We Are Movie Geeks End of the Year Wrap-Up: Best Lead Performance of the Year (Male or Female)

Best Lead Performance

They are the ones who carry their respective films, the ones who have to shine brighter than anyone else in their film. Â  They are the lead performances, and we are giving you our top leads of 2008. Â  Check ’em out!

Travis:

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
3. Kate Winslet – The Reader
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman – Synecdoche, New York
5. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
8. Will Smith – Seven Pounds
9. Don Cheadle – The Traitor
10. Viggo Mortensen – Appaloosa

Ram-Man:

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road
4. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
5. Angelina Jolie – The Changeling
6. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
7. Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
8. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino
9. Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. Benicio Del Toro – Che

Jeremy:

1. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
2. Colin Farrell – In Bruges
3. Lina Leandersson – Let the Right One In
4. Sean Penn – Milk
5. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
6. Will Smith – Seven Pounds
7. Rachel Weisz – The Brothers Bloom
8. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
9. Jean Claude Van Damme – JCVD
10. Tadanobu Asano – Mongel

Michelle:

1. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
3. Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Sean Penn – Milk
5. Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road
6. Kristin Scott Thomas – I’ve Loved You So Long
7. Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
8. Melissa Leo – Frozen River
9. Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
10. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino

Nicholas:

1. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
2. Jeff Goldblum – Adam Resurrected
3. Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
4. Michelle Williams – Wendy and Lucy
5. Michael J. Smith – Ballast
6. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
7. Sean Penn – Milk
8. Josh Brolin – W.
9. Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road
10. Kate Winslet – The Reader

Melissa:

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
3. Kate Winslet – The Reader
4. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
5. Will Smith – Seven Pounds
6. Josh Brolin – W.
7. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
8. Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
9. Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino
10. Angelina Jolie – The Changeling

Jerry:

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
3. Seann William Scott – The Promotion/Role Models
4. Robert Downey, Jr. – Iron Man
5. Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
6. Jason Ritter – Good Dick
7. Ryan Reynolds – Chaos Theory
8. Christian Bale – The Dark Knight
9. Sylvester Stallone – Rambo
10. Jason Segel – Forgetting Sarah Marshall

What did you think? Â  We get everybody? Â  Who were the ones you think we missed? Â  Who do you think doesn’t deserve to be mentioned here? Â  Let us know by commenting and giving your top 10 best lead performances below!

Our end of the year wrap-up continues next week with: BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR