Dynamic duos: 10 great screen performances in 2019

No actor does his or her work alone, and many of 2019's finest big- and small-screen performances came in twos. Here are five dynamic duos you'll want to see again:

Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, “Booksmart”

Student class president Molly (Feldstein) is going to Yale, so she's obviously better than all her classmates. Her constant companion Amy (Dever), comfortable enough to come out publicly but not to ask out her crush, is doing charity work in Botswana after graduation. They studied instead of partied for four years, but everything changes when Molly learns all the senior slackers got into Ivy League schools, too. So begins “Booksmart,” a heartfelt and hilarious directorial debut from actress Olivia Wilde. (This was before she sullied a dead reporter's reputation in Clint Eastwood's “Richard Jewell.”) Feldstein is a manic comic force; Dever is awkward and affable. Together they forge a friendship that feels genuine even when “Booksmart” indulges in raunchy, outlandish humor - all of which is funny, by the way. Get used to seeing these actresses; let's hope we see them together again, too. (Streaming on Hulu)

Mj Rodriguez and Billy Porter, “Pose” Season 2

The parental figures of FX's series about the LGBTQ ballroom scene in 1980s New York are both fierce fighters. Blanca (Rodriguez), a transgender woman whose apartment becomes a haven for others shunned by their families, fights for her new “children” as they struggle with addiction and hatred. Pray Tell (Porter), the emcee of the community's underground dance and fashion competitions, fights for himself after his HIV test comes back positive. They are the anchors of a colorful, musical history lesson that is both magic and tragic, often in the same episode. (Streaming on Netflix, FXNOW)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

It's 1969, and Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) is in a rut. He used to star in a TV Western, but lately he's been relegated to guest shots on “F.B.I.” and “Lancer,” and he's been drinking a lot. One person still believes in him, and that's his stuntman Cliff Booth (Pitt), the kind of friend who will drive Rick to and from the set and maybe even do a little housework for him. (Never mind that Rick's paying him.) Their friendship can survive anything - and this is a Quentin Tarantino movie, so anything definitely goes. Tarantino's latest exercise in revisionist history featuring doomed Hollywood star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) might just contain the best performances of its stars' careers. Neither has been this funny before, and DiCaprio hasn't been this relatable on screen since he was a kid. Both should be nominated for Oscars. (Available for rental and purchase on digital platforms, DVD and Blu-ray)

Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

You've seen “GoodFellas” and “Casino,” so you think you know what you're gonna get when you see these titans together in a Martin Scorsese movie. But in this epic about the mob and the Teamsters, De Niro's Frank Sheeran is mostly a pawn, riddled with regret and ultimately given an impossible task by Pesci's Russell Bufalino, a quiet crime boss who bears almost no resemblance to the actor's wiseguy roles of legend. Much has been made of the digital makeup that made them and co-star Al Pacino (playing Jimmy Hoffa) look younger, but the real power of “The Irishman” comes when these septuagenarians look even older - Pesci's closing scenes may very well be his career's closing scenes, both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring to watch. (Streaming on Netflix)

Regina King and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, “Watchmen” Season 1

SPOILER ALERT! Showrunner Damon Lindelof's nine-episode sequel to the legendary comic book-cum-graphic novel is almost impossible to explain to the uninitiated - just ask my wife, because I tried - but those who read the source material by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were treated to a timely, brazenly political continuation of the saga about superheroes in an alternate history of America. Oscar-winner King plays masked cop Angela Abar, an audience surrogate with agency who uncovers a white supremacist conspiracy in Tulsa, Okla. - and whose tender, tough husband Cal (Abdul-Mateen II) harbors a big secret. (A big, blue secret.) The eighth episode focuses entirely on Angela and Cal, a metaphysical love story that ranks among the best TV episodes I've ever seen. The only downside? These two actors didn't get more screen time together. (Available on all HBO services)

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