1. Sacha Baron Cohen
Hits: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ($148.2 million); Borat($125.7 million)*
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: So much for Middle America not getting the joke. And the glorious response to Borat will only benefit Universal, which forked over $42 million for Cohen‘s next Da Ali G Show-inspired mockumentary, Bruno, days before Borat’s debut. Of course, Borat’s success and its resulting lawsuits will make it harder for Cohen to ambush potential interview subjects in his guise as the gay Austrian TV fashion reporter. Oh, and for what it’s worth, Talladega Nights revealed that Cohen isn’t a one-trick pony, that he can make us laugh even when he’s playing one of his politically incorrect comic creations.
*Through Jan. 1
2. Mark Wahlberg
Hits: The Departed ($120.4 million)*; Invincible ($57.8 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: Interest in fact-based inspirational sports drama waned this year, as evidenced by such disappointments as Glory Road, Gridiron Gang and We Are Marshall. But Wahlberg‘s warmhearted though awfully clichéd Invincible overcame all odds—like its real-life protagonist endearingly played by Wahlberg, bartender turned Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale—to live up to is name. After winning over the City of Brotherly Love, the native Bostonian then almost stole The Departed from Jack Nicholson with his foul-mouthed, street-smart Beantown cop. Now that’s a homecoming to remember.
*Through Dec. 25
3. Anne Hathaway
Hits: The Devil Wears Prada ($124.7 million); Brokeback Mountain ($83 million)*; Hoodwinked ($51.3 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: Wasn’t it supposed to be Lindsay Lohan who would prove her worth by holding her own against Meryl Streep? While Lohan had nothing to do in A Prairie Home Companion, Hathaway showed her mettle by giving Streep as good as she got in The Devil Wears Prada. And when taking into consideration her steamy Brokeback Mountain backseat shenanigans with Jake Gyllenhaal, Hathaway managed to do what her fellow Disney diva Lohan hoped to accomplish this year: walk away from the Mouse House without fear or trepidation.
*Opened wide Jan. 20, 2006
4. Jennifer Aniston
Hits: The Break-Up ($118.7 million); Friends With Money ($13.3 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: If Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can score a hit solely on the curiosity surrounding their on-set love affair, why not his ex-wife? Only life imitated art—if you can call The Break-Up art—when Aniston and Vince Vaughn spilt months after their unromantic comedy garnered much love from audiences. At least the art-house smash Friends With Money allowed Aniston to live up to the promise of The Good Girl. Friends such as Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry may belong on TV, but Aniston shouldn’t let go of her big-screen aspirations just yet.
5. Robin Williams
Hits: Happy Feet ($178.3 million)*; Night at the Museum ($127.2 million)*; RV ($71.4 million)
Misses: The Night Listener ($7.8 million); Man of the Year ($37.3 million)
The Bottom Line: Williams‘ walk on the dark side has come to an end, and not a moment too soon judging by the apathetic response to The Night Listener and the cowardly political satire Man of the Year. With Happy Feet, RV and Night at the Museum, Williams has firmly and unapologetically reconnected with the family audiences whom he alienated with the likes of Insomnia and One Hour Photo. Heck, Everyone’s Hero ($14.5 million) probably would have scored at least a double had parents known about Williams‘ uncredited but considerable voice contribution to his late pal Christopher Reeve’s last film.
*Through Jan. 1
6. Owen Wilson
Hits: Cars ($244 million); Night at the Museum ($127.2 million)*; You, Me and Dupree ($75.6 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: If older brother Luke can’t catch a break, Owen Wilson can’t do anything wrong. Kids raced this past summer to Cars just as quickly as they flew from Luke‘s Hoot. And while You, Me and Dupree was as unwanted as any lazy and annoying houseguest, the three’s-a-crowd comedy represented Wilson‘s first non-Frat Pack hit since 2003’s Shanghai Knights. OK, Wilson‘s obviously just doing buddy Ben Stiller a favor by saddling up for Night at the Museum, but his presence surely is one reason why the effects-heavy adventure is attracting many visitors.
*Through Jan. 1
7. Kate Beckinsale
Hits: Click ($137.3 million); Underworld: Evolution ($62.3 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: What was more horrific? Taking on werewolves and vampires in the Underworld sequel or smooching with Click’s Adam Sandler? Probably the latter. Beckinsale really didn’t seem to be into Sandler’s gross-out antics, but at least she didn’t fade into the background like Winona Ryder did in Mr. Deeds. Either way, the deceivingly delicate Beckinsale emerged from each ordeal with her dignity intact (and looked hot in both a skin-tight shiny black cat suit and soccer-mom sweats). Now let’s how she survives life after the Underworld franchise, which reportedly will continue with a prequel sans her Selene.
8. Penelope Cruz
Hits: Volver ($4.9 million)*
Misses: Bandidas (N/A)
The Bottom Line: Cruz should kiss the very ground director Pedro Almodovar walks on. Since arriving in Hollywood in the late 1990s, the sexy Spaniard’s garnered more attention for her romantic liasions with her costars—including her latest ex, Sahara’s Matthew McConaughey—than her English-language endeavors. But Almodovar‘s latest melodrama, which marks his third collaboration with Cruz, demonstrates that she is both funny and entrancing when cast in a role that requires her to speak her native tongue. If it weren’t for The Queen’s Helen Mirren, Cruz would doubtless have another Hollywood hunk—by the name of Oscar—wrapped around her finger.
*Through Jan. 1
9. Daniel Craig
Hits: Casino Royale ($154.9 million)*
Misses: Infamous ($1.1 million); Fateless ($196,857); Renaissance ($70,644)
The Bottom Line: The moral of Casino Royale is that we shouldn’t judge a new Bond by the color of his hair. The blonde blunt instrument proved wrong his detractors by giving back 007 the edge he’s lacked for decades. Consequently, the riveting back-to-basics prequel so far has earned $492 million internationally to supplant Pierce Brosnan’s Die Another Day ($431.9 million) as the highest-grossing Bond. Guess Craig can keep his license to kill. His next mission might be tougher: helping the overpaid Nicole Kidman restore her luster with The Invasion (Aug. 17) and His Dark Materials 1: The Golden Compass (Dec. 7).
*Through Jan. 1
10. Al Gore
Hits: An Inconvenient Truth ($23.8 million)
Misses: None
The Bottom Line: If the former V.P. makes a second run for the White House, you can certainly consider his surprisingly accessible pro-environmental documentary the kickoff of his presidential campaign. An Inconvenient Truth is as much a warning against the continued sullying of our planet as it is an attempt to humanize a politician so often portrayed as robotic and humorless. And, lo and behold, An Inconvenient Truth succeeds on both counts. But even if you’re not won over by the new and improved Al Gore, it’s foolish to ignore the warning he so eloquently but forcefully issues with the highest-grossing documentary not featuring Michael Moore or those marching penguins.
