‘Oppenheimer’ Wins 8 Critics Choice Awards Including Best Picture and Best Director

“Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” together forever. The two summer blockbusters won a combined 14 trophies at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday. But it was Christopher Nolan and his atomic drama which scored the biggest prizes of the evening, winning Best Picture and Best Director among its eight victories.

Hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler, the telecast began with early supporting performance awards for Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and awards magnet Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) for her scene-stealing role as a kind-hearted school cook in Alexander Payne’s comedy.

Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), both Golden Globe winners in the Comedy/Musical category, followed up those victories with Best Actress and Best Actor triumphs.

In her acceptance speech. Stone acknowledged her the category’s five other nominees, including Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Margot Robbie (“Barbie”). Giamatti paid tribute to his father, Yale professor and commissioner of Major League Baseball Bart Giamatti, who died in 1989, before Paul had debuted as an actor.

“Barbie,” which was nominated for a record-breaking 18 awards, won six prizes including the award for Best Song (for the Ryan Gosling-sung tune “I’m Just Ken”), a category where half of the six nominees were represented by “Barbie.”

Greta Gerwig’s movie also picked up awards for Best Comedy and Best Original Screenplay – though the script by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach has been deemed an adapted screenplay for Oscar consideration – and the trophies for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup.

In the competitive category of Best Ensemble, the cast of “Oppenheimer,” accepted by supporting actress nominee Emily Blunt, scored the award over other contenders including “Barbie” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The epic film also picked up awards for Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Editing, and Best Visual Effects (though the film’s VFX team was not shortlisted for the comparable Oscar category).

Cord Jefferson, the writer-director of “American Fiction,” won the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay. The satirical comedy, starring Jeffrey Wright as a disillusioned author, is based on the 2001 novel by Percival Everett, “Erasure.”

Dominic Sessa of “The Holdovers” won the organization’s award for Best Young Actor/Actress. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” nabbed the prize for Best Animated Feature and the French mystery “Anatomy of a Fall” took the award for Best International Film.

With the Barbenheimer movies winning two-thirds of all the film awards, several other highly-touted Best Picture nominees went home empty-handed. Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” with 20 nominations between them, were both shut out, as were Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” and Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple.”

The results are likely to reinforce the status of “Oppenheimer” as the presumptive Oscar Best Picture frontrunner, though it’s worth nothing that the Critics Choice Awards are another batch of prizes whose voters have almost no overlap with the Academy. It’ll be almost a month before the major Hollywood guilds begin announcing their own awards, starting with the Directors Guild on Feb. 10, followed by the SAG Awards on Feb. 24 and the Producers Guild Awards on Feb. 25.

More intriguing are the Critics Choice winners in the lead acting categories. Faced with slates of nominees that include the winners in the Golden Globes drama and comedy acting categories, Critics Choice voters went for the comedy winners: Stone for “Poor Things” over Lily Gladstone for “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Giamatti for “The Holdovers” over Cillian Murphy for “Oppenheimer.”

In the television arena, “Beef” stars Ali Wong and Steven Yuen backed up their Golden Globe victories with wins for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. Comedy series “The Bear” also continued its awards steamroll, with trophies for lead actor Jeremy Allen White and lead actress Ayo Edebiri. As did “Succession” leads Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin.

All three shows also won the top television awards: “Succession” for Best Drama Series, “The Bear” for Best Comedy Series and “Beef” for Best Limited Series.

In the supporting-performance TV categories, winners included Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) and Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”) for supporting performances in a drama series, in addition to Maria Bello (“Beef”) and Jonathan Bailey (“Fellow Travelers”) for their supporting work in a limited series. The supporting roles in a comedy series trophies were won by Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”) and Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”).

An emotional Harrison Ford, 81, accepted the Critics Choice Career Achievement award, thanking his collaborators and his wife Calista Flockhart, after a vibrant montage of film clips, presented by his “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” director James Mangold.

The show gave out awards in 21 film categories and 20 television categories — but in an attempt to streamline the show by giving out below-the-line categories off the air, it announced 13 film categories but only five TV categories in bumpers as the show was going to commercials. As a result, almost twice as many TV categories as film categories received on-air presentations, although Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were retroactively called to the stage to give an acceptance speech about an hour after the “Barbie” award for Best Comedy had been announced in a bumper.

The show was moved to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica because of a strike at the Fairmont Center Plaza, where it was originally scheduled to take place. Chelsea Handler hosted for the second year in a row.

The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics group in the United States, with more than 650 members. Over its first 28 years, the group’s top choice went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture 16 times, including five times in the last 10 years.

Last year, in the 18 categories the Critics Choice Awards and the Oscars have in common, the Critics Choice winner also won the Oscar in 11 of them, including Best Picture (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Best Actor (Brendan Fraser), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan) and both writing awards (“Everything Everywhere” and “Women Talking”).

Here is the full list of nominees. Winners are indicated by *WINNER.

FILM CATEGORIES

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, Szusza 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 CATEGORIES

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

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