Lee Daniels’ historical drama “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” has been named the year’s best picture by the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which will celebrate its winners during a PBS broadcast on March 28.
Sophia Loren and Anthony Hopkins were named Best Actress and Best Actor for their performances in “The Life Ahead” and “The Father,” respectively, while supporting awards went to Jodie Foster for “The Mauritanian” and Demián Bichir for “Land.”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7” was the only film to win two awards, with Aaron Sorkin taking prizes for his directing and his screenplay.
In the four television categories, which were given out for the first time this year, “This Is Us” was named best series, “The Queen’s Gambit” won for best limited series or TV movie and Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”) took the acting awards.
While “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” star Andra Day was a surprise best-actress winner at the Golden Globes, this is the first significant award won by the movie itself. It beat out “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami” and “Chicago 7” for the top prize, with all of those films scoring substantially higher on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic than “Billie Holiday.”
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards are chosen, according to the AARP, “through a voting process by AARP’s entertainment content writers and editors.” The criteria: “We search for films that are relevant to our 50-plus audience, films and tv content that surround topics that are a priority for AARP, such as mental health or historic events that are part of our history; films that feature irresistible nostalgia, sharp social commentary and deep thinking.”
The awards:
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups: The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Best Actress: Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead)
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
Best Supporting Actress: Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian)
Best Supporting Actor: Demián Bichir (Land)
Best Director: Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Best Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Best Ensemble: One Night in Miami
Best Intergenerational: Minari
Best Buddy Picture: Da 5 Bloods
Best Time Capsule: Mank
Best Grownup Love Story: Supernova
Best Documentary: A Secret Love
Best Foreign Film/Best International Film: Collective (Romania)
Best Actress (TV): Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
Best Actor (TV): Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True)
Best Series: This Is Us (NBC)
Best TV Movie/Limited Series: The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Career Achievement: George Clooney
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