With less than a month to go until the Oscars, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to 1960s Los Angeles, received a timely boost as it was named the year’s best film at the Critics Choice awards.
Handed out by the Los Angeles-based Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Critics Choice awards made Once Upon a Time in Hollywood its leading film, with three other nods, including Brad Pitt for best supporting actor and Tarantino for best screenplay.
In an unusual turn of events, the best director prize was a tie between Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho and 1917’s Sam Mendes after voters could not split them. Joaquin Phoenix took home best actor for his portrayal of a tortured loner in Joker, while Renée Zellweger won best actress for playing Judy Garland in biopic Judy.
Laura Dern won best supporting actress for playing a ruthless divorce lawyer in Marriage Story. The Irishman’s stars, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, took to the stage together to accept the best acting ensemble gong. Eddie Murphy, who received a lifetime achievement award, was celebrating again when his Dolemite Is My Name won best comedy film.
In the TV categories, Phoebe Waller-Bridge won best actress in a comedy series for Fleabag and had the audience in the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica laughing after admitting her surprise at receiving so much critical adulation for writing a character “who literally looks into the camera and says, ‘Fuck me up the arse.’” She added: “Thank you for getting behind that.”
Waller-Bridge, who has also won Emmys and Golden Globes for Fleabag’s second season, described working on the show as “the best experience I’ll probably ever have”. She also thanked Jennifer Lopez for influencing the Priest’s character as his favourite song is her 2002 hit, Jenny from the Block. Waller-Bridge’s co-star Andrew Scott – who plays the Priest – won best supporting actor in a comedy series.
Best drama was won by Succession, while best supporting actor in a limited series or movie made for television went to Chernobyl’s Stellan Skarsgård. Netflix’s When They See Us was named best limited series ahead of HBO and Sky’s Chernobyl. Show creator Ava DuVernay thanked the streaming giant for letting “a black woman do her thing”.
Full list of awards
Film
Best picture Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best actor Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Best actress Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best supporting actor Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best supporting actress Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Best young actor/actress Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit
Best acting ensemble The Irishman
Best director (tie) Sam Mendes, 1917; Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Best original screenplay Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best adapted screenplay Greta Gerwig, Little Women
Best cinematography 1917
Best production design Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best editing 1917
Best costume design Dolemite Is My Name
Best hair and makeup Bombshell
Best visual effects Avengers: Endgame
Best animated feature Toy Story 4
Best action movie Avengers: Endgame
Best comedy Dolemite Is My Name
Best sci-fi or horror movie Us
Best foreign language film Parasite
Best song (tie) Glasgow (No Place Like Home), Wild Rose; (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again, Rocketman
Best score Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker
Television
Best drama series Succession
Best actor in a drama series Jeremy Strong, Succession
Best actress in a drama series Regina King, Watchmen
Best supporting actor in a drama series Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Best supporting actress in a drama series Jean Smart, Watchmen
Best comedy series Fleabag
Best actor in a comedy series Bill Hader, Barry
Best actress in a comedy series Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Best supporting actor in a comedy series Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Best supporting actress in a comedy series Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Best limited series When They See Us
Best movie made for TV El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Best actor in a limited series or movie made for TV Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us
Best actress in a limited series or movie made for TV Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Best supporting actor in a limited series or movie made for TV Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl
Best supporting actress in a limited series or movie made for TV Toni Colette, Unbelievable
Best animated series Bojack Horseman
Best talk show (tie) The Late Late Show With James Corden; Late Night With Seth Meyers
Best comedy special Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and the Jeffersons
#seeher award Kristen Bell
Lifetime achievement award Eddie Murphy
