1. Terrence Howard
Hits: Four Brothers ($74.4 million), Crash ($53.4 million), Hustle & Flow ($22.2 million)
Misses: Get Rich or Die Tryin‘ ($30.7 million)*
Proof that patience pays great dividends. Thanks to his searing turns in Crash and Hustle and Flow, Howard no longer needs to worry about ever again toiling in obscurity. Or having to lend his presence to the unworthy likes of Four Brothers and Get Rich or Die Tryin‘. Now cross your fingers that Howard won’t be inexplicably forgotten when this year’s Oscar nominations are announced.
2. Jake Gyllenhaal
Hits: Jarhead ($62.3 million)*, Brokeback Mountain ($7.8 million)*
Misses: Proof ($7.5 million)
Heath Ledger’s galloping off with all the acclaim for Brokeback Mountain, but don’t feel too sorry for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s little brother, who established himself this year as one of the best actors of his generation. Not only that, Gyllenhaal ’s preference for complex and emotionally exacting roles has ensured that he’s become a star on his own terms.
3. Ralph Fiennes
Hits: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($263.1 million)*, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ($55.7 million)*, The Constant Gardener ($33.5 million)*
Misses: The Chumscrubber ($52,597)
To be Determined: White Countess ($85,331 )*
All too often this most refined of English actors only shows us his serious side. No complaints there, considering his poignant performances as a grieving husband in The Constant Gardener and as a blind ex-diplomat courting White Countess. But it comes as a welcome surprise to find Fiennes having a blast tormenting Harry Potter and trying to ruin Wallace and Gromit.
4. Vince Vaughn
Hits: Wedding Crashers ($209.2 million), Mr. and Mrs. Smith ($186.3 million)
Misses: National Lampoon’s Blackball ($48,000), Thumbsucker ($1.3 million), Be Cool ($56 million)
The Frank Sinatra of the Frat Pack was so money, baby, especially when he and Owen Wilson transformed wedding crashing into a national pastime. And a little of Vaughn goes a long way, as Be Cool, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Thumbsucker proved. Heck, he even took some heat off the Smiths–Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie–in the tabloids by getting chummy with Pitt’s ex, Jennifer Aniston.
5. Heath Ledger
Hits: Brokeback Mountain ($7.8 million)*
Misses: Lords of Dogtown ($11 million), The Brothers Grimm ($37.9 million)
To be Determined: Casanova ($231,007)*
Such a cruel summer. But now it’s awards season, and no one cares about The Brothers Grimm, and few remember Ledger challenging a Doors-era Val Kilmer in Lords of Dogtown. With Brokeback Mountain, Ledger’s turned a risky proposition into a golden opportunity to revive his stalled career–and ride off into the sunset with a little fellow named Oscar.
6. Rachel McAdams
Hits: Wedding Crashers ($209.2 million), Red-Eye ($57.8 million), The Family Stone ($29.2 million)*
Misses: None
She stole Owen Wilson’s heart. She kicked Cillian Murphy’s butt. And she held her own against comic veterans Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker. Is there anything this sweet, sophisticated and spunky gal can’t do? Given that she cemented her status this year as one of Hollywood’s bright young things, we’re bound to find out sooner than later.
7. Steve Carell
Hits: The 40 Year-Old Virgin ($109.2 million)
Misses: Bewitched ($62.5 million)
The year started off shaky for the ex-Daily Showman. NBC’s The Office looked set to close after six episodes. Then Carell embarrassed himself impersonating Paul Lynde in Bewitched. But now he’s the new king of comedy thanks to his hysterical attempts to plant his seed for the first time. Ironically, Carell’s movie career may be slowed by The Office finally finding an audience.
8. Jessica Alba
Hits: Fantastic Four ($154.6 million), Sin City ($74.1 million)
Misses: Into the Blue ($18.4 million)
Funny how flashing a lot of flesh can conceal the shortcomings of a beautiful actress of dubious talent. Yes, all eyes were on Alba in Sin City and in Fantastic Four , even though she failed to impress us with anything other than her obvious attributes. But perhaps Into the Blue’s failure suggests that even teen boys want more from Alba than her hot bod.
9. Robert Downey Jr.
Hits: Good Night, and Good Luck ($22.9 million)*
Misses: Eros ($188,392), Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang ($4.1 million)*
There’s only so many chances even this well-liked bad boy gets to start over. So he had better not squander his best opportunity yet to revive his stalled career. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang flopped, but critics raved over the delightfully droll Downey. And Good Night, and Good Luck reminded us of this onetime Oscar nominee’s terrific versatility.
10. Vin Diesel
Hits: The Pacifier ($113 million)
Misses: None
The bald beefcake finally got it right. After disastrously choosing The Chronicles of Riddick over 2 Fast 2 Furious, Diesel bailed on xXx: State of the Union so he could poke at himself in a Disney spy spoof. Unlike The Fast and the Furious, xXx obviously needed Diesel more than he needed xXx.
* As of Dec. 26
Click here for a look at last week’s The Bottom Line: The Top 10 Losers of 2005.
