The 81st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2009, are given on January 12, 2010.

Top Films

• Up in the Air^[1]
• (500) Days of Summer
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Invictus
• The Messenger
• A Serious Man
• Star Trek
• Up
• Where the Wild Things Are

Top Foreign Films

• The Maid
• Revanche
• The Song of Sparrows
• Three Monkeys
• The White Ribbon

Top Documentaries

• Burma VJ: Reporting From A Closed Country
• Crude
• Food, Inc.
• Good Hair
• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Top Independent Films

• Amreeka
• District 9
• Goodbye Solo
• Humpday
• In the Loop
• Julia
• Me and Orson Welles
• Moon
• Sugar
• Two Lovers

Winners

• Best Film:
  • Up in the Air
• Best Foreign Language Film:
  • A Prophet, France
• Best Animated Feature:
  • Up
• Best Documentary Feature:
  • The Cove
• Best Actor (tie):
  • Morgan Freeman - Invictus
  • George Clooney - Up in the Air
• Best Actress:
  • Carey Mulligan - An Education
• Best Supporting Actor:
  • Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
• Best Supporting Actress:
  • Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
• Breakthrough Male Performances:
  • Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
• Breakthrough Female Performances:
  • Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
• Best Ensemble Cast:
  • It's Complicated
• Best Director:
  • Clint Eastwood - Invictus
• Best Directorial Debut (tie):
  • Duncan Jones - Moon
  • Oren Moverman - The Messenger
  • Marc Webb - (500) Days of Summer
• Best Screenplay - Adapted:
  • Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
• Best Screenplay - Original:
  • A Serious Man - Joel and Ethan Coen
• Freedom of Expression Award (tie):
  • Burma VJ: Reporting From A Closed Country
  • Invictus
  • The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
• Special Filmmaking Achievement Award:
  • Wes Anderson - Fantastic Mr. Fox
• William K. Everson Award for Film History:
  • Jean Picker Firstenberg