The consequences of a severely inadequate screenplay

Rating: 4/10 (18 February 2007)

Since "Capote" has been so well received I found it an unpleasant surprise to find it a film so severely lacking in the kind of depth and complexity that the subject matter warrants.
Symptomatic of this is Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance. It's a case of excellent mimicry, which is not as unusual a talent as it might appear. A street artist may capture a startling likeness but one wouldn't call it art. Like much of the film it's a case of a dazzling veneer with all too little beneath the surface.
Unluckily for "Capote" but luckily for us, a year later "Infamous" came to the screen dealing with much the same territory. Undoubtedly Capote would have far greater enjoyed "Infamous", which manages to be colorful, intelligent, funny, thought provoking and great entertainment. "Capote" may have its moments, but overall it's heavy handed and stark. Worst of all is that the main characters are underwritten so that even excellent actors such as Hoffman and Catherine Keener (and Clifton Collins Jr.) really do not have much to work with since so much of the psychological complexities of their characters have been ignored.
Completely avoiding the clearly erotic element in Capote's and Smith's relationship is misleading if not untruthful.
These faults are clearly the case of a poor screenplay. Nothing can overcome that; not the excellent cinematography, nor the talented actors. As always, it's starts and ends with the screenplay.