She's adorable!

Remember when you were watching Steel Magnolias and thought the girl who played Shelby was a charmer? In a movie filled with established stars like Sally Field and Shirley MacLaine, she stood out. You'd never seen her before, but you knew you wanted to see Julia Roberts again.

Or when you first started watching Friends and were charmed by the one with the hair? The spoiled, spunky one? You knew you liked Jennifer Aniston.

That's how I felt when I was watching If Beale Street Could Talk. Veteran actress Regina King is getting a lot of gold and glory for her performance as the mom, but I sat there in the audience just waiting to see KiKi Layne again. She plays Tish, our protagonist and narrator. She is open and authentic and simply darling.

Do we have an opening for America's Sweetheart? If so, I nominate KiKi.