AARP Magazine announces Movies for Grownups Awards

There’s no doubt that 2009 was a year in which 50-plus-year-old actors and film makers rocked Hollywood, providing film content that drove audiences and numbers at the box office. Now it’s awards season, and AARP The Magazine has picked the best films for the 50-plus audience with its annual Movies for Grownups Awards.

Clint Eastwood’s Invictus nabbed this year’s top honor for overall Best Movie for Grownups and Robert De Niro is the recipient of the Movies for Grownups Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recognized as a bellwether for the Oscar Awards, AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards are also known for their offbeat categories, including Best Grownup Love Story (Meryl Streep and Stanly Tucci for “Julie & Julia”), Best Buddy Picture (“The Soloist”) and Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up (“Star Trek”).

“AARP The Magazine is proud to celebrate movies that engage grownup audiences with challenging topics, thoughtful new approaches, and sterling work by actors, actresses, directors, and writers age 50 plus, all at the top of their games.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!,” said Nancy Perry Graham, editor of AARP The Magazine. “And to top it all off, who better to give our Lifetime Achievement Award to than Robert De Niro, a film icon who has captivated audiences for decades with his stellar performances in films such as “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Meet The Parents,” and 2009’s “Everybody’s Fine.”

Additional top honors went to Jeff Bridges who won Best Actor 50-plus for his compassionate performance as booze-soaked country singer Bad Blake in “Crazy Heart;” Helen Mirren who was named Best Actress 50-plus for her ferocious performance as Sofya Tolstoy in “The Last Station;” Alec Baldwin who was named Best Supporting Actor 50-plus for his hysterical turn in “It’s Complicated;” Kim Basinger who was named Best Supporting Actress 50-plus for her searing portrayal of Gina in “The Burning Plain;” and Kathryn Bigelow was honored in the Best Director 50-plus category for her courageous and nerve-wracking war film “The Hurt Locker.”

“In 2009, 50-plus actors and filmmakers took center-stage on the silver screen, turning in performances and films that were riveting and nothing short of daring,” added Bill Newcott, Entertainment Editor of AARP The Magazine. “Tackling war, apartheid, sexuality and adding real depth to romantic comedies, the 50-plus Hollywood community shows once again that they are an integral, much-needed element of the film industry. And 60-year old Streep proved without a doubt that she is the leading lady of our times, a critical and box-office cottage industry.”

Before voting on this year’s winners, the editors of AARP The Magazine spent more than 100 hours screening eligible Hollywood studio and independent films. Additionally, readers were invited to vote for their pick for Best Movie for Grownups online. After thousands of online votes, the 2009 Reader’s Choice Award went to the box office hit “The Blind Side.”

The ninth annual Movies for Grownups Award winners are as follows:

Best Movie for Grownups: “Invictus.”

Best Actress 50-plus: Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”

Best Actor 50-plus: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”

Best Supporting Actress 50-plus: Kim Basinger, “The Burning Pain”

Best Supporting Actor 50-plus: Alec Baldwin, “It’s Complicated”

Best Director 50-plus: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”

Best Comedy For Grownups: “It’s Complicated”

Best Grownup Love Story: Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci, “Julie & Julia”

Best Documentary: “The Way We Get By”

Breakthrough Accomplishment: LeVar Burton, Director, “Reach for Me Helming”

Best Buddy Movie: “The Soloist”