‘One Battle After Another’ Named Best Picture at Critics Choice Awards

LOS ANGELES — “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s subversive comedy about radical politics, was named best picture at the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, strengthening its position as an awards-season front-runner.

Anderson also won best director, in what Deadline described as an upset, and best adapted screenplay for the Warner Bros. film.

Top Acting Prizes

Timothée Chalamet won best actor for A24’s “Marty Supreme,” and Jessie Buckley was named best actress for Focus Features’ “Hamnet.” The supporting acting awards went to Jacob Elordi for his performance as the Creature in Netflix’s “Frankenstein” and to Amy Madigan for Warner Bros.’ “Weapons.”

‘Sinners’ and ‘Frankenstein’ Tie

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” a vampire film set in the Jim Crow South that entered the night with a leading 17 nominations, won four awards: original screenplay, score, the inaugural casting and ensemble prize, and best young actor for its 20-year-old star, Miles Caton.

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” also collected four awards, adding production design, costume design and hair and makeup to Elordi’s prize.

Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” won best animated feature and best song, while Apple’s “F1” won for sound and editing. Neon’s “The Secret Agent” was named best foreign language film, and Paramount’s “The Naked Gun” won best comedy. Four best picture nominees, “Wicked: For Good,” “Sentimental Value,” “Jay Kelly” and “Bugonia,” went home empty-handed.

Television Winners

On the television side, the Netflix limited series “Adolescence,” which tells the story of a murder investigation with each episode filmed in a single continuous shot, won four awards, including best limited series. Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty all won limited series acting prizes.

HBO Max’s hospital drama “The Pitt” was named best drama series, with acting awards for Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa. Apple TV’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” won best comedy series, and creator and star Seth Rogen won best actor in a comedy, while co-star Ike Barinholtz took the supporting actor prize.

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks,” Janelle James won supporting actress in a comedy for “Abbott Elementary,” Rhea Seehorn won best actress in a drama for “Pluribus” and Tramell Tillman won supporting actor in a drama for “Severance.” Sarah Snook won best actress in a limited series for “All Her Fault.”

Awards Season Implications

The Critics Choice Awards, voted on by members of the Critics Choice Association, are closely watched as an early indicator ahead of the Academy Awards. The ceremony came as studios intensified their campaigns before Oscar nominations voting.

The results set up a closely contested race between “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” in the major film categories, with performances by Chalamet and Buckley gaining momentum in the lead acting races.