Most overrated performance of the year.

Oldman, giving one of the worst performances of his career.

Edit: And after finally seeing The Shape of Water, I'm afraid I'd have to say Hawkins as well.

I haven't seen all the contenders this year, but there are three in competition for this particular title for me.

One is Chalamet. He was fine overall, definitely better than his miscast co-star, and my myriad issues with the film largely have little to do with him, but it's a performance that just kinda feels staid for much of the film's runtime (up until the last half-hour, actually). I find it interesting that when it comes to queer cinema, there seems to be a particular love affair for the reserved protagonist whose sexuality has been "awakened" but largely remains internalized in their feelings (i.e. Ledger, Exarchopoulos, Cullen, Mara, Rhodes to an extent, and now Chalamet), and I suspect that they largely act as something of a Rorschach test for anyone who has ever experienced similar things. It's not a bad thing by any means (that is, indeed, what art is supposed to do), but I often wonder whether people add their own interpretations and experiences onto the performance rather than what the actor does. In Chalamet's case, he's good but not great, and I guess in terms of sheer volume of raves I see both here and on social media, he's challenging for the "most overrated" crown.

The second is Laurie Metcalf. I didn't care much for Lady Bird as it is, but I did enjoy some of the supporting actresses in it. But Metcalf wasn't one of them. Her character just felt far too elliptical for me, and her big moments largely felt like she was overplaying it. Contrast that with the effortless work of Lois Smith and Beanie Feldstein, who would actually be worthy of plaudits, and it baffles me that Metcalf is juggernaut-sweeping her way through the critics like she's been doing (although Janney may have just Kerrigan'd her at the final stretch?). Her scenes with Ronan are the weakest in the film, and I actually felt like Tracy Letts made more of a natural impact as a parental figure than Metcalf did. It isn't as egregious as Patricia Arquette's win was, where I am steadfastly convinced that I sat in a movie theater for the entirety of Boyhood's runtime in an entirely different dimension than the rest of the cinema community, but they still feel false to me. But having had to sit through the Arquette sweep, Metcalf following suit doesn't surprise me all that much in hindsight.

The third is Mary J. Blige. Unlike Chalamet and Metcalf, where I can legitimately see what would appeal to people, I can't for the life of me see what Blige is getting acclaim for. Because she doesn't do anything in the film. She is so passive throughout the whole piece, the film (already sluggish as it is) doesn't galvanize when she's on-screen, and while on paper the sort of "suffering mother stricken by poverty and oppression" would be a cinch for major focus, she feels like an afterthought. The whole film, really, feels this way, but Blige kind of exemplifies it. The movie itself is such a mixed bag where there are promising threads of different subplots, but it all amounts to little more than leftover fuzz in the dryer filter.

Margot Robbie, Allison Janney

Timothee Chalamet for sure.

James Franco
Richard Jenkins
Allison Janney
Michael Stuhlbarg
Laurie Metcalf

Haven't seen The Post or Darkest Hour yet, will likely make the cut.

Mary J. Blige was good but the awards craziness is too much. Franco is a bit overrated too, even though it is a fun performance - fun, but very superficial and not really a 100% fit for Wiseau. I'm also stunned by the raves for Betty Gabriel in "Get Out" but maybe that has more to do with how her scenes are directed (not well).

I would say Spencer in The Shape of Water, since she’s garnered a few nods early. I like her but it’s not nomination worthy for me.

To be fair, I think Janney is a fantastic actress in general, and I was really excited for all her Oscar buzz until I saw I, Tonya. I think her performance is good, but she literally has one note to play the entire thing, and she plays it well - but it sure gets repetitive fast. I really hope she doesn't cost Metcalf that win.

Dafoe: I like restraint, but this performance just didn't do much for me.
Ronan: She's spry and engaging, but that's all she wrote. The fact that she's considered the runner-up in such a competitive year is a bit comical.
Metcalfe: Similar to Dafoe, she does a nice job filling in the silences but ultimately it's sort of a boring performance.
Stulhburg: It's not really his fault, he's just barely in the movie. He nails his big monologue, though.

I guess Octavia Spencer in THE SHAPE OF WATER . Good but not oscar worthy . Ditto for her performance in HIDDEN FIGURES last year .

First thing that comes to mind for me too. I mean, she was OK, but that was kind of a nothing role. 

MTE!