Top 16 Best Supporting Actress Performances

Top 16 Best Supporting Actress Performances

of the Last Decade (2000 to 2009)

If you think there are performances that should be on the list, please tell me in the comments. I probably haven't seen them yet, so it would be great to get some feedback. Thanks as always, - Ben.

If you like this list, check out my other lists!

Top 10 Leading Actor Performances of the Last Decade

Top 10 Leading Actress Performances of the Last Decade

The King's Speech (2010) - ★★★★½

Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: David Seidler (Screenplay)
Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Ehle, Timothy Spall

The King's Speech is a film that had me grinning like an idiot the whole way through. I just loved this movie. LOVED IT! There are many reasons why. First of all, I think the performances are spectacular. Colin Firth sealed himself as one of the all time greatest actors with his royal performance, and Geoffrey Rush added another flawless performance to his already flawless resume. It concerns one of the most interesting times in British history (IMO), which was accompanied by a masterful choice in music and really effective cinematography. If it weren't for the tiny amount of 'schmaltz' or 'cheese' injected into the storyline, I'd call it a perfect film.

Howards End (1992) – ★★★★

Director: James Ivory
Writers: E.M. Forster (Novel), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Screenplay)
Stars: Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Samuel West

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the movies, it is that classic novels make for some of the greatest films ever made. Stories such as Gone With the Wind and Sense and Sensibility were perfect because of the magnificent story and character developments throughout, as if it were a novel that you could read in a few hours. With Howards End, we get the same feeling. It’s not like watching a bunch of actors play characters in a movie. It’s like reading a novel, and the characters are all their own and completely natural. It’s a magnificent movie and one of the greatest adaptations from novel to film.

Les Misérables (2012) - ★★★★★

Director: Tom Hooper
Writers: William Nicholson (screenplay), Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil (book), Victor Hugo (novel), Herbert Kretzmer (lyrics)
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit

Les Misérables is one of the greatest musicals of all time, and Tom Hooper's screen adaptation has just made it one of the greatest musicals in cinematic history. The acting is among the best I've ever seen. The music is uplifting, depressing, and beautiful. The story is both grand and interesting and the cinematography is fantastic. I've been acquainted with this story and its music for a long time, but I never really visualised the feelings behind the songs until I saw this movie. The actors breathe life and soul into the music, making it one of the best films of 2012.

Fight Club (1999) - ★★★★

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Jim Uhls (screenplay, Chuck Palahniuk (novel)
Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meatloaf, Jared Leto

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything" is one of the many entertaining lessons we learn from Fight Club. This film is marvelous! The twists and turns, the dry humour, the spectacular acting and an amazing original story from director David Fincher makes this one of the greatest movies I have seen. 

Edward Norton plays an insomniac office worker 'everyman' that takes comfort in going to self-help groups for various illnesses by faking being sick. Through doing this he is born again by crying out all the pain in his life and leaving a happier person through the experience. When a chain smoking woman starts faking illnesses and showing up to all of his support groups, he can't cry anymore because she reflects the lie he is living. Her name is Marla (Helena Bonham Carter). 'The Narrator' unaffectionately refers to her as "the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't." Although neither are attractive or likable characters, there is beautiful chemistry between the two. She was the catalyst that launched him into the crazy world of Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt. 

'The Narrator' is sucked into Tyler's world of self-confidence, self-dependence and manhood. Together they create mayhem and start an underground Fight Club franchise where every day men come to release their frustrations by beating the living daylights out of each other, resulting in catastrophic consequences for the Narrator. The way this film describes human nature is presented in an unsettling and raw way. The special effects and directing technique to this movie is masterful. I believe this is one of the best screenplays in film history and has one of the most memorable endings. Just a riveting watch. I highly recommend it.