s “Succession,” Netflix’s limited series “Beef” and FX’s freshman series “The Bear” swept up nearly all of the hardware being handed out.
Harrison Ford gave an emotional acceptance speech upon being bestowed the career achievement award by director James Mangold. He tearfully recounted some of the highlights of his career and heaped praise upon wife Calista Flockhart for supporting him during troubled times.
Another moving speech came from SeeHer honoree America Ferrera, who made waves this award season with her monologue in “Barbie” on the challenges of being a woman.
Here is the fleet list of nominees and winners:
FILM
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 & Josh Singer – “Maestro”
Greta Gerwig & 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 & Martin Scorsese – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Matthew Libatique – “Maestro”
Rodrigo Prieto – “Barbie”
Rodrigo Prieto – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robbie Ryan – “Poor Things”
Linus Sandgren – “Saltburn”
Hoyte van Hoytema – “Oppenheimer” *WINNER
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Suzie Davies, Charlotte Dirickx – “Saltburn”
Ruth De Jong, Claire Kaufman – “Oppenheimer”
Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer – “Barbie” *WINNER
James Price, Shona Heath, Zsuzsa Mihalek – “Poor Things”
Adam Stockhausen, Kris Moran – “Asteroid City”
BEST EDITING
William Goldenberg – “Air”
Nick Houy – “Barbie”
Jennifer Lame – “Oppenheimer” *WINNER
Yorgos Mavropsaridis – “Poor Things”
Thelma Schoonmaker – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Michelle Tesoro – “Maestro”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Jacqueline Durran – “Barbie” *WINNER
Lindy Hemming – “Wonka”
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck – “The Color Purple”
Holly Waddington – “Poor Things”
Jacqueline West – “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Janty Yates, David Crossman – “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, Andrew Wyatt – “Barbie”
TELEVISION
BEST DRAMA SERIES
“The Crown”
“The Diplomat”
“The Last of Us”
“Loki”
“The Morning Show”
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
“Succession” *WINNER
“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kieran Culkin – “Succession” *WINNER
Tom Hiddleston – “Loki”
Timothy Olyphant – “Justified: City Primeval”
Pedro Pascal – “The Last of Us”
Ramón Rodríguez – “Will Trent”
Jeremy Strong – “Succession”
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston – “The Morning Show”
Aunjanue Ellis – “Justified: City Primeval”
Bella Ramsey – “The Last of Us”
Keri Russell – “The Diplomat”
Sarah Snook – “Succession” *WINNER
Reese Witherspoon – “The Morning Show”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Khalid Abdalla – “The Crown”
Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show” *WINNER
Ron Cephas Jones – “Truth Be Told”
Matthew MacFadyen – “Succession”
Ke Huy Quan – “Loki”
Rufus Sewell – “The Diplomat”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Nicole Beharie – “The Morning Show”
Elizabeth Debicki – “The Crown” *WINNER
Sophia Di Martino – “Loki”
Celia Rose Gooding – “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”
Karen Pittman – “The Morning Show”
Christina Ricci – “Yellowjackets”
BEST COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear” *WINNER
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Poker Face”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Shrinking”
“What We Do in the Shadows”
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Bill Hader – “Barry”
Steve Martin – “Only Murders in the Building”
Kayvan Novak – “What We Do in the Shadows”
Drew Tarver – “The Other Two”
Jeremy Allen White – “The Bear” *WINNER
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – “Reservation Dogs”
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rachel Brosnahan – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” *WINNER
Bridget Everett – “Somebody Somewhere”
Devery Jacobs – “Reservation Dogs”
Natasha Lyonne – “Poker Face”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Phil Dunster – “Ted Lasso”
Harrison Ford – “Shrinking”
Harvey Guillén – “What We Do in the Shadows”
James Marsden – “Jury Duty”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – “The Bear” *WINNER
Henry Winkler – “Barry”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Paulina Alexis – “Reservation Dogs”
Alex Borstein – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Janelle James – “Abbott Elementary”
Sheryl Lee Ralph – “Abbott Elementary”
Meryl Streep – “Only Murders in the Building” *WINNER
Jessica Williams – “Shrinking”
BEST LIMITED SERIES
“Beef” *WINNER
“Daisy Jones & the Six”
“Fargo”
“Fellow Travelers”
“Lessons in Chemistry”
“Love & Death”
“A Murder at the End of the World”
“A Small Light”
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”
“Finestkind”
“Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie”
“No One Will Save You”
“Quiz Lady” *WINNER
“Reality”
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Matt Bomer – “Fellow Travelers”
Tom Holland – “The Crowded Room”
David Oyelowo – “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”
Tony Shalhoub – “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie”
Kiefer Sutherland – “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial”
Steven Yeun – “Beef” *WINNER
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Kaitlyn Dever – “No One Will Save You”
Carla Gugino – “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Brie Larson – “Lessons in Chemistry”
Bel Powley – “A Small Light”
Sydney Sweeney – “Reality”
Juno Temple – “Fargo”
Ali Wong – “Beef” *WINNER
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jonathan Bailey – “Fellow Travelers” *WINNER
Taylor Kitsch – “Painkiller”
Jesse Plemons – “Love & Death”
Lewis Pullman – “Lessons in Chemistry”
Liev Schreiber – “A Small Light”
Justin Theroux – “White House Plumbers”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Maria Bello – “Beef” *WINNER
Billie Boullet – “A Small Light”
Willa Fitzgerald – “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Aja Naomi King – “Lessons in Chemistry”
Mary McDonnell – “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Camila Morrone – “Daisy Jones & the Six”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES
“Bargain”
“The Glory”
“The Good Mothers”
“The Interpreter of Silence”
“Lupin” *WINNER
“Mask Girl”
“Moving”
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
“Bluey”
“Bob’s Burgers”
“Harley Quinn”
“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” *WINNER
“Star Trek: Lower Decks”
“Young Love”
BEST TALK SHOW
“The Graham Norton Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The Kelly Clarkson Show”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” *WINNER
“Late Night with Seth Meyers”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL
“Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool”
“Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits”
“John Early: Now More Than Ever”
“John Mulaney: Baby J” *WINNER
“Trevor Noah: Where Was I”
“Wanda Sykes – I’m an Entertainer”
