Great performances don’t just entertain—they resonate, haunt, and sometimes even redefine what we expect from an actor. Every year, a handful of performances transcend mere acting and become something truly unforgettable—transforming films, elevating storytelling, and leaving audiences in awe.
In 2025, we saw performances that pushed boundaries, breathed life into complex characters, and made films unforgettable. It was an incredible year that spawned multiple instant classics, as well as plenty of other gems. From massive films with huge ensembles to intimate family dramas, a wide range of talent was on display. Several young stars asserted their arrivals, while a few familiar faces reminded us of their prowess.
These are the performances that truly defined cinema last year. These are the 50 Best Movie Performances of 2025.
50. Indy as Himself in Good Boy
Yes, some people may say… what? He’s just a dog! Trained well by his owner/director into tricking the audience into believing he has actual thoughts and fears! But let me tell you, Indy in Good Boy is just pure magic. Ben Leonberg deserves a lot of the credit here. He created a film that revolved around a dog who somehow commanded the screen, conveyed emotion, and drew you into the story. It’s an incredible challenge that Indy rose to meet flawlessly. His charm and expressiveness make the movie so much more than just a scary story about a dog and a potentially haunted house. He elevates it to one of the most heartbreaking and memorable performances of the year. Did he deserve to win that Astra over a bunch of puny humans? You betcha.
–Romona Comet
49. Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine
Two actors come to mind when I think of movies from 2025 that saw them playing a variation of themselves. The first is Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine. While it appears that his brother, Josh, will end up receiving all the laurels this year for his sports drama, Marty Supreme, by no means does that imply that The Smashing Machine was an inferior movie. If anything, Benny deserves all the praise for managing to pull the first truly great performance from Johnson in over a decade.
MMA fighter Mark Kerr seems like a role made for Johnson, who many know rose to prominence as a professional wrestler for WWE. Johnson is completely unrecognizable as Kerr, and that’s not just thanks to the hairpiece he wears for the majority of the biopic. “Blockbuster Rock” is nowhere to be found in his performance. Johnson goes the distance as Kerr, giving an honest portrayal of a man who struggled with addiction, had a turbulent romantic relationship, and suffered to be the greatest at the sport he loved.
While watching Johnson disappear into this role, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better some of his more recent blockbuster fare (cough–Red One–cough) might have been if he were trying as hard as he is in The Smashing Machine. Luckily for us, outside of another Jumanji, the type of projects Johnson is attaching himself to now has me believing that the actor has only just scratched the surface of the kind of performances that he has brewing inside of him.
–Marmaduke Karlston
48. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp in Wicked: For Good
It isn’t so much that Cynthia Erivo’s performance dipped in the sequel compared to last year’s hit, Wicked: For Goodjust didn’t give her as much to work with in a movie that missed the mark. But her performance still stands out as a screen icon, and she absolutely brings down the house in her musical numbers.
–Jacob Holmes
47. Kevin O’Leary as Milton Rockwell in Marty Supreme
The other “playing a variation of himself” performance of 2025. I’m sure many were left scratching their heads after Kevin O’Leary was announced as part of the cast for Marty Supreme, but leave it to Josh Safdie to make me want to see more of Mr. Wonderful on the big screen. O’Leary isn’t exactly stretching any new muscles here; Milton Rockwell is pretty much Kevin O’Leary with some glasses and a better hairline.
Still, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role, given how similar the two are. Milton is as cutthroat and influential a businessman as O’Leary depicts himself to be on Shark Tank, stopping at nothing to remind the title character of how little power he has in his dealings with him. There’s some real humor in how well O’Leary plays Rockwell’s frustration at Marty constantly hunting him down, be it at the theatre or in his own home. All in all, O’Leary’s performance lives up to his nickname—wonderful.
–Marmaduke Karlston
46. Billy Magnussen as Lucas Frost in Violent Ends
I first saw Billy Magnussen in his hilarious role in Game Night, and enjoyed seeing him pop up this year as human Pleakley in Lilo & Stitch. He takes it to a whole other level though in the Arkansas-set family crime thriller Violent Ends. Magnussen leaves his comedic chops at the door and shows a real leading man energy. He has both tenderness and toughness that shine in this excellent performance.
–Jacob Holmes
45. Ariana Grande-Butera as Glinda Upland in Wicked: For Good
It may not be as iconic as her feature film debut, but Ariana Grande delves into new sides of Glinda in Wicked: For Good and delivers a more mature, well-rounded character overall. She also once again delivers the good on the musical segments and just missed a second Oscar nomination for the role despite her performance being rewarded everywhere else. The movie may sink, but Grande defies that gravity.
–Jacob Holmes
44. Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts*
Florence Pugh has been one of my favorite actresses for years, and Thunderbolts* only reinforced why. Not only is the role of Yelena Belova a physically commanding one, but it also requires an emotional performance that you don’t often find in superhero movies. What stood out most wasn’t just how convincing she was in the action, though she absolutely dominates those sequences, but how much interior life she brought to the character in the quieter moments. Whether Yelena is grappling with guilt, doubt, or resolve, nothing feels wasted or performative. I found myself consistently drawn to her whenever she was on screen, not only because she’s such a compelling actress, but because she earned it through her performance. Pugh’s presence almost feels like the anchor amongst the rest of the ensemble, and watching her work here was another reminder of why she remains one of the most exciting and reliable actors of her generation.
–Romona Comet
43. Alfie Williams as Spike in 28 Years Later
28 Years Later has no shortage of strong performances, but Alfie Williams as Spike stayed with me more than anyone else. For such a young actor, his ability to convey both resilience and innocence in the face of overwhelming brutality felt almost unreal. I honestly can’t understand how his performance flew under the radar, because so much of the film’s emotional weight lives in his reactions. What moved me most wasn’t just how convincingly he handled the physical demands of the role, but the quiet intelligence in the way he expressed fear, exhaustion, and grief without ever spelling it out. He never overplays the horror of Spike’s experience, and because of that, Spike slowly became the heart of the film for me. Williams feels like a rare, special talent, and watching him here made me genuinely excited to see where he goes next.
–Romona Comet
42. Dylan O’Brien as Josh Taylor in Anniversary
O’Brien has been working these last few years in diversifying his filmography from his Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner days. While he was great as twins Roman and Rocky in Twinless, it’s in the underseen Anniversary where I believe O’Brien gave his best performance of 2025. Anniversary starts as a tense family thriller, with O’Brien playing Josh, an unsuccessful novelist and the only son of Ellen and Paul. However, the movie quickly devolves into a dystopian political thriller when Paul’s fiancée Liz’s totalitarian book, The Change, becomes not only a major success but highly influential over the nation.
Anniversary continues to jump forward in time, first two years, then three one-year skips, with almost all of them set during Ellen and Paul’s anniversary. With each time jump, O’Brien is playing a different version of Josh. When audiences first met him, he looked and acted like an Arts major. However, following The Change — and the newfound wealth that came with it — Josh has grown more confident, cockier, and arrogant. O’Brien effortlessly sells Josh’s ongoing transformation into this powerful figure, who scares not only his parents and sisters, but eventually his wife, too. Even when he’s not the focus of a scene, O’Brien’s mere presence and intimidating stare are enough to leave you unsettled. If O’Brien keeps hunting down roles like this, it’ll only be a matter of time before the Academy recognizes him.
–Marmaduke Karlston
41. Sophie Thatcher as Iris in Companion
I’ve loved Sophie Thatcher since her incredible role in Yellowjackets, and Companion finally gave her the chance to shine on the big screen. Despite my mixed views on Companion as a whole, Thatcher is a solid lead and brings a lot of heart to her performance as Iris. She’s sympathetic, but not helpless. The story as a whole is a bit mixed, and I’d love to see her flex her acting chops on something written by Cregger instead of just produced. Still, her performance here shows she’s got the juice to be a fun and engaging final girl, and hopefully, we see her on our screens again soon.
–Valerie Morreale
2024 Performances | 40-31
What were some of your favorite performances of 2025? Maybe they will show up later in this list!