20 Best & Worst Movies From 2018 Oscar Nominees

5. Laurie Metcalf

Best: Lady Bird (2017)

Metcalf has been a dependable supporting actor for decades now, mostly known for comedic roles (Uncle Buck anyone?), but in Lady Bird - as the mother of the titular character - she's cut from a slightly different cloth. In a year defined by mothers (see also I, Tonya and Mudbound), she shares something with Allison Janney's character, but there's more balance here.

There's more warmth, more love but just as much frustration - mostly because of Lady Bird's behaviour and the role it forces her into. And that airport scene is just stunning.

Worst: Dear God (1996)

At the other end of the scale is Dear God, the very much rotten comedy from Garry Marshall starring metcalf opposite Greg Kinnear's con man who is charged with keeping a normal job for a year by a judge eager to forgive his crimes, and ends up accidentally playing God. It literally escalates in that exact way and it's just numb-headed.

Watch it for the premise, but don't expect anything from it.