A tender drama about a man who loses his wife, but regains his family, was named the best picture of the year today by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Clooney is a Studio City resident.
"The Descendants" thus won the first big prize of the winter awards season.
Terrence Mallick's "The Tree Of Life" was also praised by the critics, who named it runner-up best picture. Mallick was named best director.
South Korea's Yun Jung-hee won the best actress nod for her role in "Poetry." In her mid 60s now, Jung-hee has been a major light in the South Korean film industry since 1967 and has starred in more than 300 films.
Michael Fassbinder was named best actor for his role in four widely varied films: "A Dangerous Method," "Jane Eyre," "Shame" and "X-Men First Class.
The L.A. Film Critics awards are the first to be made in the winter season, but association members told the Los Angeles Times they do not view them as predictors or precursors to the Academy Awards.
Other awards include:
-- Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners."
-- Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain in six films: "Coriolanus," "The Debt," "The Help," "Take Shelter," "Texas Killing Fields" and "The Tree Of Life."
-- Best Independent or Experimental Film: "Spark of Being."
-- Best documentary or nonfiction film: "Cave Of Forgotten Dreams," Werner Herzog.
-- Best production design: Emanuel Lubezki, "The Tree Of Life."
-- Best music or score: The Chemical Brothers, "Hanna."
-- Best animated film: "Rango."
-- Best screenplay: Ashgar Farhadi, "A Separation."
-- Best foreign film, "City Of Life And Death."
