The Best Lead Performances of 2017

The Women

(5) Haley Lu Richardson, Columbus

In the middle of all the mess, suddenly the place I’d lived my whole life felt different. I’d been transported somewhere else.

After nearly stealing the show from Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge of Seventeen, and a solid (if lightweight) supporting turn in Split earlier in the year, Richardson finally gets the chance to turn it all on with a leading role and man, does she ever. At multiple times in the film, I found myself both impressed by her maturity and disappointed in her immaturity. She’s going to be a star, and soon.

(4) Jennifer Lawrence, mother!

It’s time to get the FUCK…out of my house!

I didn’t realize the internet was off the Jennifer Lawrence train, because I’ve always been on it. For me, her no holds barred performance in Aronofsky’s most recent film is her reaching another peak. She’s playing completely against what we’re used to seeing her as; gone are the strong, confident women of Silver Linings Playbook and Joy. In their place is a woman struggling to hold on; whether it’s to her husband, her baby, her house, maybe even her sanity. Get back on the train, please.

(3) Florence Pugh, Lady Macbeth

I’d rather stop you breathing than have you doubt how I feel.

If Timothee Chalamet gave the “where the fuck did you come from?” performance from a man in 2017, then Florence Pugh is the other side of that coin. Without spoiling anything, she has to give a performance with so many…personality shifts that, were she not so supremely talented an actress, would probably come off as laughable. Look out for her.

(2) Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

I wanted it so badly but then I found out that when it happened, I really like dry humping much more.

I don’t know how much I can add to the conversation about this performance. I’ve been a fan of Ronan’s since Atonement, but I think here is where she really blossoms into a full-blown movie star. It’s a performance that’s pitched high but still of subtlety. I would love to see her and Gerwig work together again.

(1) Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper

Lewis, is it you? Or is it just me?

It’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen this film, so excuse me in advance for not being able to go into great detail about it. But I knew the moment I left the theater that, barring a miracle, this would be my female performance of the year. I’ve been a fan of Kristen Stewart longer than most people, I think, since I first really noticed her chops in Greg Mottola’s supremely underrated gem Adventureland. At this point, she’s giving such complex, emotionally rich performances, that it’s infuriating to see her continue to get shit from a certain minority of the internet. THIS WOMAN IS ARGUABLY THE ACTRESS OF HER GENERATION, GET THE HELL OVER IT ALREADY.

The Men

(5) James Franco, The Disaster Artist

I did not hit her. It’s not true, it’s bullshit! I did not hit her, I did naaaht…oh, hi Mark.

While Tommy Wiseau the human being may be a man of more than questionable character, Tommy Wiseau the creation, as portrayed by James Franco, is a deeply sad person, a man desperate for some sort of acceptance and friendship, but completely unaware of how to get it. His performance is also, along with the rest of the cast, just eerily accurate, to the point where I sometimes forgot I was watching a performance.

(4) John Cho, Columbus

There’s this belief that if you’re not there when a family member dies, their spirit will roam aimlessly and become a ghost.

Can you tell I like this movie? It was so nice to see Cho get such a meaty leading role like this one. There’s a real sadness to his face that was only kind of hinted at in Star Trek or Harold and Kumar, and here it comes out front and center. I hope more indie directors see this and his range and we can see him in some more high-profile projects.

(3) Hugh Jackman, Logan

Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. God made it last too long.

Even as someone who wouldn’t call himself more than a casual Marvel fan, I kind of feel like I know Jackman’s Wolverine inside and out. At this point, Jackman IS Wolverine, and this was the perfect send-off for him.

(2) Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

All I now is sometimes, when there’s too many white people, I get nervous, you know?

Near the end of Get Out, Jordan Peele’s stunning debut, a character say to Kaluuya’s Chris, “I want your eyes, man. I want those things you see through.” And it’s not hard to see why. Much of his performance is done with his peepers; they often seem to be one step ahead of his brain, to his folly. I’ve been following him since he starred in my favorite episode of Black Mirror, and it’s nice to see him finally getting his due.

(1) Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

If you only knew how little I now about the things that matter.

2017 saw two of the greatest teenage characters ever put to screen. I’ve already raved about Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird, but my ultimate, capital B, capital P, Best Performance of 2017 is Chalamet’s bracing, innocent Ellio in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name. Do this: regardless of whether you’ve seen the film already or not, go watch this clip. This sad little scene alone is enough to justify calling this the best performance of 2017.