Best of 2017 – Best Performances of 2017

Along with making a finalized Best Movies list, narrowing down the performances is always hard.  There were so many great performances in 2017 from actors new and old.  It hurt to leave some people off this list, but at the end of the day, these were the very best.  Here are my picks for the best performances of 2017.

I will be breaking it down similar to the Oscars, with five nominees, which are essentially my five favorite performances and then an ultimate winner.

 

 

 

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

SELMA HAYEK – THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD

ALLISON JANNEY – I, TONYA 

MELISSA LEO – NOVITIATE 

LAURIE METCALF – LADY BIRD

BRIA VINAITE- THE FLORIDA PROJECT 

 

WINNER: 

MELISSA LEO – NOVITIATE

• This was probably the hardest category to pick a winner, as a who’s who of character actresses showed off some their best work and we got an electric performance from a newcomer.  But Melissa Leo’s performance in Novitiate has haunted me since I saw it.  This is a chilling performance reminiscent that of Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (1975).  Playing Reverend Mother, the head nun of a novitiate in the 1960’s, Leo is a powerful manipulator of the new girls in her school who’s tactics might be questionable and even unethical, but they are all in the name of God, or so she claims.  That is until the Vatican II comes out, and everything Mother has devoted her life to changes, and that is where Leo truly shines.  Novitiate is a small movie that got decent buzz out of Sundance, but make sure to seek it out, as it is captivating movie and Leo’s performance is one you won’t forget.

 

 

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

WILLEM DAFOE – THE FLORIDA PROJECT

IDRIS ELBA – MOLLY’S GAME

SHIA LEBEOUF – BORG vs MCENROE

JOHN LITHGOW – BEATRIZ AT DINNER

SAM ROCKWELL – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

 

WINNER:

SHIA LEBEOUF – BORG vs MCENROE

It was tough not picking Sam Rockwell for this one, as he is an actor I have loved for years and am glad he is finally getting his due.  When I heard Shia LeBeouf was playing tennis icon John McEnroe, I knew we were in for something special.  LeBeouf has been flying under the radar as one of the best actors working today, continuing to take on challenging roles and McEnroe was such a complex character during his tennis days that this was a match made in heaven.  LeBeouf takes this opportunity and runs with it, giving the best performance of his young career.  He shows us two sides of McEnroe: the fiery, controversial tennis star that argued with judges and swore at fans.  But he also brought a side to McEnroe that most people don’t think about.  We see the precision of how he prepared for his games, the mastery of his game, and the upbringing that made him who he is.  The movie focuses a lot of McEnroe’s rival, Bjorn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason), But LeBeouf made me crave more McEnroe, which is a testament to LeBouf’s performance and how he treated the character.

 

 

 

BEST ACTRESS

JESSICA CHASTAIN – MOLLY’S GAME

SALLY HAWKINS – THE SHAPE OF WATER

KATE MARA – MEGAN LEAVEY 

FRANCIS MCDORMAND – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

MARGOT ROBBIE – I, TONYA

 

WINNER:

FRANCIS MCDORMAND – THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

• 2017 was another great year for actresses.  In any given year, any of the other four could have been number one.  But Francis McDormand gives what might be my actual favorite overall performance of 2017 as Mildred Hayes.  This is the definition of a towering performance.  McDormand is a hurricane on screen, blowing everybody out of the water, which is even more impressive with this cast of all-stars.  Hayes is like the angry step-sister of Marge Gunderson, McDormand’s Oscar winner performance in Fargo (1995), this is a woman hell-bent on getting her daughter’s murder solved.  What makes this moment so great isn’t just McDormand spitting writer/director Martin McDonagh whip-smart dialog, but it’s the little moments.  The moments of vulnerability and sadness where McDormand really brings the performance home and gives Mildred the right amount of depth.  McDormand gives arguably the best performance of her career in one of 2017’s very best movies.

 

 

 

BEST ACTOR

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET – CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

JAMES FRANCO – THE DISASTER ARTIST

DANIEL KALUUYA – GET OUT

JAMES MCAVOY – SPLIT 

ROBERT PATTINSON – GOOD TIME

 

WINNER:

JAMES MCAVOY – SPLIT 

• It ultimately came down to a battle of the James’s, though all the actors listed, and more that weren’t, all gave sensational performances (particularly Pattinson, who really, really impressed me).  Franco will get the awards and the love, and rightly so, as he becomes the weird and iconic Tommy Wiseau.  But James McAvoy gave a performance that has stayed with me since I saw Split almost a year ago.  Playing a man with 23 personalities with a 24th on the horizion, McAvoy is the reason why Split is so successful.  McAvoy embodies every personality we see him, sometimes literally changing personalities right before our eyes.  Different accents, posture, and facial expressions, McAvoy uses everything in his arsenal to show us this man.  This is the kind of performance that could have easily been portrayed over the top and gotten away from a lesser actor.  But not McAvoy, he pulls this off better than anyone else could.  This is a movie and performance that got lost throughout 2017 because it came out so early, which is a shame.  Split is a top-notch thriller and the best M. Night Schyamalan since The Sixth Sense (1999) and McAvoy carries it with a layered, masterful performance.

 

 

 

 

 

What were your favorite performances of 2017?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.