AARP The Magazine today announced nominees for the annual Movies for Grownups® (MFG) Awards, with A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Gladiator II and September 5 for Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups. For more than two decades, AARP’s Movies for Grownups program has championed movies for grownups, by grownups, by advocating for the 50-plus audience, fighting industry ageism and encouraging films and TV shows that resonate with older viewers.
Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning host of the widely lauded competition show The Traitors, will return as the host of AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards, which will be broadcast by Great Performances on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/moviesforgrownups and the PBS app.
“Passionate for sophisticated, high-quality content, older audiences have the ability to propel film and TV content into mainstream popularity,” says AARP film and TV critic Tim Appelo. “With this year’s Movies for Grownups nominations, AARP spotlights the talents and work that resonate with this powerful demographic. Here are the storylines, filmmakers, and actors that honor and serve this often overlooked audience.”
In the Best Actress category, nominees are Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Demi Moore (The Substance), and June Squibb (Thelma). In the Best Actor category, Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Jude Law (The Order).
The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Joan Chen (Didi), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys), Lesley Manville (Queer), Connie Nielsen (Gladiator II), and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave). In the Best Supporting Actor category, Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Peter Sarsgaard (September 5), Stanley Tucci (Conclave) and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).
Movies for Grownups nominees for Best Director are Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Edward Berger (Conclave), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), and Ridley Scott (Gladiator II).
In the Best TV Series or Limited Series category, nominations go to The Crown, Hacks, Palm Royale, Shōgun, and Slow Horses.
The television nominees for Best Actress are Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country), Jean Smart (Hacks), Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building) and Sofia Vergara (Griselda). In the Best Actor category for television, Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Idris Elba (Hijack), Jon Hamm (Fargo), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun).
The complete list of the annual Movies for Grownups Awards Nominees:
- Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Gladiator II and September 5.
- Best Actress: Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Demi Moore (The Substance) and June Squibb (Thelma).
- Best Actor: Adrian Brody (The Brutalist), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Jude Law (The Order).
- Best Supporting Actress: Joan Chen (Didi), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys), Lesley Manville (Queer), Connie Nielsen (Gladiator II) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave).
- Best Supporting Actor: Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Peter Sarsgaard (September 5), Stanley Tucci (Conclave) and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).
- Best Director: Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door), Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Edward Berger (Conclave), James Mangold (A Complete Unknown) and Ridley Scott (Gladiator II).
- Best Screenwriter: Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Livecchi (Emilia Pérez), Jay Cocks and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Winnie Holzman (Wicked), Peter Straughan (Conclave), and Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts (Dune: Part Two).
- Best Ensemble: A Complete Unknown, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, His Three Daughters, September 5 and Sing Sing.
- Best Actress (TV): Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show), Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country), Jean Smart (Hacks), Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building) and Sofia Vergara (Griselda).
- Best Actor (TV): Billy Crudup (The Morning Show), Idris Elba (Hijack), Jon Hamm (Fargo), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun).
- Best TV Series or Limited Series: The Crown, Hacks, Palm Royale, Shōgun, and Slow Horses.
- Best Intergenerational Film: Didi, Here, His Three Daughters, The Piano Lesson, and Thelma.
- Best Time Capsule: A Complete Unknown, The Brutalist, Here, Maria and September 5.
- Best Documentary: I Am: Celine Dion, Luther: Never Too Much, Piece by Piece, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, and Will & Harper.
Movies for Grownups Awards proceeds benefit AARP Foundation, which works for and with vulnerable older adults to end senior poverty and reduce financial hardship by building economic opportunity.
