Kaput-ee

Rating: 5/10 (1 February 2007)

i'll begin by saying that i am a huge fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I loved his work in Boogie Nights, with a sensitive and moving performance; i loved him in Twister; his enthusiasm and animated character; and his brilliant turn in The Talented Mr.Ripley. I've never met Truman Capote. I knew him only through watching his interviews and taking a glimpse at his media image. I didn't like him. Perhaps this colours my feeling about Hoffman's portrayal of him. I credit him for his dead-on mimicry of the author of IN COLD BLOOD. But i didn't enjoy it. I found the scene with Clifton Collins jr much more intriguing; and the subject matter of his book far more interesting, in a ghoulish sense. Katherine Keener is always a marvel, and her under-stated portrayal of the great though non-prolific perfectionist Harper Lee was great to see. Chris Cooper is always good. To be true to my own feelings about this film, i didn't enjoy it. And i didn't think Hoffman was better than Heath Ledger. Not by a mile. Capote is on television now and i may or may not watch it again. I don't really want to. The questions as to why both Harper Lee and Truman Capote never topped their original and/or only works aren't compelling enough for me to care, just based on this film. Judging from it's accolades as a film and the awards for Hoffman's performance, i could be the only person on the planet who has watched this film that didn't like it. Oddly enough, the supporting characters peaked my interest more than the central character. And as i have already said, i am a huge fan of Mr. Hoffman. But not here. i watched this film last year and had difficulty with being motivated enough to even make a comment about it.... *check out the OTHER Capote film, INFAMOUS