'One Battle After Another' wins best comedy at Globes. Is Oscar next?

"One Battle After Another" is conquering one awards show after another.

Paul Thomas Anderson's acclaimed, action-packed movie won best comedy or musical at the Golden Globes, one of four honors it took home from the Jan. 11 ceremony. It also picked up best director and screenplay for filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and supporting actress for Teyana Taylor.

"One Battle" was victorious in a category that also included "Bugonia," "Marty Supreme," "Blue Moon," "No Other Choice" and "Nouvelle Vague."

In his acceptance speech for his screenplay Globe, Anderson pointed out a Nina Simone quote he "magpied" into his script. "Somebody asked her what freedom was and she said, 'No fear.' Pretty good line," Anderson recalled.

What should be afraid, though, is every other movie hoping to stop this juggernaut.

A week after taking home best picture at the Critics Choice Awards, "One Battle" is beginning to look like an Oscar behemoth. In the past week, the film – led by Leonardo DiCaprio as a former revolutionary trying to find his missing daughter (Chase Infiniti) – scored a record number of nominations for the Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards). It's also in the running for the top prize from both the producing and directing guilds.

With all that on its resume, the film is widely expected to clean up when nods are announced for the Academy Awards on Jan. 22. Not only is it a shoo-in to make the best picture category, "One Battle" is likely to win if the film maintains its momentum. "Sinners" looks to be the biggest competition, and Ryan Coogler's successful horror movie was upset at the Globes in the best drama category by "Hamnet."

Much of the movie's Oscar-ready appeal is in its timely themes and message. "These flawed characters are just trying to find their way against these imperialistic forces," DiCaprio told USA TODAY last fall. "It's genius, because it subverts all expectations."

In addition to all the awards-season love and solid box-office numbers, "One Battle' has also become a low-key pop-culture phenomenon, inspiring countless Halloween costumes and memes featuring its vibrant cast of characters.

Del Toro knew that "One Battle" had become a crossover hit when people started quoting lines to him, he told USA TODAY at the Jan. 6 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where the film picked up the group's best picture prize.

He also saw "so many people dressed up like DiCaprio at Halloween, and people imitating Sean Penn's walk [as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw] – I saw a couple of those videos and thought they were really funny."

Contributing: Bryan Alexander and Patrick Ryan