30. 'Beginners'

Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor are father and son -- convincingly -- in this movie about coming to terms with and accepting who you really are (but not in a pandering sort of way). Plummer's character both comes out of the closet and announces that he has terminal cancer to his son at the same time, and we watch McGregor's shell-shocked reaction to the news. Heartfelt and genuine, this is the sleeper hit of the year. -- M.H.