Just so you know. this will not include every good performance of the year, so if there's someone you like and they're not on here, that doesn't mean I hate them. It doesn't even mean I didn't like them. It either means I didn't have time to see them - or I liked them, just not enough to list them. Or maybe I hated them. Maybe I did and I'm just not going to tell you.
Anyway, let's keep this positive, shall we?
The Women (no, not the awful 2008 movie, the good female actors of 2008):
I absolutely loved Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky. She took a role that easily could have been grating, but as the glass-is-always-half-full Poppy in Mike Leigh's light-hearted delight, Hawkins manages to add just enough weight to the part that she keeps the character - and the film - from floating away. She's off-kilter; she's happy; but she's grounded enough that she makes you wish you maintain such a positive outlook on life - even as the world seems to be collapsing around you.Anne Hathaway is all nerves and inappropriately-released fury in Rachel Getting Married. She's always exhibited talent, even in under-written roles. Now, as Kym - a young woman given a weekend reprieve from rehab for her sister's wedding - she cements her spot at the forefront of her generation's best actresses. She's as real and raw as Declan Quinn's handheld cinematography. She exhibits a maturity that is (nearly) unrivaled by any young actress working today. Just check out her scene at an AA meeting for a moment of honesty seldom seen on the big screen.
To find a rival for a mature performance from a young actress, turn to Hathaway's Brokeback Mountain co-star. I think my favorite performance of the year (male or female) came from an actress that seems to be constantly evolving. Michelle Williams was a revelation in Wendy & Lucy (coming soon to Nashville). Williams is Wendy, a twenty-something Indiana drifter who's packed all of her belongings, her last $600, and her loyal dog Lucy into her beaten up car and is making her way to Alaska for the job that she sees as her salvation. After an overnight stop in northeastern Oregon, her car breaks down and Lucy is lost. Heartbreaking, yes. But Williams, in a mousy-brown bowl-cut and an unflattering pair of corduroy shorts, is so believable that there isn't a minute that goes by that doesn't leave you rooting for her success. Wendy is one of those characters that you hope you can somehow check back on in the future. She's someone you care about. Michelle Williams is the reason for that. That's why I loved this performance so much.Some other great women of 2008:
Kate Winslet's end-of-the-year double punch in Revolutionary Road and The Reader is worthy of respect, but would we expect any less?The other great Cate, Blanchett, manages to make what could have been a flat, love-interest role in Benjamin Button eminently watchable.
In supporting parts:
Penelope Cruz is fantastic in Vicky Christina Barcelona.
I also enjoyed Taraji P. Henson in Benjamin Button.
But, Viola Davis, in Doubt, manages to steal the film from a fine cast in just five short minutes.
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