The Winners of the 24th Annual Critics' Choice Awards for Film
The Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards have just concluded, with plenty of wild surprises in multiple categories throughout the night.
As expected, Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" was the big winner, taking Best Picture, Best Director (Cuaron), Cinematography (Cuaron), and Best Foreign Language Film. "Vice" followed close behind with three, including Best Actor (Christian Bale), Best Actor in a Comedy (Bale), and Best Hair & Makeup.
As far as surprises go, both Screenplay categories went to unexpected recipients. Paul Schrader took Original Screenplay for "First Reformed" over presumed frontrunner "The Favourite," while Barry Jenkins took Adapted Screenplay for "If Beale Street Could Talk" over presumed frontrunner "Blackkklansman." What's particularly interesting here is that the BFCA has matched the Oscar for Original Screenplay for the last eight years straight, but unfortunately, "First Reformed" failed to get a Writers Guild nomination, giving it very little chance of winning the Oscar, leaving "The Favourite" as the frontrunner.
Another surprise occurred in Best Actress, where a tie occurred between Glenn Close for "The Wife" and Lady Gaga for "A Star is Born," both of whom prevailed over frontrunner Olivia Colman for "The Favourite." However, given that the BFCA has separate categories that allowed them to honor Colman for "Best Actress in a Comedy," this wasn't entirely unexpected, so it doesn't really affect the awards race.
Looking at some of the minor categories, we find some very odd recipients, including the bizarre choice of "Crazy Rich Asians" for Best Comedy over "The Favourite" (apparently the BFCA took "comedy" a little too literally and tried to tell a bad joke here). Other peculiar picks include "Black Panther" taking Best Costumes and Best Production Design.
Should we expect the BFCA's picks to carry over to the Oscars? As far as their more unusual picks, I wouldn't think so. Then you also have to consider the fact that Regina King, frontrunner in Best Supporting Actress throughout the season, missed out on her respective SAG nomination. However, some of these do seem like pretty solid locks, including Cuaron for Director, Bale for Best Actor, "Roma" for Cinematography, "Shallow" for Song, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" for Animated Feature, and possibly "First Man" for Editing and Score. And yes, Best Picture does seem to be pointing firmly at "Roma."
Speaking of Best Picture, the next big event on the awards calendar is the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, January 19th. While "Roma" does indeed appear to be the clear frontrunner, the PGA will let us know for sure when they present their top award, so be sure to check back to see how the awards pan out.
In the meantime, please see below for a list of tonight's Critics' Choice Award winners for film:
Best Picture: Roma Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Roma Best Actor: Christian Bale, Vice Best Actress: Glenn Close, The Wife and Lady Gaga, A Star is Born Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, Green Book Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Acting Ensemble: The Favourite Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Editing: First Man Best Cinematography: Roma Best Production Design: Black Panther Best Costume Design: Black Panther Best Hair & Makeup: Vice Best Visual Effects: Black Panther Best Score: First Man Best Song: "Shallow," A Star is Born Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Best Foreign Language Film: Roma Best Young Actor/Actress: Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade Best Action Movie: Mission: Impossible - Fallout Best Comedy: Crazy Rich Asians Best Actor in a Comedy: Christian Bale, Vice Best Actress in a Comedy: Olivia Colman, The Favourite Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie: A Quiet Place
Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.