The 11 Best Movie Performances of 2025, Ranked by Critics

2025 turned out to be one of those rare years where great performances didn’t belong to a single genre. Prestige dramas, franchise revivals, indie films, and even outright comedies all produced acting turns that critics kept circling back to.

What stood out most wasn’t star power alone. It was range, risk, and the ability to elevate material — sometimes in films that leaned heavily on performance to work at all. Even established favorites found themselves in unusually crowded territory, with little margin separating the year’s best.

Here are 11 movie performances from 2025 that rose above an intensely competitive field.

The Performances That Defined Movie Acting in 2025

Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
Elordi anchors the film with a careful balance of emotional restraint and exposed vulnerability. Even beneath layers of prosthetics and physical limitations, his performance remains expressive and unexpectedly intimate.

Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
As Lorenz Hart, Hawke delivers a performance full of wit and rhythmic charm. Though surrounded by a strong ensemble, he dominates the screen with the confidence of someone carrying the film almost solo.

Liam Neeson — The Naked Gun
Revisiting Frank Drebin could have felt unnecessary. Instead, Neeson reinvents the role with impeccable timing, leaning into absurdity without losing sincerity. It’s a reminder of how sharp comedic discipline can be.

Dylan O’Brien — Indie queer obsession film
O’Brien takes on dual roles as twin brothers Roman and Rocky, navigating grief, desire, and fractured identity. The shift between characters is subtle rather than flashy — and that’s what makes it work.

Josh O’Connor — Wake Up, Dead Man
As Reverend Jud Duplenticy, O’Connor blends humor with emotional weight, grounding the film’s chaos in something genuinely human. Much of the movie’s heart rests squarely on his shoulders.

Théodore Pellerin — Lurker
Pellerin creates a deeply unsettling character by blurring admiration and menace. His performance never announces itself loudly — it creeps, which makes it far more effective.

Teyana Taylor — Perfidia Beverly Hills
Taylor brings strength, vulnerability, and tension into a complex narrative shaped by Paul Thomas Anderson. Her presence sharpens the film’s emotional edges rather than smoothing them out.

Jennifer Lawrence — Die My Love
Lawrence’s portrayal of Grace is raw and unsettling, tracing a descent into postpartum instability with generosity rather than sensationalism. It’s a performance that demands patience — and rewards it.

Zoey Deutch — Nouvelle Vague
Channeling Jean Seberg, Deutch captures both gravity and impulsiveness in Richard Linklater’s meta-textual experiment. She never slips into imitation, which is precisely why the role lands.

Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
Chalamet takes bold risks in a performance that feels like a tightrope walk. Not every moment aims for comfort, but the ambition alone places it among the year’s most talked-about turns.

Brad Pitt — F1 The Movie
Often hidden behind a helmet, Pitt still manages to convey control, doubt, and competitive edge through precision rather than volume. It’s a reminder that restraint can be just as commanding.

Taken together, these performances show how wide the acting landscape has become. Big stars, indie breakouts, comedians, and dramatic heavyweights all found space to shine — sometimes in unexpected places.

And that’s what made 2025 feel different: there was no single “obvious” best performance. You had to argue for it.