2021 Year in Review: Best Supporting Actor Performances

My 2021 Year in Review series continues today by taking a look at the best supporting Actor performances of the year.

I like full transparency in my ballots that I turn into the Music City Film Critic Association and the North American Film Critic Association. I get three picks per category, so my top three are the ones I submitted and the other two are the rest of my list for the year.

Best Supporting Actor

1. Jason Isaacs, Mass
   
   I am sure this comes to you as no surprise if you have been following me throughout the entire year, Mass is my favorite film of the year and Isaacs delivers a knock-out of a performance. There is one scene where he finally snaps and within this moment, a bit of a humble man turns into a grieving father who couldn’t keep it in anymore. The little things that he does in this film go a long way.
   
2. Colman Domingo, Zola
   
   As I mentioned in my review, Domingo oozed confidence and swagger from the second he was on the screen. He played the role of X to perfection. I recently rewatched the movie and fell in love with this performance all over again.
   
3. Jamie Dornan, Belfast/Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
   
   Jamie Dornan is a star and he showed that early in the year with his role in Barb and Star. However, what we see out of him in Belfast was what I believe made him a movie star. We have seen him in a variety of different roles and most will like to recall his turn as Christian Grey, but his performance as Pa in Belfast is what will turn his career around for the rest of his life.
   
4. Jon Bernthal, King Richard
   
   There is a reason actors like Bernthal show up in many films because they know he will knock it out of the ballpark no matter the role they give him. I thought the dynamic he shared with Will Smith carried the second half of King Richard. The entire cast deserves to be recognized and that includes Bernthal.
   
5. Luke Kirby – No Man of God
   
   I knew next to nothing about this film heading into it and walked way blown away by Kit Lesser’s script, Amber Sealey’s direction and two incredible performances by Elijah Wood as FBI agent Bill Hammier and Luke Kirby as Ted Bundy. Kirby has several intense and thrilling scenes that truly blew me away. The movie is on AMC+ right now if you have that, or seek it on VOD. It’s incredible.
   
   HUGE Honorable Mention
   
   Jonah Hill, Don’t Look Up
   
   Jonah Hill has remarkable comedic timing. He continually showcases this in every movie we see him in. From his work in Wolf of Wall Street, 21/22 Jump Street and This is the End, to name a few, he showcases his ability to make us laugh. However, in this film, I think he shows us a side we have never seen out of him. It was the way he pulled off that sarcastic mommy’s boy that made you laugh over and over again.

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Garfield (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Woody Norman (C’Mon C’Mon) and LaKeith Stanfield (The Harder They Fall),