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BEST:

(1) Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, 2011

Streep cleaned up at the award ceremonies for this unflinching portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, picking up the BAFTA, Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress. Thanks to meticulous research, she nailed the voice and gestures from the start and even manages to paint a likeable portrait. So don’t be surprised if you’re left thinking: “So what if she snatched the milk?”

(2) Sean Penn in Milk, 2008

Talking of milk, Sean Penn totally convinces as the first openly gay politician elected into power. He mastered the role without resorting to stereotypes, and it won him a second Academy award. There’s even a rumour that the ghost of Milk himself was enjoying the filming from an on-set sofa. If that’s not a flattering endorsement then we don’t know what is.

(3) Charlize Theron in Monster, 2003

You’d be forgiven if you didn’t recognise Charlize playing infamous serial killer Aillen Wuornos. She gained weight and wore heavy makeup to achieve a likeness, and that transformation wasn’t just physical. She adopted killer’s persona with disturbing realness, playing cold-hearted killer and generous lover all at once. Difficult but rewarding stuff.

WORST:

(1) Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues, 1972

What do you get when Diana Ross pretends to be a drug addict? Billie Holiday, apparently. It’s not that she was bad – she got nominated for an Oscar for her performance – but she didn’t look or sound anything like the first lady of jazz. Lessons learned: Diana Ross is best as Diana Ross. Putting a white flower in your hair doesn’t make you Billie Holiday.

(2) Colin Farrell in Alexander, 2004

A lot of things come to mind with the name Alexander the Great. Blonde highlights and a Dublin accent generally don’t. Nevertheless, Colin Farrell managed to bring both to the role in Oliver Stone’s historically inaccurate Alexander. Inhabiting the vein of bio-epics like King Arthur and Troy, the movie continues to enrage historians and critics alike – probably not the sort of legacy that was intended for it.

(3) Robert Pattinson in Little Ashes, 2008

Robbed of his fangs and handed a parade of bad wigs and moustaches, R-Pattz just doesn’t convince as tortured genius Salvador Dali. Little Ashes sells itself as a hard-hitting drama, but unfortunately it garnered most attention from squealing Twihards who want to see Edward Cullen getting naked and kissing boys.

Words: Mark Izatt

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(1) New Year’s Eve in “When Harry Met Sally”

Every New Year’s Eve, we like to pretend we’re Meg Ryan (minus the perm) waiting for Billy Crystal to turn up and confess his love to us. Except Billy Crystal would look less like Billy Crystal and more like Jon Hamm.

(2) “I wanted it to be you” from “You’ve Got Mail”

This is the OKCupid dream: meeting the love of your life online, even if you think he’s a money-grabbing businessman bent on destroying your independent bookshop.

(3) The Empire State Building scene in “Sleepless in Seattle”

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks meet at the top of the Empire State, sealing the pair as the romcom couple of the 90s.

(4) Katz’s Delicatessen in “When Harry Met Sally”

A moment of true cinematic genius, and the moment that unsuspecting men were introduced to the concept of the fake orgasm.

(5) John Travolta dancing in “Michael”

Travolta plays a hapless angel who comes to Earth to sooth the pain of the broken-hearted. The film might be one of Ephron’s less distinguished works, but it did give us this Pulp Fiction-esque scene of Travolta grooving to Aretha Franklin.

(6) Meryl Streep in “Julie and Julia”

Romance isn’t just for the young. Showing that there’s nothing sweeter than an older couple in love, one of the sweetest romcom pairings in recent history was Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci in this adaptation of Julia Child’s chef.

(7) Meryl Streep (again) in “Silkwood”

Ephron proved that she wasn’t just a romcom queen with this hard-hitting screenplay about a nuclear power plant worker who crusaded for safer labour laws – and it garnered Streep an Oscar nomination.

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