Capote

Capote was a decent movie, but it was Philip Seymour Hoffman who put on a phenomenal performance. The movie is a largely nonfictional account of Truman Capote and the time he spent writing In Cold Blood, his most famous work. Said work was itself a nonfictional account of the night two men broke into a Kansas home and murdered an entire family. While the story was interesting enough to keep me from counting down the minutes until the movie ended, it was by no means groundbreaking, unforgettable, or worth watching this film for. But Hoffman's performance as Capote was. Capote was one of the most interesting and eccentric characters I've ever seen at the center of a movie. He was Southern, gay, and extremely fond of recognition and attention. He was also a bit of an alcoholic. And Hoffman just nails it every step of the way. You can probably find some clips of the performance on YouTube, and you really have to see (and listen to) them in order to understand how strange and unique the role is. Hoffman makes Capote a rather flamboyant and strange character, but keeps him human enough for every one of us to recognize his plight and his dilemma. And for what it's worth, I've YouTubed a few clips of the real Truman Capote and can attest that Hoffman's version sounds nearly identical to its real life counterpart. Amazing. So yeah. The movie itself is decent but not special without Hoffman, who carries the whole movie up a few tiers with one of the greatest acting jobs I've ever seen.