Top 5 Films of 2011
Posted 30/12/2011
By Shaun Maher
We didn’t have a Social Network type of film this year and The Dark Knight Rises is not due until 2012. So, in a kind of gap year, where there was no obvious heavyweight champ - here are five worthy contenders;
Drive
Director Nicolas Winding Refn can't drive a car, which is a bit like the pope directing a porn film, but it worked regardless.
Movie's where the main character doesn't have a name are almost always awesome, and Drive didn't dissapoint. Even though there was very little dialogue, it was compelling the whole time and there were some truly outstanding and shocking moments.
Best Line: "It's okay, relax, it's already happened".
Break-Out performance: It's weird to call the 64 year old Albert Brooks a break-out star, but he did remind us how much we liked him. Who knew he could do menacing too?
Our Idiot Brother
Our Idiot Brother is a charming, simple movie about a charmingly simple man. Paul Rudd makes his dumb guy so likeable you can forgive some of the more predictable stuff with the uptight sisters and overall it was the feel good movie of the year.
Best Line: "I figured you must be retarded." "Yeah I get that alot".
Break-Out performance: Turns out Paul Rudd can carry a film. He was overshadowed in Anchorman, provided solid support in The 40 Year Old Virgin, was hilarious cameo in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and now he's shown he can lead. Look forward to more good things from Paul Rudd.
Crazy Stupid Love
Blokes should be thankful for Ryan Gosling. Due to his appeal to the ladies, us guys got to see a heist movie with occasional skull crushing (see Drive above), a political thriller (Ides of March) and a Steve Carrell comedy without requiring any chick-flick reciprocation. Thank you Ryan.
Here his combination with Steve Carell was as surprising as it was brilliant. The first hour of film was the most watchable cinema of the year and they even throw in a decent surprise as well.
Best line: "Can you do me a kindness". Guys in bars will be borrowing Goslings material all around the world
Break-Out performance: N/A. After a massive 2011 Gosling has already broken out (that doesn't sound as positive as it was meant to), but he confirms his versatility beyond any doubt. Clearly the best actor of his generation - and possibly the one that went before him as well.
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids was easily the funniest film of 2011. It was a little bit cringy, a little bit grotty, but always hilarious.
Kristen Wiig followed up her supporting role in Paul and was a revelation in the lead. She surrounded herself with a flawless supporting cast and there was even some poignancy to counter the gross out humour, which all added up to a surprisingly well balanced movie that raced through it's 2 hour running time.
Best Line: "I just need to get off this white carpet."
Break-Out performance: From her SNL bits you wouldn't have picked Wiig as a major star, but there you go. Who said Hollywood was tough on the ladies as they reached their late 30's? Seems all you have to do is write your own hilarious script, make it yourself, and despite the dubious title get the whole world to go and see it. Easy.
Midnight in Paris
Owen Wilson wandered through the movie with same wide eyed wonder that his character did through the streets of Paris. Wilson is a natural Woody incarnation and it's doubtful the sheer whimsy and magic of the film would have flown with anyone else in the lead.
Time travel without a flux capacitor should be confusing to a modern audience but because the characters never question it, it would feel priggish we did, so just go along for the ride.
Best Line: "Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present."
Break-Out performance: Corey Stoll played Ernest Hemingway clean and honest - the same way the great man wrote. This role will certainly catapult him from mostly to TV work to major films now.
