Movie Actor of the Year

You may be wondering, “For what movie is each actor nominated?” Well, to that, I reply, “All of the ones in 2009!” That’s right. I don’t give awards based only on a single performance. I give awards based on the breadth of an entire year of accomplishments. Will someone get bonus points for having 2+ roles in a year? Sure thing. Will that guarantee them the victory? Heck no! I’m not going to pass on getting Hulk Hogan’s autograph for the John Hancocks of John Stud, Koko B. Ware, and a referee. Not sure why I threw in a wrestling reference. Must be from all the testosterone of the nominees for Best Movie Actor of 2009.

• Brad Pitt
Before 2009, the only Brad Pitt movies I’ve watched from beginning end were Cool World, Ocean’s Eleven, Se7en, Fight Club, and Thelma & Louise. Now I’m proud to say I watched him in Inglorious Basterds. Very rarely have I ever watched a movie and came out of the theater saying, “I wish it had more Brad Pitt.” This was one of those moments.

• George Clooney
George Clooney has become a master of making movies I don’t want to watch, or at the very least, don’t want to shell out over $10 just to watch in the theaters. This year, he had come out with three such movies (Up in the Air, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Men Who Stare at Goats). Usually, I wouldn’t nominate someone for movies that I didn’t watch, but they came at such volume that he was hard to ignore. I give him an “A” for effort, but will that be enough to get him the victory?

• Ryan Reynolds
This funny man came out with 2 blockbuster movies this summer (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Proposal) that really stretched out his acting chops. In Wolverine, he played a sharp-tongued mercenary who loves to kill. In The Proposal, he played a sharp-tongued Alaskan… I feel like I’ve repeated myself.

• John Krasinski
What? That’s right! I said it! John bleeping Krasinski! I watched Away We Go in the theater with the Doc and loved it. LOVED IT! Am I ashamed of this truth? N-O, no! Did I die a little inside when I watched it? I think I actually got rejuvenated. Could my opinion be swayed by the fact that, on the same day, I also get a free can of Rockstar energy drink and a Rockstar baseball cap? …Maybe.

• Gerard Butler
Here is another nominee based on sheer volume. He even outpaced George Clooney by making 4 movie appearances this year (Law Abiding Citizen, Gamer, The Ugly Truth, and Tales of the Black Freighter). Sad thing, though, is I only watched half of these, but loved him in Tales of the Black Freighter and The Ugly Truth.

And the Winner Is…
Brad Pitt!

In his best role since Fight Club, Brad Pitt was able to make me really enjoy the half of Inglorious Basterds that he was in and shows that sometimes quality can beat quantity.