Paul Thomas Anderson‘s One Battle After Another took home the trophy for Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars. The high-stakes film featured riveting performances by Teyana Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Sean Penn, who was named Best Supporting Actor.
“In 1975, the Oscar nominees for Best Picture were Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws, Nashville, and Barry Lyndon,” Anderson began in his acceptance speech. “There is no best among them. There is just what that mood might be that day, but we’re happy to be part of this wonderful, wonderful journey with our fellow nominees, our fellow filmmakers, our fellow filmmakers that even weren’t recognised by the Academy. So many great films this year.”
Anderson also thanked his cast including DiCaprio, del Toro, Taylor, Hall, and “my American girl, Chase,” adding, “You are the heart of this movie.” Before leaving the stage with his cast, the director exclaimed, “What a night, you guys. Let’s have a martini.”
A Rolling Stone review praised the film as both an “act of resistance” and “stone cold masterpiece.” Critic David Fear wrote and predicted, “One Battle After Another is a lot of things: a parable about fathers and daughters, a conspiracy thriller for the ICE age, an ensemble comedy that encourages all-stars to get their best eccentricity on, the single greatest film of 2025.”
The film was up against heavy hitters F1, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams. All of the projects garnered additional nominations on Hollywood’s biggest night, including Sinners with a stunning 16 nominations that made it the most nominated film in Oscars history. One Battle After Another was right behind with 13 nods this year and its stars Taylor, DiCaprio, Del Toro, and Penn all scored acting nominations. The film dominated the ceremony with six awards including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor.
From Rolling Stone US
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