The Best Performances of 2007
by Brian Tallerico

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

For the most part, the ladies who turned in really memorable performances in supporting roles in 2007 are already recognized talents, the actresses whom you almost expect to impress. Meryl Streep could practically make this list every year and deserves credit for completely stealing Lions For Lambs from Redford and Cruise. Angelina Jolie (Beowulf), Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There), Geraldine Chaplin (The Orphanage), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Margot at the Wedding), Kate Winslet (Romance and Cigarettes), Marisa Tomei (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead) - they're all the kind of actresses who won't really surprise anyone by their inclusion on a list like this one, but it’d be a shame not to at least recognize their amazing consistency.

The more unfamiliar names and the faces who really broke through in the supporting actress category this year include a pair of French actresses with impressive resumes, a former TV star formerly relegated to romantic comedies, and a stunt woman who served as Uma Thurman's stand-in in Kill Bill. First, Marie-Josee Croze and Emmanuelle Seigner provide the beating, emotional heart of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and they're both stunningly good in their roles, all while having to play to the camera almost the entire film. Next, Jennifer Garner proves that she has emotional depth still untapped even by her great work in Juno. Finally, there is no Grindhouse without the work of Zoe Bell strapped to the hood of that car in Death Proof. Talk about giving your all for your art. Two more quick mentions - the Indian actress Tabu gave one of the most graceful performances of the year in The Namesake, and Kelly MacDonald only has a few scenes in No Country For Old Men but she makes the most of them.

Kelly, Jennifer, and Zoe all make the cut in lesser years, but this has been a great one. The top five in alphabetical order until the top:

Romola Garai as Briony Tallis in Atonement

Atonement features some of the most beautiful imagery of the year, but the emotional climax comes with no frills and no explosions. Without giving anything away, it's during a heartbreaking scene in a hospital when Briony, a woman who has been forever altered by a crucial decision she made when she was younger, is asked to care for a dying soldier. Newcomer Romola Garai completely understands the complexity of what's happening in the scene, as Briony grapples with the physical incarnation of something that hits a very raw nerve emotionally. The crushed look on Garai's face combined with the knowledge that she still has to care for this young man perfectly sells the final act. You believe that this dignified young woman will grow up to become Vanessa Redgrave (the third actress who plays this role in Atonement in a good performance that’s too brief to really be considered in this category). And considering that we're talking about the great Vanessa Redgrave, that's saying something.

Leslie Mann as Debbie in Knocked Up

Think about it. Not only should Leslie Mann be considered for year-end awards in the same world where Marisa Tomei won an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, but she really has one of the most significant emotional arcs in Knocked Up. Her Debbie is a complex mix of emotions, and Mann sells them all. She's in a relatively unhappy marriage, but is it her fault or her husband's? Mann takes what could have easily been caricature - the shrew of a wife who is mostly there for comedic relief - and makes her completely believable and three-dimensional. She also has some of the best comic timing around. Knocked Up turned Rogen and Heigl into stars. Let's hope the same thing happens to Mann.

Saoirse Ronan as Briony Tallis in Atonement

Occasionally, a child actress will come along who just looks at home on the big screen. Think Anna Paquin in The Piano. You simply can't take your eyes off her. Saoirse Ronan, as the young Briony Tallis, a girl who makes a decision that effects not only the rest of her life but the lives of those around her, is one of those young actresses who just seems so insanely natural, like she was born to play this role. She may never do anything else. She may be Briony Tallis forever. But, for now, she's given one of the most memorable debuts of the year.

Amy Ryan as Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone

The one element of Gone Baby Gone that holds it back from absolute greatness is the sensation that it's a little too Hollywood and a little too written. Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris - they're all great, but they've got a little bit of that movie sheen to them. Not Amy Ryan. She's the grimy, slimy realism of Gone Baby Gone that adds a necessary believability to the entire project. As a mother who reports her daughter has been kidnapped and then reveals a few dark secrets of her own, Amy Ryan gives one of the best performances of the year in any category, and it's great to see her get the credit she deserves (she's already won four critics awards).

Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton

Karen Crowder makes some of the most awful decisions in movie history in Michael Clayton. You could never defend some of the choices she makes, and you're happy when some of them blow up in her face. And yet, you completely understand her thought process. That's because of the always-great Tilda Swinton. Even better than the believable intellectual quality she brings to Karen is the way Swinton personifies and humanizes Crowder when no one else is looking. Practicing her speech in her underwear in front of the mirror; sweating through her shirt in a bathroom stall; handling documents with latex gloves - these details provide a necessary character background to Michael Clayton that makes it as much about the people as the thriller plot. It's one of the best ensembles of the year, and Swinton deserves as much praise for that as anyone.