Kieran Culkin's Critic's Choice Award Speech Was a Wonderful Mess

By Dustin Rowles | TV | March 14, 2022 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | March 14, 2022 |

A few days ago, I watched 1991’s Father of the Bride with the family, and here’s a few things I have to say about it: Aside from some gay stereotypes, it holds up surprisingly well, which is not something I can say about a lot of movies pre-2015 (I’ve watched two family-friendly(ish) movies from 2007 and 2009 recently that still use the r-word); Annie Banks’ dress also does not hold up well — it is awful; I was very disturbed to learn that, age-wise, I am in the same vicinity as Steve Martin was when he shot that film; and also, Kieran Culkin is in it, although at that age, he looked more like Rory:

Kieran has come a long way in the last … 31 years. Who’d have thought that, of all the Culkins, it’d be Kieran who’d be the only one with a major award nomination (he’s been nominated for an Emmy)? (I might have thought it if only because I liked him so much in Igby Goes Down all those years ago.)

Kieran, like Jane Campion and Melanie Lynskey, won a Critic’s Choice Award last night. Campion gave a cringey speech, while Lynskey gave a delightful one. Kieran Culkin, on the other hand, gave a wonderfully rambling mess of a speech. A lot of actors say they don’t prepare anything because they don’t expect to win. Kieran Culkin may be the first one I actually believe.

Culkin, for the record, beat out his co-stars Nicholas Braun and, uh, David Macfadyen, while Jeremy Strong lost to Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae in the lead actor category. Succession also took home the prize for Best TV Drama, as well it should (Ted Lasso and Jason Sudeikis won for Best Comedy and Lead Actor Comedy, while Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham won the nod in both supporting actor categories — Jean Smart Hacks took home Best Actress, Comedy).

You can check out all the winners here.