The final days of 2011 is upon us, and it’s time to reflect on memorable performances I saw this past year. I resist on making a top 10 list because I haven’t seen everything released this year, yet I still want to share with you some of the performances I’ve enjoyed. Now I know some of my choices probably aren’t shared by most critics, with a couple of exceptions these names probably aren’t considered on the award ballot, let alone being nominated. It’s a shame because for the most part, these actors made the movie for me, even if the film itself might be less than stellar. So without further ado, here are my picks:
Starting with the FEMALE PERFORMANCES, the first thing that came to mind is Bérénice Bejo as I had just seen The Artist… she’s not only beautiful but has the grace and whimsy to carry the role from an struggling actress to a famous movie star. Her more emotional performances where she’s simply just sitting still with tears in her eyes are so evocative, it takes special skills to act with just one’s facial expression and she definitely has that talent in spades.
Now, once in a while a role comes along that requires two separate actress to play the same role, such as when both Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart were both nominated for an Oscar for playing Rose in Titanic. In The Debt, Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain played Rachel Singer in two different stages of her life. I LOVE Mirren whilst it was the first time I saw Chastain in anything. Mirren’s got the flashier role, especially towards the end, but I think both are impressive in their own right.
Now, if I were to pick one breakthrough actress of the year, it’d be Chastain. I saw her again in Tree of Life and The Help and no doubt she is all over the place, this girl’s got talent! I especially love her performance in The Help, she can be both giddy and desolate believably and looks effortless doing it.
What one could consider her breakthrough performance, Felicity Jones in Like Crazy is worth mentioning. She’s in virtually every scene in that romance drama and she has such convictions in her role as a love-sick young student that it often feels unbearable to watch. It definitely paid off for director Drake Doremus to cast her after she sent her audition tape (listen to my interview with the director here), it also helps that she and Anton Yelchin have a believable chemistry together.
Saiorse Ronan is no stranger to great performances despite her youthful age of 17. She was impressive in Atonement and The Lovely Bones in the previous years, but this year she tries on an action role for size… a bad ass killing machine in Hanna who could kill men twice her size with her bare hands. Though the film wasn’t quite as engaging as I thought, I think her performance is really outstanding. I do believe she’s poised to have an established career like Cate Blanchett who’s her co-star in Hanna.
Another impressive young performer is Elle Fanning in Super 8. She seems light years ahead of the other child actors in that film, just like her sister Dakota, she is so comfortable and confident on screen. The film itself has too many plot holes and is overly sentimental to be considered a great movie, but she came away with quite a memorable performance.
Now last but not least, since I finally saw The Help last night, I definitely can’t leave out Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. Such warm, poignant, and strong performances, their portrayal as house maids in the 1960s are so full of heart and will linger long after the film ends. So far both of them deservedly receive Golden Globes nominations, I’ll be darned if neither of them gets nominated for an Oscar this year.
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Moving on to the MALE PERFORMANCES, and again I’ll start with the performer in this year’s big hit The Artist. Dean Dujardin is likely a shoo-in at this year’s awards, having won the César at this year’s Cannes, and rightly so. He just fits the part so perfectly, it’s as if he was born in the silent Hollywood era. He acted all the way through with just his facial expressions and body gestures, quite a cinematic high-wire act if there ever was one. Oh, and if there were awards given to animal performances in the movie, the Jack Russell terrier that plays Dujardin’s beloved dog definitely ought to be a front-runner!
Now, Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 50/50 probably isn’t going to beat Dujardin at the Globes as both are nominated for Best Performance in a Comedy/Musical, but he’s a close-second favorite in that category. It’s quite a challenging role to pull off playing a cancer-stricken young man trying to cope with his condition. It’s a delicate balance between whimsy and heart-wrenching poignancy that only a skilled actor like Gordon-Levitt can pull off. Even he could make Seth Rogen bearable to watch!
I’m in the camp that thinks motion-capture acting IS acting, therefore Andy Serkis‘ performance Rise of the Planet of the Apes deserves to be amongst other male actor nominees in this year’s major awards. The movie is perhaps the biggest pleasant surprise of the year for me and mostly because of Serkis’ spectacular performance as the ape Caesar. All those special effects, as marvelous as they are, would not have worked without an affecting performance behind them.
My next pick is sure to be absent from other people’s lists and it’s a shame really. Gerard Butler gave quite a bold and stirring performance in Machine Gun Preacher, taking on quite a challenging role of real life preacher Sam Childers with an inspiring story worth telling. Butler’s obviously believable in the action stuff, but his dramatic range is also on full display, especially in the tender scenes with his adopted African children. I also give him props for giving his all to this project, and did it for only a fraction of his usual salary.
You probably won’t find Mel Gibson name on today’s ‘best list’ but I think his performance in The Beaver is worth considering. The film itself has some flaws but Gibson gave a fearless performance as a man plagued by his own demons. Yes you could say it could be a case of ‘art imitating life’ but nonetheless it’s still a compelling performance from a capable actor who can pull off both drama and comedy seamlessly.
One actor that’s notably absent from this year’s Golden Globes is Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Now I’m not as in love with this film as I thought I would, but one of the major strengths of this film is the fine acting. Oldman anchored the cast as George Smiley, the anti-Bond type of British spy in trying to uncover if there really is a mole in the echelons of the secret service bureau. But I have to call out the rest of the stellar British acting royalty, especially Mark Strong, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch.
I also want to give a quick mention about Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy in X-Men: First Class. Magneto and Xavier’s relationship is the heart of the X-Men films and both actors pull off their roles perfectly. I know Fassbender’s name will likely be on everyone’s list for his performance as a sex addict New Yorker in Shame, but I’d have to take your word for it as I don’t know if I’ll be seeing that film.
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Memorable Supporting Performances…
Who’s to say that a limited screen-time is less important than those who appear in every single scene? So here are ten notable supporting performances I’m impressed with this year:
- Tom Hiddleston in Thor
- Jennifer Lawrence in Like Crazy
- Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America
- Anna Kendrick & Anjelica Huston in 50/50
- Helen McCrory in Hugo
- Corey Stoll in Midnight in Paris
- Emma Stone in The Help
- Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2
- Souleymane Sy Savane in Machine Gun Preacher
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So there you go folks, any thoughts on my picks? I’d love to know which actors’ performances impressed you most this year.
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Great list Ruth! Makes me realize that I did not see a whole of films this year 🙂 but of the ones that you mentioned that I did see, you are spot on 🙂
I do still plan on seeing TTSP at some point, but there are just so many days I have off, eh?
Hi Iba, glad you agree. TTSP is probably ok for a rental as well now that I’ve seen it. It’s good but not spectacular.
Thanks for the heads up 🙂 Seeing My Week With Marilyn tomorrow 🙂
Octavia Spencer would be my pick, I didn’t like most of the other people, Flixy, you’ve named, except Butler and Hiddleston off course 🙂
No, love for Luke? It was his breakthrough year, dahling.
Octavia is lovely indeed. I didn’t mention Luke & Henry as their big year is probably in 2012 w/ Man of Steel for Henry and a few things lined up for Luke. Don’t worry Dez, I didn’t forget about those gorgeous boys.
Hi, Ruth and company:
I had to scroll back and check twice that Ruth was at the helm and not Ted.
You’ve hit all the right high points, Ruth! I might have to check out Ms. Chastain in The Help after her bravura performance in The Debt .
We also need to find you another Handsome Male Lead actor to obsess over. Now that you’ve had your ways with Gregory Peck and Gerard Butler.
My suggestions would be either Burt Lancaster or Robert Mitchum (Old). Or Tom Hardy or Benedict Cumberbatch (New).
Fear not. I have a surfeit of Paper Lunch Bags and Smelling Salts for you and the ladies in attendance. 🙂
Hi Jack, oh you’ll love Chastain in The Help, it’s such a contrast to her role in The Debt but she’s brilliant in both. Ahah, thanks for your suggestions of handsome male actors, I think Greg and Gerry will be top in my book for quite a while… I’m quite loyal you know 😀 After reading more about Mitchum I don’t think I can be a fan of his, but Lancaster I haven’t really ‘discovered’ him yet. I will start watching his movies next year. As for Tom and Benedict, oh I do like those boys a lot!
I haven’t done any 2011 posts mainly because i haven’t been able to watch the more prestigious ones as i spent most of my money on blockbusters(I personally find it kind of annoying that all the arty films get relegated to only a small part of the calender)…but as for the ones i saw i agree with you on Fanning, Serkis, Fassbender, McAvory, Hiddleston and Ronan(Although i personally loved Hanna, but it seems like most were disappointed with it).
As for my own additions Wilde in Tron Legacy, Lawrence in First Class, Denings in Thor, and Sebastian Stan in Captain America were all highlights to me.
Yeah I wish there are more arty films released this year to balance all the sequels!! Oh yeah Lawrence in First Class is awesome and I also like Sebastian in Cap. America, good call Julian.
My problem isn’t really with the lack of arty films, i just wish they were more spread out release-date wise.
Since I haven’t seen many of the films you mentioned, my favorite performer has to be Saiorse Ronan in Hannah. She was quite good in that film, hopefully she’ll have a great career in front of her. I think she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t hang out with Lindsey Lohan. Ha ha.
Ahah, well I certainly think miss Ronan is a lot smarter than that Ted. She was indeed amazing in Hanna.
I still have a lot of films I would love to have but since I haven’t won the lotto yet hopefully next year I will have caught up a bit since my surgeries have hampered my progress and studies, Happy New Year everyone especially Ruth who brought this enlightening forum to us all.
Hi Stella, I’m so sorry to hear about your surgeries… I pray for your swift recovery and best wishes in whatever venture you have in the new year. Thanks so much for your readership… LOVE the video, thanks for that as well!
WHat a fantastic post Ruth. I agree with all you say above… yes all of it!!
Great to see my new fave actor getting his rewards… Dujardin!
Have a great night tonight and I wish you and your husband a VERY happy New Year!!
Thanks Scott! Sorry no mention of your boy Gosling but at least we can both agree on Dujardin 😀
Happy New Year matey!
MACHINE GUN PREACHER looked interesting. Unfortunately its supposed wide release was quickly reduced.
Glad you mentioned MGP Sam, the way Relativity handled its distribution is one of my major disappointment of this year. The film – and Gerard’s performance – is definitely worth a watch, I hope you get to see it as soon as it hits dvd.
I’m glad you mentioned Mel Gibson in ‘The Beaver.’ He and that movie have pretty much been forgotten by now, and perhaps that was to be expected, but I also thought he was quite good in it.
I think Jessica Chastain’s best role this year was in ‘Take Shelter.’
Yeah, a lot of the earlier ones tend to get forgotten, or it could be that ’cause it’s Mel Gibson.
I haven’t seen Take Shelter but no doubt Chastain’d be good in that too.
I think it was because of Mel
I think so too, unfairly so I might add. There are lots of self-righteous people in Hollywood.
Agree on Chastain and Saoirse Ronan! I’m hoping Chastain at least would get an award for her roles. Still haven’t see The Artist, it looks great though. And I like that you put Joseph Gordon-Levitt in your fave male performance 🙂
I think Chastain will have a fruitful career in Hollywood, if she doesn’t get nominated this year, I think she will in the future. Gordon-Levitt is just freakishly talented, can’t possibly leave him out 🙂
I wholeheartedly agree with you about Cory Stoll. I saw Midnight in Paris because I had a free Comcast On Demand coupon for one movie that expired yesterday, so I felt I better take advantage. Stoll as Hemingway was the most striking performance in the whole film. I’ve never heard of him until then, but I’m guessing that if I IMDb him, I might be surprised ;-D
Oh I’m glad you saw Midnight in Paris, Becky! And yeah somehow I knew you’d be taken by Corey Stoll as Hemingway. He looks really different compared to his character though, so no I don’t think I’ll be crushing on him the way I am on Greg as he was more beautiful than his fim characters!
Yes, I really liked Midnight in Paris… it reminds me of Purple Rose of Cairo. Those are the kind of Wood Allen movies I love. Oh, I did see a real life pic of Cory (he has no hair!), quite different from the way he looks in the film. I was thinking more of what movies and what roles he’s been in before that I never knew. Kinda like Mark Strong in a way…
It is reminiscent of Purple Rose of Cairo with the actor coming down from the big screen (oh how I’d wish THAT’d happen to me when I watch Gregory Peck movies!!!)
As for Cory, yeah that’s why I don’t think I can be a big fan of his… no offense but I prefer guys w/ hair, preferably dark and lots of it! 😉
Some great performances you’ve listed here. I agree that Chastain is destined to be something big. I also thought Kirsten Dunst gave the best performance of her career in Melancholia, which is not Lars Von Trier’s best film, but it is certainly his most visually impressive. I reckon he deserves an Oscar nod for it, which he almost certainly will not get.
Thanks Tyler, hope you had a wonderful holiday break! I have yet to check out Melancholia, not a fan of Lars to be honest. I do think Kirsten is a talented actress.