The final acting group of 2010. The best for last? We'll see.
2010 Best Actor
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
I like Colin Firth. He's personable, easily likeable, and charming. In this underwhelming Oscar-bait film, he's all of those things. As the stuttering Duke of York and eventual King George VI, Firth's character tries many different remedies and doctors to get rid of his impediment. Firth portrays the stuttering in a very real manner and not in a comical way as some have before him. While the stuttering is essentially the main point of the film, his relationship with Geoffrey Rush's character is a big part of it as well. As I've already gone over Rush's performance, I believe Firth offers up the better of the two and by a wide margin. You really believe his reluctance at first in dealing with Rush, his trepidation in becoming King, and his acceptance of his duty to his country, family and self. His performance is delicate and nuanced and not over the top like Rush and this makes him the best part of The King's Speech.
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
[May 26, 2012] The film has been likened to a poem and it certainly has a visual flair. It's intense and Bardem rises and exceeds what is expected of him. He plays Uxbal, a facilitator of illegal activity in Spain who after being diagnosed with terminal cancer his life and world crumbles to pieces. This is the performance Bardem can hang his hat on, one that defines his entire career. Where his role in No Country... was a classic villain that will be remembered forever, this depressing, exposed, vulnerable piece is what acting is all about. Rightfully earning him a Spanish Oscar (or Goya as it is), Bardem delivers a knockout, powerhouse performance that cements his place as one of the best actors around today. As his death becomes inevitable, Bardem transitions from being a quiet, stoic, strong man in the beginning to one who questions if what he is doing is the right thing, especially as a father. It's a tremendous display of acting ability and I can't wait to see what else he does.
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
In his sixth Oscar nomination, Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a U.S. Marshall hired by a little girl to find her father's killer. It's a little similar to his winning performance the previous year in that he plays a sort of washed up, alcoholic old man with a twang. You can tell the Coens loved listening to him talk as the dialogue he has is admittedly fun to hear as it's almost tinged with tobacco. The performance seems effortless as their isn't a whole lot for Bridges' character to do but lead Steinfeld's character around and occasionally shoot people. I have yet to see John Wayne's winning performance for this same character but something tells me Bridges' version is the better of the two. Bridges immerses himself in the role and you can't think he is anything but perfect for it. I do think that Bridges could have been better, at times it feels lazy and whenever Steinfeld is on screen with him she usually steals the scene. Maybe that's just a veteran actor giving a newcomer the chance to shine, though. Overall, a good enough performance that will be remembered as one of his best.
Jesse Eisenberg- The Social Network
The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. The same can be said for Eisenberg's role as Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook. A lot of the credit can go to Aaron Sorkin's great script, but without Eisenberg's ability to create such a memorable character from it, it would go nowhere. His mile-a-minute delivery of the lines go very well with his intense work ethic and usual disregard for what anyone else has to say. He's obviously not a people person and his sarcasm can be too much for most people to recognize. Eisenberg plays this version of Zuckerberg perfectly and is completely believable. He always looks like he's lost in thought or writing code in his head when he's not talking to someone and his demeanor and look fit the character so well. I don't think Eisenberg ever smiles in the movie and these little nuances of the character make the performance such a treat to watch.
James Franco - 127 Hours
This movie captures Franco as well as any of the stoner movies he's in, if you ask me. He just seems like the character he portrays. In that regard, it's almost too easy of a performance and I'm not sure it's much of a stretch for him. I will say that he does a great job of carrying the movie since he occupies most of its screen time and that can be very difficult to do. I can't help but not feel for Aron Ralston's predicament since he brought it upon himself. But it is interesting to watch the range of emotions that Franco goes through while he is trapped. I think it suffers from the direction and the way the film is shot, though, and Franco isn't able to overcome that to make this a truly great performance. It's decent but there is only so much he can do with what he is given. Definitely a better performance than his Oscar hosting job, though!
It's always fun when you look at the nominees of these acting groups and see interesting things like four of the five having their first name start with a J. In future groups there will be two or three with the same first name and other oddities which I'll of course point out. This was a strong group and I'm glad when I get to watch them all (or in this case most of them) and not hate any of them. I do think Firth winning is fine as the academy doesn't really reward roles like Eisenberg's kind of villain/anti-hero mash up. Franco and Bridges are kind of middle of the road for me but deserving. I just think Eisenberg creates and embodies a memorable character while Firth acts as the King of England, so the choice is an easy one for me. It is a bit more difficult to rank these as I'm sure I could find reasons to flip flop Bridges and Franco and who knows when I throw Bardem into the mix. [And when I do throw him into the mix he definitely could be my winner for this year. I place him a hair under Eisenberg but with the realization that in 2 months Bardem's performance may jump into that top spot for me.]
Oscar Winner: Colin Firth - The King's Speech
My Winner: Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Javier Bardem
Colin Firth
Jeff Bridges
James Franco
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