A good slow moving drama...

Rating: 7/10 (28 May 2006)

Capote/2005/***
Main Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman Catherine Keener Clifton Collins Jr. Bruce Greenwood
Ahh, there's nothing like a good slow-moving film that teaches you a moral. Capote was one of them. It was not EXCELLENT like some critics thought and neither was Lost in Translation, which so many critics RAVED about. They were both good, slow-moving films. Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the pompous, high-pitched, little twerp, who is famous for writing articles in the New Yorker, now wants to write a book on a tragic event that happened in a family one day in 1959. The tragic event was the gruesome death of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) is Capote's "partner in crime" for this story. What makes Truman so obliged to create a book based on the tragic family event is when he digs deeper into the story and wants his audience to know about it in much detail. The book he writes based on the event is called In Cold Blood, which was also made into a movie. It is an attractive title and sure did attract a big audience. But before the book was finished, Truman felt a need to help the man who committed the murder. This man, named Perry Smith (played by Clifton Collins Jr.), had a troublesome life and Truman had pity for the man. Yes it's kind of hard to see Truman Capote show love and compassion for a man UNDER him yet he did and really TRIED to help him out but didn't exactly succeed. So yes Truman has a soft side to him as he does for his "partner". No not Harper Lee but is other "partner" and Capote's lisp and high-pitched voice might convince you that he's a bit on the swishy side so his "guy partner" is Jack Dunphy (Bruce Greenwood). I have to admit Truman Capote may be a snob but he sure has or had an interesting life in which he was also a bit troubled so he can kind of easily relate to Perry's life a bit. I also have to admit that Philip Seymour Hoffman does an excellent job portraying him. He does not as much imitate him as channel him. It actually seemed you were looking at the REAL Truman Capote on screen, which is obviously impossible because he died in 1984 from supreme alcoholic problems. And no I did not know that myself. I just saw the footnote at the end of the film that described that. It also described that after In Cold Blood, Truman Capote never wrote another book again. This is the last line from the book In Cold Blood: "More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones." I guess it makes sense because answered prayers do remain with you and are most likely more important than unanswered prayers. God will always hear your prayers and definitely grant the important ones that will remain with you forever over the trivial ones that will probably soon vanish or fade away from your thoughts, that is if you have too much on your mind. Movie directed by Bennett Miller.