A brother dragged into a jungle by his older sister, someone in love with the wrong person, and a real-life 70’s Hollywood face are just some of our picks for the best supporting comedic performances of the year.

Here are our picks for the Best Supporting Performances in a Comedy Movie in 2021.

5.) Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise)

As the standout casting choice in Disney’s Jungle Cruise, Jack Whitehall brings the purposeful comedic moments with well-timed zingers and his ability to play the goof. Even more important, he brings an outwardly gay man to a Disney film, which, even if they don’t let him say that directly, is still worth pointing at as a slight step by the media powerhouse. The strongest compliment to this performance is that I remember it the most in a film with huge personalities. But Whitehall is breakout where I drew issues with some of the other castings in the film. 

– Dylan Blight

4.) Benicio del Toro (The French Dispatch)

Wes Anderson’s latest film is filled to the brim with incredible actors and performances that could have made this list but if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Benicio Del Toro as the imprisoned artist Moses Rosenthaler. With his segment framed as a retrospective on his work, we get to see all aspects of his life, from his early life (where he is played by Tony Revolori before swapping out Del Toro) through to his time in prison. His indifference towards the art dealer Julien was very funny, while his chemistry with Léa Seydoux, who plays his muse and prison guard Simone, was a delight to watch on screen. Incredibly funny while his struggle for inspiration was deeply relatable.

– Ashley Hobley

3.) Bradley Cooper (Licorice Pizza)

In a film filled with characters who only show up for 10-15 minutes as part of Alana and Gary’s misadventures, Bradley Cooper’s performance as film producer and former hairdresser Jon Peters stood out. His incredibly high energy performance made him instantly memorable, whether he was trying to teach Gary how to stay ‘Streisand’, sadly walking the streets early in the morning or threatening to murder Gary’s whole family. A character that you wish you had seen more of but were given just the right amount of.

– Ashley Hobley

2.) Colman Domingo (Zola)

Colman Domingo may not bring the laughs like others on this list, he is absolutely pitch-perfect in the black comedy Zola. As stripper Stefani’s “roommate” joining her, Zola and Stefani’s boyfriend Derek on their road trip to Tampa, there is an initial sense of mystery around him. But when the truth of his presence is revealed, there is no doubt that this is an amazing performance, able to go from threatening someone to answering a phone call gleefully from his mother. Absolutely astounding and a performance that stuck with me since watching it.

– Ashley Hobley

1.) Jamie Dornan (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar)

The career choices by Jamie Dornan of late have been fascinating. Coming off the Fifty Shades series, it appears he’s interested in trying as many genres, characters and countries as he can. In the case of Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, he’s playing the love interest, and in a movie with a plot so ridiculous, I had to check Mike Myers wasn’t involved in writing it. If you want to see the height of Dornan in Barb and Star, you need only watch the seagull song to know if you’ll vibe with its humour or not. Although I did enjoy the film, I left laughing the most at Dornan and thinking about how well he committed to such a silly film and character.

– Dylan Blight

Dylan Blight and Ashley Hobley compiled this Top 5 list. The movies nominated must have had a theatrical release in a cinema, VOD or on a streaming platform within December 27th 2020 – December 27th 2021.