The RyMickey Awards - Best Actor

There really were a plethora of great performances by leading actors this year.  This category actually has the most contenders, as you'll see.  The runner-up section is overflowing and choosing the top five was very difficult.

Best Actor 2009

Runners-up:

#12 - Robin Williams - World's Greatest Dad

 

His character takes an emotional journey in this movie and I believed every second of it.

#11 - Viggo Mortensen - The Road

 The love and devotion for his son certainly come through.

 #10 - Ben Foster - The Messenger

 Certainly helping scenes earn their gravitas is the fantastic work of Ben Foster.

#9 - Ben Whishaw - Bright Star

Ben Whishaw as Keats is...intelligent, but doubtful of his talent. Romantic, but uncertain why anyone could love him. Wistful and dreamy, but grounded. He's a man full of contradictory emotions and Whishaw is, for lack of a better word, elegant here. 

#8 - Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

Renner is fantastic. His James appears to be the strong one in the unit, but he's addicted to the adrenaline rush of diffusing bombs.

#7 - George Clooney - Up in the Air

...He crafts an effortless heartfelt performance... 

#6 - Colin Firth - A Single Man

Firth is a joy to watch (and being "a joy to watch" in such a depressing role is task worthy of praise). Firth is never bad in anything and he's definitely at the top of his game here.

 And the Top Five...

#5 - Tom Hardy - Bronson

Funny, frightening, and, at times, difficult to watch.  Still, I couldn't turn away from Tom Hardy's portrayal of this evil prisoner.  The fact that this is based on a true story makes it even more staggering.

#4 - Sam Rockwell - Moon

SPOILER ALERT HERE:  This is Rockwell's film.  He's in every scene.  He carries the whole thing.  He gets the opportunity to play multiple parts, each with a unique personality.  

#3 - Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

The film is rather by-the-book, but Bridges elevates the whole thing to another level.  It's not that you haven't seen the "drunken, washed-up singer" role before, but Bridges ups the ante.

#2 - Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Totally deserving of his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, but this film is really about Hans Landa.  Sure, the title wants you to think it's about the Basterds, but the movie begins and ends with a focus on Landa, so "supporting" placement is tough to swallow.  Waltz is the lead actor in this and he's a damn fine one, too.

#1 - Michael Stuhlbarg - A Serious Man

Comedic.  Dramatic.  Michael Stuhlbarg does it all. It's as if the Coen Brothers just pulled this Jewish guy off the street (from the 1960s, of course) and put him in the movie.  There's a "natural" quality to Stuhlbarg -- never once does it feel like you're watching anything other than a "real" person on the screen.