10 Best Performances in a Movie by a Child
If there's anything I hate more than precocious kids given pretentious scripts that make them seem even more obnoxious, I don't know what it is. So this list was tough.
1. Keisha Castle-Hughes, "Whale Rider"
2. Lukas Haas, "Witness"
3. Haley Joel Osment, "The Sixth Sense"
4. Lindsay Lohan, "The Parent Trap"
5. Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot"
6. Jodie Foster, "Taxi Driver"
7. Fred Savage, "The Princess Bride"
8. Tatum O'Neal, "Paper Moon"
9. Henry Thomas, "E.T."
10. I'm stumped. Maybe Anton Glanzelius or Melinda Kinnaman in "My Life as a Dog"—I saw it so long ago that I don't remember it all that well, but I do recall loving it.
I know there are more foreign films that had good child actors, but my mind is drawing a blank right now.
Barret Oliver in The Neverending Story?
Posted by: scott | May 24, 2005 at 11:39 AM
How about Hayley Mills in the original "Parent Trap"? Or Mark Lester in "Oliver" (or the guy who played the Artful Dodger; I can't remember his name)? How about the little boy who starred in "Finding Neverland"? I'm also a big fan of the Harry Potter movies. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all did a great job bringing those beloved characters to life.
Posted by: Elena | May 24, 2005 at 12:19 PM
Hal Scardino in The Indian in the Cupboard.
Posted by: scott | May 24, 2005 at 12:43 PM
Frankie Muniz in "My Dog Skip"
Posted by: terrilynn | May 24, 2005 at 04:56 PM
The little kid in The Bicycle Thief. I think his name in the movie was Bruno.
Posted by: Mquest | May 24, 2005 at 09:20 PM
You know, Keiran is very much the same, animated movies only...but DH rented a movie this past weekend for her called 'Racing Stripes' (about a Zebra that thinks he's a race horse) and she absolutely loved it...as did Danica (age 4). I finallly watched it, from beginning to end, yesterday with the girls and have to admit I thought it was very cute. I would really like for Keiran to have an interest in movies that are not "animated" or cartoon-like, yet she has not shown an interest...so I feel like this is a start.
Posted by: Lorena | May 24, 2005 at 10:25 PM
Oh, I meant to post the last post in the "movies Stephanie might enjoy section" - sorry.
Posted by: Lorena | May 24, 2005 at 11:54 PM
"Cinema Paradiso" and "Kolya" are two foreign films with great child performances. And oh, oh, oh--"Ponette" a fantastic film with an amazing, heart-breaking performance by a four year old! She one best actress at the Venice Film Festival. If you were tearing up at the end of "Finding Neverland", you'll be crying your eyes out with "Ponette."
Posted by: Kathryn | May 26, 2005 at 12:28 PM