The 21 best movie performances of the 21st century (so far)

It's easy to forget that Adam Sandler, whose IMDB page looks like a 10-year-old's movie collection, can deliver some of the most nuanced performances in cinema. His work in Uncut Gems proves there's more to the Sandman than just poop jokes. There's a sense of humanity underneath that childish persona — a sense of desperation you can't help but root for even as he gambles his way to rock bottom. 

What more can we say that hasn't already been said? Heath Ledger delivered one of the greatest performances of all time as the Joker. He took a character we've seen a thousand times and turned him into something new, vile, and intoxicating. You can't take your eyes off his villain — unless, of course, he's using a pencil to change that. 

A TV veteran in Iran, Leila Hatmai stunned American audiences as a woman trying to keep her family together. There are onion-like layers to her performance, which become even more fragrant once they are peeled back. 

There's never been another performance quite like this one. Think about it: how many times have you seen the greedy, unattractive business tycoon as someone worth investing in? The real-life Mark Zuckerberg made it work, and the fictionalized version, played by Jesse Eisenberg, also made it work. You hate to watch him win, but you love to watch him work. 

Carell has made a career out of playing men down on their luck. Watching him strike out is part of the fun, but watching him win is even more satisfying. He's so easy to root for in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, a sex comedy about a schlub who still hasn't gotten laid, that you can't help but tear up when he reaches the climax.

Two scenes in Get Out best explain why Daniel Kaluuya made our list. In one, he's strapped to a leather chair while a video tells him he's going to "a sunken place." In the next, he's chatting with his girlfriend's parents, who mention that they voted for Obama to impress the Black house guest. Both scenes are played almost non-verbally. Kaluuya tells us everything we need to know with his eyes. 

The great Emmanuelle Riva will most likely be remembered for her role in the French New Wave, especially for her turn in Alain Resnais' films. But her most iconic role came nearly 50 years later in Amour, a drama about a stroke victim who tries to put the pieces back together. It's one of the most heartbreaking things in all of cinema to realize that the pieces don't always fit. 

It's a shame that Ken Loach's drama got lost in the awards cycle when it came out, particularly Dave John's performance as Daniel Blake. I mean, if you don't cry when he spray paints his name on a wall or when he watches a woman lose her mind at a food bank, you might as well not be human. 

Lindsay Lohan left quite a mark for an actress who has only been in a few movies. She delivered one of the great child performances in The Parent Trap, playing dual roles and learning multiple languages. And she became a major star in Mean Girls, the movie that let her do everything from comedy to drama to bullying. 

McDormand is both the hero and the anti-hero in Martin McDonagh's tragedy, a lonely woman who stirs up trouble when she buys three billboards in — you guessed it! — Ebbing, Missouri. She's a molotov cocktail of emotions, a firecracker of expressions and a shotgun blast of retributions. You better get out of her way, or else...

It's not easy to garner sympathy for a man as egotistical as this. Or a man who gets to party with celebrities, talk smack about co-workers, and go home with Margot Robbie. And yet, I can't help but fall for the underdog who went from small-time to Wall Street. DiCaprio gives one of the best performances of his career in Martin Scorsese's controversial biopic, which has more F-bombs per minute than most rap songs. 

Sometimes you just want to see someone climb a building or strap themselves to a plane. That's where Cruise comes in, the last movie star willing to do his own stunts a la Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan. 

Best child performance...ever! Quvenzhane Wallis will tear your heart out as a girl who lives on the outskirts of Louisiana with her dad, who has made a shack for them in a land of marsh.

Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams anchor this drama about a divorced couple, and they practically wear name tags that say "Oscar Bait." But they also wear their hearts on their sleeves, pouring out streams of empathy as they try to move on the best they can. Affleck's performance, in particular, will have you choking on tears. 

There are overprotective mothers, and then there's Kim Hye-Ja. The titular character of Bong-Joon Ho's masterpiece is more protective than a Catholic mother raised in a convent. She'll do anything to help her son, even if it means breaking the law. 

He's been a movie star, pop icon, model, and producer. But here, he takes on the role of "has been." A stuntman who can't get work in an industry turning toward effects, Pitt has the time of his life simply driving around, doing stunts, and eating food. It's the most relaxed he's ever been on screen.

A reporter from Kazakhstan comes to America to see what all the fuss is about. What's with the rodeos? The machine guns? And where does one find Pamela Anderson? The answers are funnier than even Cohen could have imagined when he went undercover in a grey suit and mustache. There are more jokes per minute than anything else here — none of which would work if Cohen wasn't so committed to the bit. 

As an alien sent to seduce men, Johansson proved she could use her looks for more than just romance. She could use them to lure us into art houses and floor us with acting chops. This is the best she's ever been, period. 

What can't Cate Blanchett do? The actress should be mentioned in the same sentence as Meryl Streep and Katharine Hepburn, but she's instead mentioned in the same sentence as other actresses who only show up at your local arthouse. She does more in Carol than most actresses do in their entire career, showing her range as a lesbian in 1950s America. 

And the best performance of the century goes to...Daniel Day-Lewis! The actor drinks more than just milkshakes — he drinks up the scenery in this three-hour epic about an oil miner in 19th-century America. No other actor could have pulled off what he does here.