Two cousins helping their friend find her birth mother, a deformed scientist who’s raised a Frakenstein-esque child, a womaniser tested to his personal limits and a male doll.
Here are our picks for the Best Supporting Performances in a Comedy Movie in 2023.
5. Sabrina Wu – Joy Ride
The K-Pop enthusiast Deadeye is one of the best parts of Joy Ride, and Sabrina Wu delivers this performance with such commitment, which is commendable. Even though I’ve never been on a family trip where I could roll my eyes and wish a cousin had come along for the ride — I get it. And when Deadeye first shows up in Joy Ride, I was thinking, “Okay, an oddball character in a comedy road trip, check.” But Deadeye enters the film delivering a lot of laughs and then comes up truly loveable and not just a one-note thanks to Sabrina Wu.
– Dylan
4. Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things
Mark Ruffalo plays completely against type as the womanising Duncan Wedderburn who seduces Bella away with the promise of furious jumping and the opportunity to see the world outside her father’s house. When Duncan learns that Bella is not the woman he hoped she would be, we get to see a new Ruffalo talent: the temper tantrum. Seeing Ruffalo act with the emotional maturity of a toddler was a delight amongst a very committed performance.
– Ashley
3. Sherry Cola – Joy Ride
Every road trip/travel comedy needs the irreverent friend who may or may not throw everything into chaos, and Sherry Cola plays that role wonderfully. Whether Lolo is displaying her sex-positive art, pointing out the different types of Chinese people or trying to seduce NBA star Baron Davis, Cola makes every scene funny. But she also does a great job playing the jealous friend role to Audrey, getting you really invested in the future of their friendship which is the emotional core of the film.
– Ashley
2. Willem Dafoe – Poor Things
Willem Dafoe is usually very good in any role asked of him, so it’s no surprise really that he plays the role of a Doctor Frankenstein-type brilliantly. His dry delivery of many facts about his life and tragic upbringing, like his father constantly using him as a live test subject, elicits laughs from the audience almost against their will. Seeing “God” try and fail to fill the hole in his life with Bella’s absence was both funny and moving.
– Ashley
1. Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Writing about why Ryan Gosling is good in Barbie as Ken seems redundant. Nearly everyone saw the film; Gosling killed it. Are You Kenenough was spawned, Gosling got award buzz for the performance and the song, and we all started asking why we talked about Ken so much in the Barbie film. It’s just that much fun. Full points for Gosling giving this his all and creating one of the year’s most beloved and memed characters.
– Dylan
