Detroit Film Critics Society flips for 'Boyhood'

The Detroit Film Critics Society flipped for "Boyhood" this year.

The group announced its annual awards this week, and the indie film, which was shot over 12 years and followed the real-time changes in a boy and his family, won best picture, best director and screenplay for Richard Linklater, and best supporting actress for Patricia Arquette.

Best actor went to Michael Keaton for his portrayal of an action star looking for redemption on Broadway in "Birdman." Best actress was Rosamund Pike for her turn as a housewife gone haywire in "Gone Girl."

Detroit native J.K. Simmons took best supporting actor for his searing role as an abusive music teacher in "Whiplash." There might be some talk of prejudice towards locals, but Simmons, a lifelong devout Tigers fan, is winning awards across the nation.

Apparently there was a lot of strong acting this year, because the race for best ensemble ended in an unprecedented three-way tie. Honors went to "Birdman," the screwball comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and the goofy space saga "Guardians of the Galaxy," which featured a talking raccoon and a walking tree in its ensemble.

The award for best documentary went to "Citizenfour," the film that followed Edward Snowden as he released classified documents from a Hong Kong hotel room. And the nod for breakthrough performance went to Damien Chazelle, the young first-time feature writer and director behind "Whiplash."

In all, "Boyhood" won four awards while "Whiplash" and "Birdman" each earned two.

The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in 2007 and is made up of working critics who live within a 150-mile radius of Detroit.

TLong@detroitnews.com

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