Best Supporting Actress 2017

05. Beanie Feldstein in Lady Bird - The only love story that is part of Lady Bird is the love between best friends Lady Bird and Julie, played by Feldstein. In fact, the best moment in the movie is when Lady Bird gets out of the car of a jerk boy on prom night and goes to prom with her bestie instead. And thanks to Feldstein's charming portrayal, she's a best friend we all wish we could have. She casually steals every scene she is in and has such great chemistry with star Saoirse Ronan, that it truly is a pleasure to discover her.

04. Zoe Kazan in The Big Sick - I know what you are thinking - Zoe Kazan spends half of the movie in a coma in a hospital bed. That's true, but if Kazan's performance wasn't so neurotically charming from the first moment we see her, then the movie wouldn't work at all. Her performance is pivotal and it's ultimately so quirky and smart that she makes Emily so easy to fall in love with as an audience.

03. Holly Hunter in The Big Sick - She spends most of the movie bickering with on-screen husband Ray Romano (I mean, get these two a sitcom or something, because their chemistry together is fantastic), or subtly throwing shade at her daughter's maybe-boyfriend. But her performance is ultimately endearing and hilarious (especially when she lashes out at a heckler at a comedy show). The character itself is pretty great, but only someone as talented as Hunter could give such a fully realized and beautifully layered performance.

02. Tatiana Maslany in Stronger - Before I saw Stronger, I didn't understand how Jake Gyllenhaal was being so overlooked by awards groups. Now that I've seen the movie I can't understand how Maslany is either. She gives a tough and tender performance, elevating the role of "caretaker girlfriend" to something riveting that you can't stop watching. Her exploration of a love motivated by guilt is really as impressive as the depths Gyllenhaal goes to as well. She gives a raw performance as a flawed character and it's astounding to watch her in every scene.

01. Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird - The largely underrated actress finally gets a role she can really sink her teeth into as the exasperated and overworked mom of the title character. This is a warts and all look at the complicated love between a mother and a daughter. And yes, she gets her showy Oscar clip, and yes, she gets to yell and shout and cry and all of those emotional moments. But what is so truly remarkable about her performance is how real it feels. This is not sugar coated. This feels like a real mother-daughter relationship. It's not like watching a movie, it's like watching your life.