1. Paul Hatfield The Kids Are All Right (2010)
Focus FeaturesFrom the self-effacing, adorably bashful atomic physist to a care-free new age hippy, Mark Ruffalo showed the range he can achieve in what is the finest turn of his career in The Kids Are All Right. Lisa Cholodenkos superb film about parenthood and family values could easily have been bogged down by the broad-strokes of oversentimentalisation and dullness but rather it is a hilariously blunt sex comedy which never once takes itself too seriously. The film is built around the exceptional core performances of lesbian couple Annette Benings Dr. Nicole Allgood and Julianne Moores Jules Allgood. Benings performance is particularly good here as she struggles to be the patriarchal bread winner who is weighed down by her wifes lack of direction. Each woman has a child Joni and the curiously names Laser who were both fathered by the same sperm donor. This anonymous sperm donor turns out to be none other than Mark Ruffalos Paul Hatfield, a lothario owner of an organic restaurant who is a strong advocate of freedom. Ruffalo seems to know this character all too well and executes the performance to perfection. Indeed, Ruffalo is an outspoken activist so it is no wonder that he should take so well to a role of this kind. The turn is saturated with a sense of smugness as the biological father to the two kids masquerades as a spiritual guide and mystic leader of course the vast majority of the wisdom he produces is nonsensical gibberish. Things haven't always been so good for Ruffalo. Here's 5 performances he'd probably like us to forget about: