Wonderfully surprising

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2006)

I'm writing this review a little late, being as I saw it in January 06. However, the upcoming release of semi-sister movie Infamous has made me decide to finally review this masterpiece.
I went into the theater thinking it would be a bore fest, my sister dragging me in, and I was extremely surprised at what I saw. It is one of the best movies I have seen, and ranks very high on my list of favorites.
The number one reason is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I cannot praise this man enough. He portrays Capote so wonderfully, as a man who is battling between his work and his status and what is morally correct. He is someone we both love and hate, and in the end can't blame for any of his flaws. This is by far Hoffman's best work to date. I always liked Hoffman before, particularly for his role in Cold Mountain, but this is the movie that put him up in my favorites. It is worth seeing the movie if only for his performance alone.
The other part of this movie that truly captivated me was the relationship between Capote and Smith. They represent different sides of the same coin, as Capote points out, as if they, "...grew up in the same house. I went out the front door and he went out the back." They seem to be like brothers, and other times like good friends, sometimes Capote plays something of a father figure to Smith. But it doesn't seem as if their relationship is just that, it also has a romantic tension underneath the surface, it is so great even a homophobic person will find themselves feeling so sorry for the characters.
Their goodbye scene is so heart wrenching I was in tears. It shows the true nature of their relationship. It seems Perry always took it for what it was, that it would eventually end, and Capote was more emotionally attached than he cared to admit. Through the whole movie you are confused as to what exactly it was that bonded them, and what made their relationship so powerful, and you realize the characters are just as confused as you.
When the movie ended and the credits began to roll, no one in the packed theater said a word, and no one got up until the credits were over. Everyone was too stunned by it to even clap, and I can say I have never seen that happen in any movie ever before.
This is an amazing movie and it deserved every single nomination it got. I absolutely loved it, and I feel it will be one of those movies that will be remembered years from now. It is not good if you are in a dark mood (but perhaps better for some people?), but if you are in the mood for a good drama, a good tragedy, and even somewhat of a good tragic romance, then this is a wonderful movie to watch. To those of you who are expecting something boring, you will be pleasantly surprised.