Critics Choice Awards Favor Nomadland and Promising Young Woman, Reshape Awards Race

The Critics Choice Awards celebrate Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Ted Lasso, and The Queen’s Gambit. They also shift the Oscar race.

Nomadland and Promising Young Woman Win at Critics Choice Awards
Photo: Searchlight Pictures / Focus Features

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, the Golden Globes arrived with controversy and allegedly upended the race with some major surprises (and major head scratchers). Is Jodie Foster really a contender for Best Supporting Actress? Was the support for Maria Bakalova just internet hype? There was plenty of hand-wringing, but Sunday night’s 26th annual Critics Choice Awards arrived to recalibrate the state of the awards race—and to give an interesting look at how a singular industry marches on during a pandemic.

The biggest winner of the night was Nomadland, which picked up the Critics Choice Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, making Chloé Zhao an even more concrete frontrunner at the Oscars (ahead of her Marvel debut via Eternals). But after the Golden Globes shut out Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, the movie’s star Carey Mulligan took home the Best Actress prize at the CCA while Fennell herself won the Best Original Screenplay award. With the pitch black comedy/feminist thriller being one of the most talked about films of 2020—and one that had an honest to God theatrical release—its resurgence at the CCA will counteract last week’s media narrative that it is too outside the box and too hard to categorize (or feminist) for awards voters as the race moves forward toward the guilds.

Similarly, Maria Bakalova got a major bump after she lost in the Golden Globes category she seemed like a shoo-in for (Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy). Prognostications that the chances of the Borat 2 star winning a major award had vanished proved premature, with Bakalova taking home Best Supporting Actress over perceived favorites like Amanda Seyfried for Mank and Olivia Colman for The Father. She also teased us with information that she’d be there in a heartbeat if Sacha Baron Cohen ever decided to make Borat 3.

Overall the awards circuit continues to be strange during the COVID era. Once again stars and filmmakers appeared Zooming from their homes or hotel rooms. Jason Sudeikis, who’s Ted Lasso won Best Comedy Series and Best Actor, once again appeared in a hoodie (this one from the set of Booksmart). Conversely, Anya Taylor-Joy—the breakout star of The Queen’s Gambit who won a Critics Choice Award tonight, as did her show for Best Limited Series—was in an evening gown in the wee small hours of the morning.

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“It’s kind of fun dressing up in your own house. I don’t know what it is, but you get to play your own playlist, you just sort swing around, and you get to be in your pajamas in a minute,” Taylor-Joy says about awards Zooming. On the subject of fabled awards after parties, she also notes, “It’s going to be like 2 a.m. in London quite soon, and I have to go to work tomorrow, so I’m going to work! Which I’m really excited about; it’s my favorite place in the world.”

Yet in such strange times, celebrating art that actually entertained or distracted people has perhaps greater merit than ever. And it can bring attention to unique projects. That’s at least one silver lining Andy Samberg, who picked up the Critics Choice Award on behalf of Palm Springs in the Best Comedy Movie category, told us.

“I always hesitate to say this, because there is nothing good about the quarantine and the pandemic, and everything, but I think in a lot of ways it helped people see our movie more because everyone was at home [and] because it went straight to streaming to Hulu in the States,” Samberg says. “It came out really at this moment when movies were just starting to come out again… We were like the first wave of ‘see what happens when you put a movie out!’ It turns out people were just sitting there waiting for new stuff.”

Below is all the new stuff that was awarded by the CCAs. Winners (including a few ties) will be BOLDED.

Critics Choice Awards 2021: Complete Winners List (Film)

Best Picture

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mank (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
News of the World (Universal)
Nomadland (Searchlight)
One Night in Miami
 (Amazon Studios)
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

Best Director

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
David Fincher – Mank (Netflix)
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Regina King – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

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Best Actress

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
Frances McDormand – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Zendaya – Malcolm & Marie (Netflix)

Best Actor

Ben Affleck – The Way Back (Warner Bros.)
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Tom Hanks – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Anthony Hopkins – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Gary Oldman – Mank (Netflix)
Steven Yeun – Minari (A24)

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Olivia Colman – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Amanda Seyfried – Mank (Netflix)
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari (A24)

Best Supporting Actor

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Bill Murray – On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)
Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

Best Acting Ensemble

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Da 5 Bloods
 (Netflix)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Best Original Screenplay

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Jack Fincher – Mank (Netflix)
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Darius Marder & Abraham Marder – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

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Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Greengrass & Luke Davies – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt – First Cow (A24)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Cinematography

Christopher Blauvelt – First Cow (A24)
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank (Netflix)
Lachlan Milne – Minari (A24)
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Newton Thomas Sigel – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Dariusz Wolski – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Best Editing

Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) (TIE)
Kirk Baxter – Mank (Netflix)
Jennifer Lame – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios) (TIE)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Production Design

Cristina Casali, Charlotte Dirickx – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – Mank (Netflix)
Kave Quinn, Stella Fox – Emma (Focus Features)
Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara, Diana Stoughton – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Best Costume Design

Alexandra Byrne – Emma (Focus Features)
Bina Daigeler – Mulan (Disney)
Suzie Harman & Robert Worley – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Nancy Steiner – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Trish Summerville – Mank (Netflix)

Best Hair and Makeup

Emma (Focus Features)
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mank
 (Netflix)
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)

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Best Visual Effects

Greyhound (Apple TV+)
The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)
Mank (Netflix)
The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Mulan (Disney)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Wonder Woman 1984 
(Warner Bros.)

Best Score

Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Ludwig Göransson – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
James Newton Howard – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Emile Mosseri – Minari (A24)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Mank (Netflix)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Soul (Disney)

Best Song

Everybody Cries – The Outpost (Screen Media Films)
Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Husavik (My Home Town) – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)
Io sì (Seen) – The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Speak Now – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Tigress & Tweed – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)

Best Foreign Language Film

Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Collective (Magnolia Pictures)
La Llorona (Shudder)
The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Two of Us
 (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Comedy


Palm Springs (Hulu and NEON)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
 (Amazon Studios)
The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)
The King of Staten Island (Universal Pictures)
On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)
The Prom (Netflix)

Best Young Actor

Alan Kim – Minari (A24)
Ryder Allen – Palmer (Apple TV+)
Ibrahima Gueye – The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Caoilinn Springall – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Helena Zengel – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

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Critics Choice Awards 2021: Complete Winners List (TV)

Best Drama Series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Lovecraft Country (HBO)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Ozark (Netflix)
Perry Mason (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)

Best Comedy Series

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
Mom (CBS)
PEN15 (Hulu)
Ramy (Hulu)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Best Limited Series

I May Destroy You (HBO)
Mrs. America (FX)
Normal People (Hulu)
The Plot Against America (HBO)
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Small Axe (Amazon Studios)
The Undoing (HBO)
Unorthodox (Netflix)

Best Made for Television Movie

Bad Education (HBO)
Between the World and Me (HBO)
The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)
Hamilton (Disney+)
Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)
What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Studios)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Emma Corrin – The Crown (Netflix)
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Olivia Colman – The Crown (Netflix)
Claire Danes – Homeland (Showtime)
Laura Linney – Ozark (Netflix)
Jurnee Smollett – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Josh O’Connor – The Crown (Netflix)
Jason Bateman – Ozark (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
Jonathan Majors – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Matthew Rhys – Perry Mason (HBO)

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Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Gillian Anderson – The Crown (Netflix)
Cynthia Erivo – The Outsider (HBO)
Julia Garner – Ozark (Netflix)
Janet McTeer – Ozark (Netflix)
Wunmi Mosaku – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Rhea Seehorn – Better Call Saul (AMC)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Michael K. Williams – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul (AMC)
Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)
John Lithgow – Perry Mason (HBO)
Tobias Menzies – The Crown (Netflix)
Tom Pelphrey – Ozark (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Pamela Adlon – Better Things (FX)
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Hank Azaria – Brockmire (IFC)
Matt Berry – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Nicholas Hoult – The Great (Hulu)
Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
Lecy Goranson – The Conners (ABC)
Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Pop)
Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Ashley Park – Emily in Paris (Netflix)
Jaime Pressly – Mom (CBS)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
William Fichtner – Mom (CBS)
Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Alex Newell – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)
Mark Proksch – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Andrew Rannells – Black Monday (Showtime)

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Best Actress in a Limited Series or Made for TV Film

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America (FX)
Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You (HBO)
Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People (Hulu)
Shira Haas – Unorthodox (Netflix)
Tessa Thompson – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Made for TV Movie

John Boyega – Small Axe (Amazon Studios)
Hugh Grant – The Undoing (HBO)
Paul Mescal – Normal People (Hulu)
Chris Rock – Fargo (FX)
Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much is True (HBO)
Morgan Spector – The Plot Against America (HBO)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Made for TV Movie

Donald Sutherland – The Undoing (HBO)
Daveed Diggs – The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
Joshua Caleb Johnson – The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
Dylan McDermott – Hollywood (Netflix)
Glynn Turman – Fargo (FX)
John Turturro – The Plot Against America (HBO)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Made for TV Movie

Uzo Aduba – Mrs. America (FX)
Betsy Brandt – Soulmates (AMC)
Marielle Heller – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Margo Martindale – Mrs. America (FX)
Winona Ryder – The Plot Against America (HBO)
Tracey Ullman – Mrs. America (FX)

Best Talk Show

Desus & Mero (Showtime)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)

Best Comedy Special

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (Netflix) (TIE)
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (Netflix)
(TIE)
Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty (Netflix)
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (Netflix)
Marc Maron: End Times Fun (Netflix)
Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything (Netflix)

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