Top Ten Favorite Performances of 2019

I’m going to confess to you right off the top, dear reader, that there is a whole lot of cheating going on in this list. One might even call it shenanigans. Whenever I make a list for either the podcast or the blog, I am always inclined to find ways to stretch the list a bit, dance around the edges, slide an extra movie in here or there because I love movies and I want to talk about as many of them as possible. Usually with a list like this, I might break the rules a time or two. This time I basically spat in the face of the rules and did what I wanted because, after all, this is my blog and I can do what I want. I don’t know exactly how many performances I crammed into this list of ten but suffice it to say it is a lot more than ten. So be it. 2019 was one of the best movie years in my time as a part-time critic and as such, when I sat down to make my list, there were far too many that demanded to be included and so many that felt tied to one another. So here are my ten to 30-ish favorite performances of 2019.

HONORABLE MENTION: Keanu Reeves, John Wick (John Wick 3) and Keanu Reeves (Always Be My Maybe)
It’s nice when an actor who is by all accounts a great person but is not, perhaps, the rangiest performer in the industry finds a thing and latches on to it the way Keanu has with John Wick. The third movie in this franchise is by far the MOST John Wick-y and thereby the MOST Keanu-y and it is a blast to watch him have a blast on screen. His turn as an exaggerated version of himself in Always Be My Maybe was also magnificent and gave us my favorite gif of the year and for that alone, Keanu bears mentioning.

Other close calls that deserved a mention: Awkwafina and Shuzhen Zhao (The Farewell), Daisy Ridley (Rise of Skywalker), Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story), Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems), Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), and Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit).

10. Robert Downey, Jr., Tony Stark/Iron Man (Avengers Endgame)
Perhaps a bit of a Lifetime Achievement Award here, with Endgame representing the culmination of ten-year, 22-movie endeavor, it feels appropriate that the character that started it all got to have the hero moment of hero moments. RDJ has always been stellar in this role, even when the movies around him were a bit up and down, but this movie allowed him to do some real acting in addition to playing what is essentially a parody of himself. He’s the emotional core of the movie and provides stability for a huge cinematic endeavor brought to fruition in this, the biggest movie of all-time.  

9. Shia LeBeouf, Tyler (The Peanut Butter Falcon) and James Lort (Honey Boy)
I can’t say I always saw this revival coming but I always hoped LaBeouf would right his own ship in the midst of what felt like a decade of perpetual self-sabotage. He’s been doing interesting things in smaller movies for the last couple of years but with this pair of performances, it feels like he’s fully broken through and rediscovered himself as an actor. Both of these roles were challenging in different ways and he met them head-on, delivering complex portrayals of characters with harrowing pasts. His turn in Honey Boy drew the most critical attention but for me, it’s his work with Tyler that really resonates and with which he made the most interesting decisions. Here’s hoping the Shiaissance is real and lasts long-term.

8. Michael B. Jordan, Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy)
MBJ is in the tier of actors whose name alone can get me in the theater. “Ah, Michael B. Jordan is in this movie, you say? I shall see you there. Bully!” (I don’t really say “bully”, but it felt like that sentence needed a “bully”.) Just Mercy is a beautiful, touching, and infuriating movie that I would see and trumpet regardless of the lead but MBJ is just so great in this role. He blends character actor traits with movie star charisma, quietly exhibiting all of the emotions someone should feel while handling the events of the film while also burning up the screen in that “I can’t stop watching this guy” way that only the greats can pull off.

7. Tom Hanks, Fred Rogers (Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)
I can’t tell you, dear reader, how much I needed Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers in my life. There are so few times, even with movies I love, that I leave the theater feeling good; like, truly good. Hanks’ perfect embodiment of all the virtues that made Mr. Rogers who he was did just the trick for me. It would be easy to overlook the work Hanks put in here because he kind of is the Mr. Rogers of Hollywood. But when you see the movie, you see Hanks for about two minutes and then you see Mr. Rogers from then on. It’s a subtly great performance and gives me warm, fuzzy feelings.

6. Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, Cliff Booth and Rick Dalton (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
Okay, time to start all the cheating. Because I am a garbage person and because we do not make movie stars with the frequency that we used to, I very much enjoy watching movie stars be movie stars along with other movie stars. That sounds like a very dumb, overly specific Netflix category but there we are. The intensity of DiCaprio is in direct contrast to Pitt’s easygoing charm and they both deliver those Tarantino lines flawlessly throughout. Hollywood is perhaps Tarantino’s most fun movie and boy, were these two having fun working with each other.

5. Lupita Nyong’o, Adelaide Wilson/Red (Us)
We’re past the point at which Nyong’o’s name should always come up when discussing the best actors and actresses in the industry. I did not personally need more proof of that prior to forcing myself to sit through Us but if I did, this would have been the clincher. The duality of her roles is extremely difficult to pull off, but the real brilliance is in her ability to show the similarities between her two characters. She’s excellent in both and with a lesser actor in her shoes, I’m not sure Us is nearly as effective or memorable as it is with her in the fold.

4. Song Kang Ho, Kim Ki-taek (Parasite)
I’m still in awe of Parasite and the incredible strength of the entire cast but it’s Mr. Song’s work that still stands out to me the most so many months after my first viewing. So much of the film’s emotional weight rests of Song and the transitions in tone, the blend of comedy and drama and beyond, take their onscreen cues from him. It’s like you’re not quite sure how to react until you see how Kim reacts. He has great gravitas on screen, and I expect to see his name come up frequently in the future.

3. Ana De Armas and Daniel Craig, Marta Cabrera and Benoit Blanc (Knives Out)
On with the cheating! Like Parasite, the entire cast of Knives Out (my favorite movie of the year) is outstanding but these two are the stand outs and while they’re both GREAT in their own, it’s their scenes together that truly propel Knives Out to its greatest heights. It’s a bit of an unlikely pair, as opposed to Leo and Brad in Hollywood and Damon and Bale in Ferrari, and that adds to their playful dynamic. It feels unknown and spontaneous. I was pumped to see Craig in a fun role, knowing that when he’s invested, he’s wonderful on screen, but De Armas took me by surprise and proved to be a breakout star.

2. Matt Damon and Christian Bale, Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles (Ford v Ferrari)
Let the cheating continue! When I set out to make this list, I knew both Damon and Bale had to find a place herein and ultimately, that’s what opened up the door for all the pairings. But seriously, I don’t know how you could watch Ford v Ferrari (a movie I will rewatch approximately 600 million times over the rest of my life) and pick one of these actors over the other. Like I said with Hollywood, I greatly enjoy watching movie stars work with other movie stars and the chemistry between these two is kinetic. Damon is always insanely likable and normal in the midst of great performances (he’s the closest we have to Hanks in this regard) and that’s on full display here. Bale, on the other hand, sometimes loses a bit of relatability in the name of ACTING (said in a deep, booming, stage voice) but here he’s both relatable and ACTING. It’s the combination of the two of them on screen that takes FvF from solid sports movie to exquisite dramedy.

1. Cast, Little Women
So much cheating, you guys. When the year began, if you would’ve told me that Little Women would be my top movie of the year and the entire cast would take the top spot here, I would have sued you for slander or libel depending on the form in which you made these claims. And yet, here we are. I’m in love with the way Greta Gerwig reworked this movie to give it both a modern and timeless feel and I’m possibly even more in love with the cast. Casting directors Kathy Driscoll and Francine Maisler should be in charge of casting every movie from here on out. At virtually every turn, they got the perfect actor for each role and at virtually every turn, those actors crushed their respective performances. Saoirse Ronan is a force! Laura Dern delivered her most relatable performance ever! Florence Pugh is a star! Eliza Scanlen is perfectly understated! Emma Watson is fine! And that’s not to mention the surrounding players like Timothee Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, and beyond. It’s an exquisite group of actors giving exquisite, beautiful performances throughout and the way they click together with Gerwig’s script makes Little Women work perfectly.