The Top 10 Movie Entertainers of 2009

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To be a top movie entertainer this year, it helped to be not quite living. (Like certain vampires, or pop singers.)

It also helped to be multidimensional. That was true not only of the 3-D toons that captured our imaginations, but also of the multidimensional human performers who demonstrated different sides and layers to themselves in multiple films.

We count down the 10 who entertained us the most in 2009, whether they were individuals, ensembles, or animated creatures.




10. Sandra Bullock
America's once and future sweetheart did what she does best in the romantic comedy 'The Proposal,' where she also boldly showed a whole new side of herself (inadvertently and hilariously) to reluctant fiancé Ryan Reynolds. And she proved her dramatic chops in the uplifting family drama 'The Blind Side' (pictured, left), even earning a little Oscar buzz in the process. She had such a good year, we'll agree to forgive her for 'All About Steve.'

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9. Woody Harrelson
Fifteen years ago, he was a rising star as a leading man; then he was a joke. Now he's back, as a character actor to be reckoned with, whether gleefully fighting the undead in 'Zombieland,' facing Emmerich-size disaster in '2012' or somberly breaking bad news to war widows in 'The Messenger.' Welcome back, Woody.

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8. The cast of 'Precious'
Who'd have one day believed there'd be Oscar talk for Mariah Carey or Mo'Nique? Yet there they were, part of a pitch perfect ensemble in the year's most talked-about drama, a harrowing tale of an abused teenage girl's struggle for redemption. If there was a bigger surprise than Carey's and Mo'Nique's raw, vanity-free performances, it was the appearance out of nowhere of instant star Gabourey Sidibe in the title role.

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7. Matt Damon
He could just rest on his laurels, making 'Bourne' movies and online comedy videos with Sarah Silverman to the end of his days. Instead, in 2009, he stretched, taking on a tricky, comedic role (and about 30 extra pounds) as the weaselly corporate whistleblower in 'The Informant!', and sculpting himself into a South African rugby player in 'Invictus.' How do you like them apples?

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6. Megan Fox
Is Megan Fox, running in Daisy Dukes while being pursued by giant robots, enough to hang a nine-figure summer blockbuster on? Why yes, yes it is. Whether she was serving as eye candy in 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,' playing the bloodthirsty high-schooler-from-hell in 'Jennifer's Body,' or simply opening up in brutally candid fashion to magazine writers and talk show hosts, we couldn't stop looking at her lips, if only to see what crazy thing would emerge from them next.