It's now 2017, and I'm finally getting around to evaluating the last year in film. On the plus side, the extra time has given me the chance to revisit a few movies and solidify or change my opinions.
First, my favorite supporting performances from last year.
Supporting Actor
To be honest, I could have filled this category just with Moonlight folks, but I restrained myself.
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Ali fully deserved his Oscar as Juan, the father figure to young Chiron and the man who deals drugs to his mother. While he's only in the first third of the film, he casts a spell over the whole film.
Tom Bennett, Love and Friendship
As Sir James Martin, Bennett absolutely owns this movie with every line reading. Sometimes broad performances work, and Bennett's performance plays up the comedy to just the right level.
Alden Ehrenreich, Hail Caesar!
In an incredible cast, Ehrenreich stands out as the seemingly dense Western star Hobie Doyle. Ehrenreich is so good and likable, and he'll be widely seen in some upcoming Star Wars movies.
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Hedges plays Patrick, the teenager suddenly without a father being cared for by an uncle, with a deft hand. He never sentimentalizes, instead drawing us into an authentic portrayal of a sometimes unlikable teenager. Now that I've seen him play an entirely different character in Lady Bird, it's clear Hedges is the real deal.
Andre Holland, Moonlight
As Kevin in the third act of Moonlight, Holland carries much of the dialogue of the film playing opposite a taciturn Trevante Rhodes. We believe this is the same character we've seen earlier: older, wiser, and ready to reconnect. I'm hoping for lots more great roles for Holland.
My winner: Ali
Runner-Up: Ehrenreich
Runners Up: Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Ralph Fiennes (A Bigger Splash), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Ashton Sanders (Moonlight), Ben Whishaw (The Lobster)
Matches with Oscar: 2 (Ali and Hedges). Bridges is on my runner-up list. I liked but didn't love the performances of Dev Patel (Lion) and Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals).
Supporting Actress
Viola Davis (Fences)
Davis played the role of Rose on Broadway, and she doesn't so much perform as inhabit the role. It's perhaps the greatest performance by one of our greatest actresses, complete with a late-in-film monologue that gives added depth to Rose.
Great Gerwig (20th Century Women)
As the photographer Abbie, Gerwig brings a great warmth and complexity to her role as mentor to the young Jamie. Watching her, it makes you wish you had your own Abbie when you were 15.
Lily Gladstone (Certain Women)
Certain Women has an incredible cast of actresses working at the top of their game, and the virtually unknown Gladstone rises above them all. She plays Jamie, a lonely ranch hand forming a friendship with a law professor. The acting she does while saying so little is incredible.
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
As Paula, Harris is the only actor to appear in all three sections of Moonlight. We see her arc in the movie, and Harris is able to gain both our revulsion and sympathy.
Gillian Jacobs (Don't Think Twice)
Jacobs gives a nuanced and multifaceted performance as Samantha, a performer in an improv group who doesn't know what the future holds, stuck in a kind of self-imposed stasis. Like a great improv performer, she gains your attention while ably supporting everyone else who's on stage.
My favorite: Davis
Runner-Up: Gladstone
Runners Up: Elle Fanning (20th Century Women), Riley Keough (American Honey), Molly Shannon (Other People), Kristen Stewart (Certain Women), Rachel Weisz (The Lobster)
Matches with Oscar: 2 (Davis and Harris). Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) was close to my runner-up list, although her part was pretty small. I also admired but didn't love the performances of Nicole Kidman (Lion) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures).
