What makes a great performance?
It is a question I think about often and have revisited over and over again as I pulled together this list of 15 great performances from 2010′s year in film. Those listed below left long lasting and distinctive impressions on me. Some of these actors will be Oscar nominees in a few weeks and some will be snubbed by Academy voters. Regardless, the work listed below need not be handed a little golden man to earn its rightful praise.
Undoubtedly you will agree and/or disagree with the list. You might wonder why other people were or were not identified. This work connected with me on a visceral and powerful level and I want to share these thoughts, films, and performance with you.
Ranked alphabetically by actor, it was simply too difficult to rank these 1-15. Enjoy, debate, and discuss and let’s hope for a great 2011.
**WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD**
15 GREAT PERFORMANCES FROM 2010
1. Christian Bale as Dicky Ecklund in “The Fighter”.
The moment he comes on screen, he is physically unrecognizable. Protruding cheek bones, skull almost visible under his skin…is that Batman? Is that Christian…Bale…?
Perhaps if you caught his emaciated appearance in the 2004 indie film, “The Machinist”, you do recognize the bag of bones on screen. But when that abrasive and grizzled Bostonian accent compliments Bale’s physical appearance, he disappears completely. As Dicky, the ex-prize fighter now hopelessly mired in a crack cocaine and meth addiction, Bale is nothing less than ferocious and vulnerable and immature and heartbreaking. Bound by loyalty to his younger brother Micky (Mark Wahlberg), a more gifted and talented fighter than Dicky ever could be, Dicky is wily and cunning and seizes on Micky’s devout familial loyalty to remain relevant and guiding in Micky’s ascension in the boxing world. Bale is not playing a mere drug-addled crazy man in “The Fighter”. He is real. Genuine. Self-destructive. Someone we know or have met. Charming, perhaps untrustworthy, but family. Bale leaves every ounce of emotion and character on that screen and he is nothing less than extraordinary.
2. Banksy – Director of “Exit Through The Gift Shop”
Banksy’s claim to fame thus far has been as a divisive and rapidly influential graffiti artist, activist, painter, and creator of stunning visual media. He is also often branded as confrontational, edgy, and distant. Largely, this has to do with no one really knowing who Banksy is as his entire public existence has remained cloaked behind masks and drenched in anonymity. In 2010, Banksy turned his attention behind the camera and found new levels of fame and success by delivering one of the most innovative and unique films – documentary or otherwise, to come along in several years.
“Exit Through The Gift Shop” is, by initial impression, a genuine documentary. An art-obsessed filmmaker, Thierry Guetta, sets out to make a film about the elusive and mysterious Banksy, and other artists he admires in the Los Angeles underground art community. Accelerated by his cousin’s rapid success, Guetta stumbles onto Banksy’s path and due to a bizarre set of circumstances, finds himself accompanying Banksy on a tour of Los Angeles. Things begin to spiral out of control and Banksy soon realizes that Guetta is a terrible filmmaker. So, in his artisan and activist approach to things, Banksy takes over the documentary and to everyone’s surprise, Guetta becomes a literal overnight success in the art community.
The way the film unfolds, you have to wonder if the film is real or a hoax. Is this a new artistic outlet for Banksy to provoke and conquer? Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. Banksy vehemently denies the film is false and claims everything happened as depicted on screen. Seeing the film, it almost becomes a moot point whether the film is true, false, or somewhere in between. Banksy has crafted a film which questions the very culture that provides his fame, turns the question back around on the viewer as to why art is so important to us, documents the skill it takes to be a truly great artist, and in turn, challenges the conventions of documentary filmmaking.
3. The Cast Of “Cyrus” – John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener.
Directed by the Duplass Brothers, “Cyrus” is a small, indie romantic comedy that has more heart, soul, and realism within its running time than dozens of the mainstream romantic comedies which were foisted upon us at the multiplex. Largely improvised, Reilly’s John and Tomei’s Molly find one another at a dinner party and soon fall quickly in love. John becomes a bit consumed with Molly and stumbles onto the radar of Tomei’s adult son, Cyrus, played expertly by Jonah Hill. While an inevitable battle of wills occurs between John and Cyrus, providing a dark hue over the proceedings, there is an overriding warmth and believability brought out in the beautiful chemistry between Reilly and Tomei. Early on, John tells Molly, “I’m like Shrek…what are you doing in the forest with Shrek?” Molly just laughs it off. And as their fragile pasts build a shaky but solid foundation to support one another and withstand Cyrus’ desperation and sabotage, we take joy in seeing two people, stripped of vanity, finding one another on screen in a wholly believable and real way.
4. The Cast of “The Kids Are All Right” – Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson.
One of the year’s most controversial films is also one of its best and most critically acclaimed. Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right” tells a suburban, domestic emotional nightmare as honestly as it can, with splices of humor, romance, sexuality, youthful naiveté, and destructive decision-making. Together and essentially married for 20 years, lesbian couple Nic and Jules (Bening and Moore) are raising their two teenagers, 18-year old Joni (Wasikowska) and 15-year old Laser (Hutcherson), the best they can. The edges may be fraying a bit with work and focus and home-life, but no one could foresee what occurs when Joni and Laser seek out their donor father, Paul (Ruffalo).
“The Kids Are All Right” goes to some very grown up places, and does not shy away from providing a wide-eyed look at the intimacy and reality of two people trying to keep things fresh and new in a 20-year marriage; all while precocious teenagers are heading off to college and flirting with trouble. The acting here is stellar, honest, and affecting. Despite the star power involved, these actors disappear into their roles and present and project a view of a modernized 2010 family – flaws and all. Nic and Jules and Joni and Laser could live next door and their problems are the same problems of those you know – heterosexual or homosexual. This ensemble transcends the trivial and leaves long-lasting and thoughtful impressions on human relationships long after the film’s credits roll by.
5. The Cast of “The Social Network” – Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Rooney Mara.
How did they handle that dialogue?
Aaron Sorkin’s bullet-train of a screenplay could easily be lost on lesser skilled actors, but under the assured guidance of director David Fincher, this ensemble takes Sorkin’s brilliant adaptation and make it nothing short of iconic. In its presented form, the story of the creation of Facebook is essentially 21st century Shakespeare – with friendships, betrayals, lost loves, power grabs, and wealth, fame, and idolatry beyond anyone’s imagination. In the lead role as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg’s spitfire turn presents Zuckerberg as the most brilliant man in the room – a fact that is reminded in subtle and not so subtle ways to everyone he comes into contact with. Eisenberg’s opening 10-minute verbal brawl with his girlfriend, Erica (Mara) is extraordinary in its rhythm, pacing, and jarring delivery, serving as a catalyst for what’s to come. Each and every character is layered, fleshed out, and brought to the forefront. Armie Hammer acts opposite himself in playing the Winklevoss twins, the brothers litigating Zuckerberg’s alleged theft of the Facebook idea. Justin Timberlake owns the role of Napster founder Sean Parker and Andrew Garfield is the tragic Eduardo, Zuckerberg’s best friend who becomes the victim of a dastardly power pull by Zuckerberg and Parker. There are many reasons why this film is 2010’s best. At the forefront of the film’s success is this ensemble; one which could not have been more perfectly assembled or directed by Fincher.
6. Colin Firth as King George VI in “The King’s Speech”.
It is said that actors love playing those afflicted with disabilities or debilitating ailments. After watching “The King’s Speech”, I cannot imagine that Colin Firth had a wonderful time with the challenges King George VI faced. Forced into a public role, King George VI suffered from a crippling stutter and stammer and in a final attempt to rectify and remedy the problem, “Bertie”, as he was privately known, becomes the student of Lionel Logue, played here by Geoffrey Rush, an unorthodox speech therapist who attempts to fix and cure the future King.
Colin Firth, a long time favorite of mine who gave an Oscar worthy performance in 2009′s “A Single Man”, is incredible in what he chooses not to do here. Most actors would give in to the whims of “acting” and ramp up the stuttering problem and over-exaggerate the ailment. Firth keeps the pain, the agony, and the frustration all tightly contained in his face – his cheeks, his lips, his eyes. From the moment we first see Firth on screen, we know this is a tortured and pained man, resigned to his condition and yet aching for it to go away. His scenes with Geoffrey Rush are riveting and inspiring, but the film is unmistakably Colin Firth’s. And his performance is unforgettable.
7. James Franco as Aron Ralston in “127 Hours”.
“127 Hours” caught me completely off guard. I knew that I was seeing the movie about that guy who cut off his arm to survive a hiking accident in Utah. And yet, I should have known that Danny Boyle would deliver a powerful, moving, and affecting film. What I didn’t anticipate was the work of James Franco as Aron Ralston, the subject hiker. Franco is on screen for virtually every second and in the minutes leading up to the accident, Franco makes Ralston likable and someone we can easily identify with or relate to. We learn everything that makes him tick. Once the accident occurs and prior to the amputation, Boyle places the film in Franco’s mind, having us rest in that unimaginable purgatory between life and death. And we are right there with him – enduring all of the ridiculousness, desperation, hopelessness, madness, the acceptance of death, and the eventual jaw-dropping and inspiring survival instincts which kick in for Ralston. While the act of freeing himself from the boulder is the moment everyone locks in on and talks and thinks about, for me the tears arrived not when Franco frees himself. Rather, it is in the moments following when a depleted and almost defeated Ralston staggers back out to the civilized world, soaked in painful sunlight, and after stumbling up to an unsuspecting family of campers, he utters two words he may have never said before and certainly could never say to anyone in those preceding 127 hours…
“Help me.”
8. Richard Jenkins as Richard From Texas in “Eat, Pray, Love”.
In the meandering and ponderous “Eat Pray Love”, Julia Roberts’ Liz is tripping through her year of discovery and settles in at an ashram in India. Immediately she catches the eye of a gruff and unapproachable fellow American she comes to know as Richard from Texas. In search of peace and enlightenment, Richard is seemingly at odds with the calm and peaceful environment Liz finds him in. Liz is equally as confused by the resistance and dismissive tone she encounters with Richard, although oddly enough, he seems to always be around her. So, she persists and continually seeks out Richard, eventually easing tensions.
And then Liz finds Richard alone, isolated, and learns why Richard is on a similar journey. Listening to Richard From Texas tell his heartbreaking and emotional story of loss and pain he has never moved past gives “Eat Pray Love” the emotional connection it spends 2+ hours desperately looking for. Jenkins connects with Liz and us in those moments and stops the movie dead in its tracks. Had Ryan Murphy’s film not tried so hard and packed more thoughtful moments like Richard Jenkins’ scenes, not only would the film have been better received but we would also be discussing Richard Jenkins’ Oscar chances during this upcoming award season.
9. Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly in “Winter’s Bone”.
Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” is an uncompromising and fearless film about one girl’s unthinkable journey through the Ozark Mountains in search of her meth-addicted and now missing father. At its core is the star-making performance from Jennifer Lawrence as Ree, the eldest daughter, who not only raises and cares for her two younger siblings in impoverished and barren living conditions, but also watches over her mentally disabled mother who can offer nothing in the ways of support.
Debra Granik, the director and screenwriter, has crafted a masterful adaptation of a well-received novel, and Lawrence is handed the most richly written female character of the year. And she embodies Ree incredibly, showing ability and range well behind her years and experience. Constantly faced with escalating danger and seemingly insurmountable odds, Ree finds creative and challenging ways to deal with blood-thirsty and uncomfortably protective individuals who only know their drug-infused existence. Through Lawrence, Ree is inspiring, memorable, and a revelation.
10. Chloe Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee in “Let Me In”.
Seen previously in the gonzo-comic superhero film “Kick-Ass” (Moretz) and the bleak and dark post-apocalyptic western tale “The Road” (Smit-McPhee), director Matt Reeves could not have found two more ready, willing, and eager young actors to embody these two challenging children’s roles. In this American remake of the amazing 2008 Swedish vampire film, “Let The Right One In”, Moretz and Smit-McPhee were given the rather thankless task of re-imagining two memorable young characters, already of near-cult status, from a film still fresh in the minds of the American viewing audience.
To their skill and talent, Moretz and Smit-McPhee never bat an eye at their challenge. In the violent and impressive “Let Me In”, their bond is honest and heartfelt as two mismatched souls – one a vampire, hundreds of years old, and the other, a bullied boy who has no friends and no outlet for his escalating rage and anger. Moretz and Smit-McPhee run with the film and stand apart from their predecessors, delivering two of the boldest performances of the year.
There are many good and intriguing young actors working today. But Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee have shown smarts and instinct in a couple of performances that others acting for a couple of decades can never capture. “Let Me In”, featuring another outstanding supporting turn from Richard Jenkins (!), was ignored by audiences sadly. But Moretz and Smit-McPhee will soldier on and perhaps in a few years, or with their next roles, be names we should be hearing about for a long, long time.
11. Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers in “Black Swan”.
There is little else to be said about the masterful performance Natalie Portman gives in “Black Swan”. Well documented is her year-long training in an effort to perform as a life-long ballerina, her discipline, her focus, and her emotional state of mind in preparing for and filming Darren Aronofsky’s brilliant work.
Dazzling and dancing on the precipice of rage, sadness, anger, elation, and mental instability, Portman has never been better and may never be better than she is here. She, along with Aronofsky’s deft directorial hand, captures and embodies the hell that artists, and specifically, ballerinas, must endure to be excellent and skilled at their craft. Portman’s work here is unsettled, disturbed, and constantly on edge. And so are we, solidifying the connection every actor strives to reach with his/her audience.
Whether she lands an Oscar or not come February 2011, Natalie Portman delivers the performance of the year.
12. Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”, “The Girl Who Played With Fire”, and “The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest”.
American audiences learned in the spring of 2010 what international audiences learned in 2009; Noomi Rapace is a fierce and enigmatic actress that has arrived with a memorable turn as Lisbeth Salander, the heroine at the heart of the “Millennium Trilogy” film adaptations from the late Steig Larsson’s acclaimed series of novels.
Rapace is a cinematic chameleon in these films – juggling emotion, hate and anger, a hardened soul, an unwavering loyalty to those select few she trusts, a tempted heart, bottled up rage, curious sexuality, and a genius-level acumen to navigate her way through a series of mysteries she finds herself entrenched in. You have never seen a character quite like this, teetering on the edge of impulsiveness and reservation. You sense that Lisbeth is constantly “on”, with a mind spinning and constantly creating and thinking of how to get from one event to the next. She is equally adept at remaining steps ahead of those who wish her demise. At times Rapace goes minutes without uttering a line, but tells you everything with a look, a sneer, or a subtle mannerism. She is someone you root for, champion, and respect, even if the decision she makes are not the decision you or I would make.
13. Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross in “True Grit”.
Along with Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jennifer Lawrence, another fresh and youthful face has delivered one of the most memorable performances of 2010. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld landed the much coveted lead role in The Coen Brothers straight-shooting adaptation of “True Grit” and may be on her way to landing an Oscar nomination.
Lots of kid actors can spit rapid-fire dialogue but few can understand the meaning and depth to the words they are saying. Steinfeld transcends the page and in scene after scene with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, or most memorably, with an outsmarted and outwitted Colonel who she cons into giving her monies that may or may not have been left behind by her murdered father; Steinfeld is completely Mattie Ross from top to bottom. The Coen Brothers always seem to make brilliant casting choices in their films and as Mattie, the 14-year old hellbent on revenge for the murder of her father, Steinfeld hangs comfortably and at ease with Oscar-winners and veteran character actors, commanding the screen and appearing in virtually every scene. I cannot imagine the film being nearly as engaging or impressive without her.
14. Emma Stone as Olive in “Easy A”.
Watching “Easy A”, I was reminded of Ellen Page in “Juno”. The comparison I honed in on was the arrival of someone who had been on screen before, gained some press for earlier work, but found a custom-made and cannot miss role to catapult them to the A-list. Page earned an Oscar nomination for her turn in “Juno” and Stone most likely will not be nominated for this performance. And yet, I would argue it is every bit as good and rich and compelling.
Emma Stone’s turn as Olive introduces us to a teenager who is exceptionally bright, friendly, funny, smart, and hipster cool – and relatively clueless about how life works. Olive travels on a mistake-laden, coming-of-age journey through high school where the mistakes are all her own fault. What starts as a small lie to a best friend about having sex, designed to shut her friend up, snowballs into Olive being approached and agreeing to lie about having sex with other members of her school. Olive’s intentions are basically good – she is trying to up classmate’s social status. The celebrity which quickly engulfs Olive leaves her enamored with the attention and blind to what’s really going on around her. And while we know what fate may await Olive, we are still taken by the journey. Stone delicately holds on to all of the likable qualities of Olive, but never loses the viewer as Olive makes terribly poor choices. While the script is smart and engaging, which helps a great deal, “Easy A”, with great supporting performances by Lisa Kudrow, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, and Stanley Tucci, is unmistakably Emma Stone’s movie, and one she will long be remembered for even when more and more high profile and big-budget roles land at her feet.
15. Tilda Swinton as Emma Recchi in “I Am Love”.
She’s an Irish woman, speaking in Italian, and an expatriate trying to keep her grips on a family and a culture that is just as foreign to her as they day she married into it. This is Emma Recchi, Tilda Swinton’s bold and breathtaking character that she embraces and brings to life in “I Am Love”. A true arthouse film, bathed in amazing set design, bold colors and gorgeous costumes, “I Am Love” may give in to its melodramatic urges bit too easily, but at the center of it all of is Swinton’s Emma. She betrays all convention with this performance.
Undoubtedly a robust challenge, Swinton is absorbed into the pained and tortured matriarch of the Recchi family. Generations of history of family riches, business, and success swirl all around here but she is as lost and as empty inside as anyone ever could be. Ignored by her husband, taken for granted by her children, she tries to connect with her daughter, who recently comes out to her while away at college. But there is no inspiration or spark for Emma until she crosses paths with her son’s friend, Antonio. We may know where Emma is headed towards in her contacts with Antonio, but she has no clue, until she is overtaken with emotions and passion she has not felt for years. Infidelity is a richly personal and highly polarizing element to motion pictures and always will be. A part of me was excited for Emma, a part of me dismissive of her indiscretions, and in watching Swinton’s performance I realized that she was experiencing these same types of emotions. When the film reaches an exuberant and rather shocking conclusion, you are torn between support and outrage for Emma’s choices. And yet, I found myself urging her on. I cannot think of anyone other than the incomparable Tilda Swinton who could have pulled that off.
