Indisputable really. Adams completely understood that Enchanted was intended as a homage, rather than a pisstake, of Disney's fairytale adaptations. Her slightly exagerrated gestures perfectly mimic countless animated heroines. The big eyes, the megawatt smile - she wasn't just a charismatic leading lady, but a gifted comic actor. Helped by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's hugely enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek musical numbers, and a well-chosen supporting cast, Enchanted helped Adams move from indie darling onto the Hollywood A-List.
2) Drew Barrymore as Josie Geller in Never Been Kissed
If asked to pick a favourite Drew Barrymore performance, my bet is that most people would go for The Wedding Singer. It's a better movie, for sure, but Never Been Kissed has a special place in my heart after watching it for the first time during a particularly painful work trip. The concept (a reporter goes undercover as a high school student, hoping to achieve the popularity that evaded her first time around) is stretched since Barrymore looks neither young enough to still be in school, nor old enough to be a reporter entrusted to such a delicate assignment. But then that's part of the fun. Drew does goofy just as well as she does lonely. That last scene where she's waiting on the baseball pitch for Michael Vartan to come and give her her very first kiss is flat out adorable.
3) Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink in 13 Going On 30
Okay, so 13 Going On 30 is by no means a classic of the bodyswap genre, but it would fall flat on its face were it not for the believability that Jennifer Garner brings to the role of a thirteen year-old girl trapped in a thirty year-old body. And, okay, so I'd happily shoehorn Jennifer Garner into any Top 10 list I could because I love her a little bit, but she shows serious comic chops for an actress primarily known for dramatic. Or, y'know, being super-serious Sydney Bristow. I prefer her pratfalls to Cameron Diaz's anyway, an actress who just seems to get less and less likeable as time goes on.
4) Jayma Mays as Cynthia in Red Eye
This is a gem of a movie. Tight script, interesting direction and able acting from its two leads, but Jayma Mays really makes this movie for me. Playing the ditzy receptionist at the hotel where Rachel McAdams works she provides a valuable comic counterpoint to her boss' airbound escapades. It's difficult not to succumb to Jayma's big doe eyes whilst she deals with irritating customers, room switches and a terrorist plot. I wish this actress had been in more than Ugly Betty and Epic Movie.
5) Mark Ruffalo as David Abbott in Just Like Heaven
Better known now as a "serious" actor in films such as Zodiac, Collateral and Blindness, Ruffalo has long since lent his special brand of adorableness to several romantic movies. From playing Sarah Polley's lover in Isabelle Coixet's weepie My Life Without Me to more upbeat roles in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and 13 Going On 30, he's proven that his talents stretch to a variety of different genres. However, it's in Mark Water's supernatural follow-up to Mean Girls that he really shines. The material is fairly lightweight, even with the twist at the end of the movie, but both Ruffalo and co-star Reese Witherspoon act their socks off. Ruffalo plays a guy who's just moved into his appartment, unable to get over his previous relationship. The scene where he finally opens up to Witherspoon's Dr. Elizabeth is heartbreaking to watch. His little bit of extra weight also help in making Ruffalo almost unbearably huggable-looking.
One of Disney's best films and one of it's best characters. Belle was the first in a long line of more enlightened animated heroines, wisely choosing the difficult, brooding Beast over vain, barge-sized Gaston. Beast's gradual change from snarling loner to eager suitor is so winningly animated and acted that it's impossible not to be won over. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend (Beast or otherwise) who grants them with their own library, saves them from wolves and has their own ballroom. Like Enchanted, music plays a big part, in particular Something There, in which Bella and Beast engage in a snowball fight, each on the brink of acknowledging their fledgling affections for the other.
7) Glen Hansard as "Guy" in Once
Because he tells his pain through his music. Once doesn't have much in the way of script - it's all about the songs. And boy does Glen Hansard sing his heart out. I've always been a sucker for anyone who can sing and the music here is particularly effective. He's lonely, desperate to reach out and touch somebody. His final decision to head off to London and win back his girlfriend is laudable but it's his final gift to Markéta Irglová's "Girl" that really resonates. When I first saw this film I cried tears of actual happiness, which are damn hard to come by.
8) James McAvoy in Starter For 10
I hated the book but loved the film, which is unusual. I've been a fan of McAvoy since Shameless, so his seemingly inevitable ascent to Hollywood stardom and Angelina co-starring was A Good Thing. He launches a full-on charm offensive in Tom Vaughn's 80s nostalgia fest, lusting after ditsy Alice Eve before getting it on with Rebecca Hall's beret-donning girl with smarts. The combination of endearingly naive and cringiliy recognisable has been a long-standing tenet of lad lit for a long time now, but while John Cusack's turn in High Fidelity didn't really do it for me, James McAvoy really did here. Best scene is undoubtedly when he cries on his first date with Eve.
Pretty much the only thing anyone remembers Alicia Silverstone for these days (her performance as Batgirl in Batman and Robin is best forgotten), but what a role to be remembered for. Amy Heckerling's smart adapation of Emma is winningly led by Silverstone's pouty performance. Her Cher is as well-meaning as she is shallow and completely adorable. Whilst co-star Brittany Murphy shot to stardom after Clueless, Silverstone has struggled with naff TV shows (Miss Match) and supporting roles in naffer movies (Stormrider, Scooby Doo 2). It's a shame, because she's clearly a good comic actress. And she gets to be with Paul Rudd as well. Biatch.
Michel Gondry's follow-up to Eternal Sunshine sometimes feels a bit hit-and-miss, especially on a second viewing but there's no denying the adorableness of Bernal's central performance. In a rare English-language role, and after more sexually aggressive performance in Bad Education and Y Tu Mama Tambien, he's surprisingly innocent-seeming here. Cast alongside a floaty Charlotte Gainsbourg, he exudes vulnerability. Paired with Gondry's typically imaginative set designs and hand-made special effects, Bernal's enjoyment is plastered all over his face. Especially coming from an actor better known for serious roles his performance, like that of Mark Ruffalo's in Just Like Heaven, is all the more effective. And he has great hair in this too.
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