The idea came to me in a flash 10 years ago. I don’t care about the Oscars, but I love movies. So why not pay homage to the films I like?
That’s how The Brians came to be. Thank you for joining me for the 2011 edition where I will bestow awards to the best performances from movies I saw in the theater last year.
Twelve movies are eligible: We Bought a Zoo, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Happy Feet 2, Moneyball, Horrible Bosses, Kung Fu Panda 2, Bad Teacher, Bridesmaids, The Muppets, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules, The King’s Speech and Gulliver’s Travels.
This only covers the major awards. The minor (and more fun) honorees will be posted later today.
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids. A rare time when this category actually goes to someone for their acting. Also a rare time when this award intersects with Oscar potential. I can’t say much more than others have. McCarthy killed it in this very funny movie.
Best Supporting Actor: Chris Pratt, Moneyball. I went back and forth on this one but could not shake this performance. Pratt, best known for playing a dope in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, provided depth and pathos to his portrayal of Scott Hatteberg. He even made me forgive Hatteberg for some of his performances on my fantasy baseball team.
Best Actress: Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids. Since the supporting actress award usually goes to someone just for their looks, I almost gave this to two-time winner Amy Adams for her role in The Muppets. But Wiig, like her co-star McCarthy, made Bridesmaids more than a female version of The Hangover with her clever and wacky performance.
Best Actor: Charlie Day, Horrible Bosses. A lot of people could have won this one, but Day, who I love in the dark sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, stood out in his first major movie role. He played Dale, the sexually harassed dental hygienist, with a fantastic balance of humor and humanity. Plus, the cocaine scene alone should get him more leading roles.
The Bridget: Kung Fu Panda 2. Each year I think I will have to retire this category, which honors a movie I only went to because of my daughter. They keep cranking out good movies suitable for the whole family, and this one stood out just the the original did two years ago when it won. They didn’t take the lazy way out on the sequel and actually created an entertaining movie.
Best Movie: The Muppets. I may have wanted to give this award away before I even saw the film. Growing up watching The Muppet Show made me anticipate this film more than a grown man should, but the cast rewarded me with performances that showed they loved the idea just as much as I did. Jason Segal did a wonderful job protecting the memory of the original and brought his own touch to the effort. I worried about the introduction of a new character, but Walter provided the perfect re-entry into the special world of the Muppets.