The Big Picture's Top Ten Performances of 2009

Even if you're the kind who waits to see everything on DVD, you have no doubt heard a thing or two about these performances. No, it was not Hollywood's best year; several of the awards favorites released in November and December miss the mark a little bit, and it was already a weak year before that. But what is fascinating to me about the performances from the past 12 months are how many new artists we met along the way. There's no Winslet, no Day-Lewis, no Depp in this year's crowd. Of the ten we've picked, six are names almost nobody knew a year ago and a seventh would have never been pegged to be anywhere near such a collection, much less leading it. There are, in fact, only three performers you'd immediately recognize, and even one of those hadn't touched his best work in a few years. Perhaps, though, I was looking for that. Perhaps I was avoiding the Clooneys and the Freemans and the Cruzes, but I don't think so, at least not consciously. I can say in all honesty that the top half of this list came to me immediately, and of the second five, they'd all been bookmarked somewhere along the way. So it's not an effort to shortchange the work of any of the actors in Up in the Air or Invictus or Nine. These performances just meant more to me. 1 - Mo'nique - Precious If there is a surefire frontrunner in any of the big categories at the Academy Awards, this is it. Mo'nique will win Best Supporting Actress or my name isn't Orville Redenbacher. You can make the case that she operates at the extremes, and that's true, but there are different extremes and almost no middle ground. And yet, she's the same character throughout Precious, meaning that at least one of those extremes should be more difficult for her to find. Incidentally, previously, she was in Soul Plane. Precious can only work if the title character's mother is as unhinged as Mo'nique makes her, but not if she's so far gone that the mother becomes an absolute caricature. And that monologue at the end just about seals the deal; it's almost impossible not to be riveted or to feel something very powerful during her speech. 2 - Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds Another supporting performance? Why not? In fact, it's only in that category because Basterds doesn't have traditional leading roles. But his opening scene alone contains more dialogue than Anthony Hopkins' Best Actor-winning work in Silence of the Lambs. Waltz has paid his dues in European movies for years, but to American audiences now and maybe forevermore, he'll be Col. Hans Landa, who embodies everything history and culture has taught us about the Nazis. Angry, arrogant, cruelly charming, intelligent, and evil, Waltz is so perfect at playing the right kind of Nazi. Curiously, and perhaps to the disservice of the film (although not really since it's kind of an absurd comedy), Tarantino makes Hitler an absolute buffoon. The danger in that is forgetting those exact traits about him and his lieutenants I just mentioned. But Waltz shows it all and leaves us hanging on every word of his massive amount of dialogue. 3 - Carey Mulligan - An Education A performance does not need to go to the extremes like Mo'nique's nor does it need to capture the essence of something unique in history the way Waltz does in order to mesmerize us. Carey Mulligan, like Audrey Tautou in Amelie, just draws us in with her charm and intelligence and completely breaks our heart in the end. She does have Nick Hornby's words to mutter, and that's a good start, but four out of five times, a coming-of-age story like this wouldn't register. It isn't just charm, though. Mulligan puts herself through the paces, especially in the film's latter third. No, she's not taking it to the extremes of Mo'nique (or most Best Actress winners), but what she does do, hewing closer to reality, is just as effective. 4 - Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker Even if it weren't the driving force in what I believe is the year's best film, Jeremy Renner's performance would be worth the virtual ink we're spilling in its praise. Yet another out-of-nowhere accomplishment, and yet another actor going for broke in a showy role while knowing there are limits to what the audience will believe out him. Not much has changed since I saw this film in June: Renner is still the leader in the Best Actor race as far as I'm concerned. His Ssgt. William James is something new in a uniform, both in terms of his day-to-day tasks and his almost clinical approach to his part of the war. It takes on greater shape when we see him away from that line work. What's normal for the rest of the world, James can't wait to escape. 5 - Sharlto Copley - District 9 Credit writer-director Neill Blomkamp for a lot of this, because the impulse to make a sci-fi movie that relies less on its effects and more on its social commentary and acting is pretty rare. But District 9 is better because of its story, and better because there's a kind of moral imperative undertaken by Blomkamp as a storyteller, it gives this performance more heft. Now, that's all external stuff for Copley. He can't tip us off to that or the illusion is ruined. Instead, he has to be the mild-mannered guy thrust into extraordinary circumstances - a staple of the movies since Buster Keaton and of literature itself for thousands of years - and let the subtext take care of the rest, while also making us feel for his own personal struggle, which shouldn't be as foreign to sci-fi as it normally is (*cough* Transformers). 6 - Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart By now, we are not surprised by what Jeff Bridges can do, only delighted that he still can. Bad Blake is probably not his best creation, though it could be the one with the biggest personal payoff. I'd say he's running about dead even with George Clooney for Best Actor, and he's certainly earned it by now. But in and of itself, his performance in Crazy Heart is just threadbare, as if Bridges has lived this character's entire life, certainly its downward spiral, with each regret stacked on top of the next. And Bridges makes it look so easy, just like he always does. 7 - Gabby Sidibe - Precious A first-time performer, Sidibe shows rare understanding of what to give the audience and what the audience gives back to the performer. Acting is, of course, extremely interactive. If you don't buy what they're selling...there's no commission. Or something. The analogy needs work, I'll admit. But in order for Precious to mean something to us, she can't just be a charity case. You can't just feel bad for her, in spite of the treatment she receives from her mother (see performance number one). Instead, Precious has to make us want her to lift herself out of her situation because she's strong enough to somewhere down deep, and because she has more to offer the world than just another dead end. 8 - Woody Harrelson - The Messenger The first time I watched The Messenger, I appreciated Harrelson's in-the-pocket support of a broader-reaching performance by Ben Foster, who just barely missed the cut for this list. The second time I watched it, about a week later, Harrelson was about all I could see. Actually, that's not entirely true. I saw the character Harrelson used to be. Without strong allusions to it, the pre-war Tony Stone comes out in Harrelson's fractured performance - by-the-book on the job, not exactly off it. Like Bridges, does a hell of a lot of work we don't recognize in that moment. He's pretty low key about it, but his instincts are dead-on here. 9 - Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man Michael Stuhlbarg has the distinction of being the least Coen-like creation in the recent past of Joel and Ethan Coen. To be certain, the movie that takes place around him does not seem unfamiliar in its pacing, characterizations, writing, direction, or plot. But Stuhlbarg's straight-laced math professor/estranged husband is a man unraveling before our very eyes, but he does his dead level best to spin that top the other direction. Comedy is hard to play correctly, especially when it's as dry as the Coens serve it up, but Stuhlbarg walks the line perfectly, never playing it for a laugh but never missing the opportunity to get one. 10- Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia It really is this easy: There's nobody better than Meryl. Sure, she doesn't have to work as hard as she used to, but she still never phones anything in. Julie & Julia could have been that, and for a lot of actresses, it might have been. The movie is light and comedic enough to make Julia Child more of an impression, but I'll be damned if Meryl didn't turn in another great performance in a movie that demanded far less from her. Streep's comedic timing is on robust display here, and she's as locked in as ever. The accent doesn't slip, the motivation is never in question, and she makes a fictionalized Julia Child exactly what the real one was for decades: Eminently worth watching.

Comments

[SEAN]

I do agree this year, hasn't been Hollywood best of years, but hey what can you do Hollywood? Hey I know, find & hire good writers w/ great scripts w/ great roles, that may be a start, & try avoiding mindless popcorn shitttt

Back to your Top Ten...

.GOOOO Mo'nique!!!!! Pitch perfect choice for your #1!!! What a powerful, in your face, rugged, raw, piercing, terrifying, performance, & yes your argument about walking that fine line over to caricature was right & she avoided that

Goo Christoph Waltz, I was mesmerized w/ his performance after I saw it & it was just impeccable...
- Great choice w/ Carey Mulligan, I've brought her name up & her film in every post that is relevant on GetTheBigPicture, she was enticing, break out star vehicle for her

Jeff Bridges!!!!!! (who if he is tied w/ Clooney, PLZ give it to Bridges he deserves it more, & a role like that wont come by again b/c he's getting older, & his reputation proceeds himself) its THE DUDE

Gabby Sidibe - our hero! Oh what a performance by this newcomer, she is way beyond her years in the craft, such emotion, such vitality, so heartbreaking. We must see more of her

Meryl Streep, is she ever a question, fantastic work, she's been saying in interviews for years she's always wanted to do comedy & she did splendidly in Julie & Julia, stole the show! & it was a show!

Renner - I can see why obviously, definitely should be nominated instead of Tobey...

Copley - I raved after I saw him, but now the images have faded a bit, that means no less of his work of course, quite difficult to command the screen with SFX all around but he did

Harrelson - great work for tough subject matter, but Christoph trumps in my opinion
Stuhlbarg- haven't seen so cant judge, I'm not too sure about Stulhbarg but definitely a break out performance..

My picks (no order) (these all are locks in my opinion)

Mo'nique, Christoph Waltz, Carey Mulligan, Gabby Sidibe, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Renner, (insert)

for a tenth I have no idea but some ideas lol

Julianne Moore - A Single Man
Marion Cotillard - NINE (best thing about NINE)
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Viggo Mortensen - The Road
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

* I must say for females go, no particular REAL standouts besides Gabby, Monique, & Meryl, not the greatest of years in female performances in my opinion, even though I listed a lot of potentials, but like I said nor REAL standouts...*

[SEAN]

However overall great choosing Colin, great picks

[andrew]

i am glad to see you included Sharlto Copley. i was blown away by his performance.

[anybody]

Copley may be my favourtie performance of the year and his Wilkus one of my favourtite characters as well. It's quite a credit to a film when his supporting actor is completely CGI (Christopher) yet more full blooded and imagined than many other characters and performances we saw throughout the year. I must say though I'm a bit surprised you didn't throw Zach Galifaniakis in there since he's been your boy all year. Tough race though with only ten spots...

[Get The Big Picture]

Zach was my boy this year; it's true. As hard as it was to put together a list of the ten best films, we could have had 20 performances and that would have been more than acceptable. I just didn't want to write that damn much.

I should also point out that I was supposed to get a screener of A Single Man, but it never arrived, so I can't rank Firth's or Moore's performances.

[SEAN]

Well defintly if you can Colin go please see A Single Man by fashion designer turned director Tom Ford, (of all people!)

It was quite a film & I was hoping for a review on it from you if possible, your loyal followers are in suspense waiting, or maybe that's just me lol.....

[Nelson]

YES. This is a fantastic list. 2009 was definitely a year for newcomers, and we see that here. All of them I agree with, except Mulligan, who i feel is getting way more than she deserved, but everyone else on this list is well deserved. I would also add:

Jim Broadbent, Harry Potter - not the performance itself but the fact that an actor could finally do something in the Harry Potter franchise, whereas before, other actors just had cameos without much depth.

Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, 500 Days of Summer - A fantastic movie that was brought to life by two great performances, but Joseph's performance is definitely something worth mentioning

Melanie Laurent, Basterds - A small role but pitch-perfect in my opinion

Alfred Molina, An Education - The best part of the movie