ELLE's Top 10 Film Acting Performances Of 2017

Kumail Najiani and his IRL partner Emily Gordon wrote the film of their romance and it is honestly the most refreshing romantic comedy we have watched since forever. Both Holly Hunter and Zoe Kazan are a delight, but Nanjiani steals the show.

If we could have one ounce of Jessica's confidence in Netflix film The Incredible Jessica James we would be very self-possessed ladies. While the movie might not be as good as the character, Williams' portrayal of the hilarious and assured twenty-something New Yorker has us enamoured. 

Critically-acclaimed hell-raiser Brooklynn Prince is the crown jewel in The Florida Project. The 7-year-old knows how to push everyone's buttons, and win their hearts. We cannot wait to see what she does next.

When Greta Gerwig chooses Saoirse Ronan for her solo directoral debut, you take notice. Thankfully, the Brooklyn actress more than stepped up in Lady Bird. She incapsulated the stroppy precocious teenager we all were (c'mon, at least once) with such precision you can't help but feel fond of her.

James Franco has been a surprising addition to our list. As an actor that can occasionally come off as a wee bit pretentious, we were surprised to see the humanity Franco brought to the universally-humiliated Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist. We were also impressed by his spot-on depiction of the cult hero.

Though we've held a soft spot for Brit Daniel Kaluuya since his days on Skins, he has showed himself to be a star of the silver screen in Jordan Peel's comic/horror hybrid. 

This is the movie that divided the critics, public and possibly even Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky's subsequent relationship. However, whatever one thinks of the biblical mashup that is Mother!  there's one thing that cannot be denied, J-Law has some acting chops. The film is basically one, very long close-up of that beautiful face. No wonder Aronofsky fell in love with her.

Also starring in Lady Bird, Timothée Chalamet is the definition of a scene-stealer in Call Me By Your Name. You will never see Italy or peaches in the same way again.

The mainstream newcomer Tiffany Haddish somehow shone brighter than Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Regina Hall combined in the box-office busting Girls Trip. The film's critical and commercial success has meant much for black, female-led films as well as Haddish's own career. 

Seo-hyun Ahn saved the day in the Netflix film that made us go pork free (for a bit). Acting alongside Os such as Tilda Swindon, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano (plus a really cute CGI pig), the 13 year-old held her own in this moving flick.