Philip Seymour Hoffman had been a reliable character actor all throughout the nineties. He finally got some leading roles in the 2000s before winning a well deserved Academy Award for best actor for the 2005 film Capote. Sadly one of our great actors was taken from us in 2014 when Hoffman died from drug intoxication at the age of 46. Below are his ten best performances :
10. HAPPINESS - 1998
Happiness is a rather disturbing dark comedy about a group of suburbanites dealing with suicide, infidelity, murder and pedophilia. Hoffman has a rather large role as a nerdy office worker with a crush on Lara Flynn Boyle's uptight bitch of a character. At night he calls her up anonymously, breathing heavy into the phone and rattling off all the filthy things he'd like to do to her. When she gets turned on by being treated like trash, they decide to meet and he's too shy to do anything. Hoffman is a wheezy, nervous mess of pent up sexual frustration. Off the phone he mumbles and never makes eye contact ; on the phone he's loud and forceful and disturbing.
9. FLAWLESS - 1999
This comedy - drama from director Joel Schumacher is kind of a mess. Really the sole reason to watch it is Hoffman. Robert De Niro gives an embarrassingly bad performance as a bigoted cop who suffers a stroke and turns to Hoffman's drag queen for voice lessons. Hoffman takes a clichéd character on the page and breathes life, creating a three dimensional character who's funny, nervous and a little sad.
8. OWNING MAHOWNEY - 2003
This is a criminally underrated gem based on a true story. Hoffman stars as a banker who steals money from his clients to fuel his addiction to casino gambling. This is Hoffman's most reserved performance. He's very quiet, but says everything with his eyes. The best scenes involve his interactions with the crafty casino boss played by the wonderful John Hurt. When everything comes crashing down around him, you can read it all on Hoffman's face: fear, desperation and the need to gamble more.
7. CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR - 2007
Hoffman was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar as Gust, a government operative who helps Tom Hanks' Charlie Wilson procure weapons for Afghan rebels. Hoffman gives a hilarious over the top performance as a man so frustrated with government red tape that he really doesn't care anymore about insulting anyone. The best scene is when Gust gets into a screaming match with his boss played by John Slattery, and he purposely breaks a pane of glass, again.
6. ALMOST FAMOUS - 2000
Hoffman is only in a few scenes of this classic film about a teen reporter on a 70s rock tour. Hoffman plays music critic Lester Bangs who first warns the young protagonist about the type of people he's getting involved with. Then he returns as a helpful mentor, reminding him '' that the only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool. ''
Hoffman's performance is short but charming, brash, funny and filled with honesty. It was reported that Hoffman had the flu while filming but it doesn't show.
5. CAPOTE - 2005
It must be difficult playing a well known public figure because you will always be compared to the real person. Hoffman's performance as famed writer Truman Capote is uncanny even though he doesn't look exactly like him. The voice is an accurate replication of Capote's child like Southern whine. But this is not just an impersonation. It's a powerful performance that gets across ambition, jealousy, greed, power and sorrowful guilt. His best scene is when he talks with Dick and Perry just prior to the execution. He cries and they think that he's just sorry to see them go, But we can see in his eyes that he knows he needed them to die so his book would have an ending. It's a heartbreaking scene that works on several levels because of Hoffman.
4. DOUBT - 2008
Doubt is a morally ambiguous film about moral ambiguity. Hoffman plays a priest at a Catholic school who is accused by Meryl Streep's nun of getting a young boy drunk and molesting him. We never really find out if he did it, but the way Hoffman plays him, we are both sympathetic towards his plight and suspicious at the same time. Hoffman shows how charming and charismatic Father Flynn
is and why his students would be drawn to him. He also shows explosive anger towards Sister Aloysious for accusing him without any proof or real reason. It's a powerful performance that shows many facets of this complicated character.
3. BOOGIE NIGHTS - 1997
Hoffman stands out in only a few scenes in this ensemble drama about the 70s porn industry. Hoffman plays Scotty, a young gay sound man who develops a crush on hot new pornstar Dirk Diggler played by Mark Wahlberg. Scotty is awkward and somewhat shy, but not afraid to go after what he wants. After awkwardly kissing Dirk and getting rejected, Hoffman has an incredible scene where he sits crying and beating himself up emotionally. Nevertheless, Scotty continues to follow Dirk around like a puppy, showing the longing for a relationship that will never be.
2. THE MASTER - 2012
The Master is a strangely hypnotic film about Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a troubled man who's drawn to the Cause led by Hoffman's Lancaster Dodd.
The Cause and Dodd are very loosely based on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. They don't exactly identify Dodd as a cult leader, but it certainly feels that way. Hoffman is utterly charismatic and brings a deep gravitas to the sometimes ridiculous psycho babble he preaches. The scene in which he first questions Freddie repeatedly about his past is mesmerizing. While confident throughout the film, there are several instances where Hoffman shows that Dodd is still an ordinary man who feels anger, frustration and shame.
1. BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD - 2007
The final film of legendary director Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network). Hoffman plays Andy, a secretive drug addict who cons his brother Hank played by a high strung Ethan Hawke, into robbing their parents' jewelry store. This leads to a series of tragic events which brings Andy into conflict with everyone important to him , especially his father played with ferocity by Albert Finney. Hoffman's performance shows a conman who thinks he can talk his way out of anything, but beneath the surface is a well of insecurity and guilt fueled by drug addiction. But wait... I have one more review...
BONUS REVIEW - ALONG CAME POLLY - 2004
This is a funny but fairly formulaic romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. Philip Seymour Hoffman as best friend Sandy Lyle seems like he walked onto the set from another movie. He's hilarious as a once famous teen actor who lives off his past glory, insisting that he's still a talent to be reckoned with. His two funniest scenes are a basketball game showing his flair for physical comedy, and a local theater troupe's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Sandy tries to commandeer the play, insisting on playing both Jesus and Judas. Hoffman brings a sleazy, but lovable charm to the role, taking what should have been a stock character and making it hilariously memorable.
These lists are addictive
ReplyDeleteThanks Greg!
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