Movies - Capote

[Scrivener]

Capote is an intentionally "numb" film - the kind devoid of almost any emotion until the ending - and ending that leaves you feeling just a little depressed. Many critics and cinephiles forgive numb stories explicitly on the grounds that it was made to be so. I, on the other hand, beg to differ.

I enjoy a movie that is intellectually stimulating - and Capote has that - but while it manages to hold your interest it doesnt go very far beyond that. Perhaps it's because Truman Capote was manipulative and insensitive - self-tortured - and we don't care much for him despite his being on screen the entire film. The two murderers are given the most sympathetic treatment in the film. One is very well spoken and intelligent, with a troubled childhood that seems to have resulted in him just falling in with the wrong crowd (his partner in crime). Capote bonds with the man since they had similar childhoods. Unfortunately we rarely get a peek at what goes on in Capotes head. Hes a tortured soul, obviously, because hes always drinking and moping when hes not schmoozing and entertaining the crowds but once that is established we get scene after scene of the same thing  over and over with different people filling the background. Its tedious and really contributes nothing to moving the film along (except to maintain the storys intentionally slow pacing).

While Capote, as a film, is definitely decent - I feel it is far overrated. Likewise is Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote himself. He does a smashing job of portraying the man - but one has to consider the difficulty of the role. Truman Capote was a character in real life, easily portrayed. I, myself, can do a smash-up impersonation complete with speech and mannerisms. Hell, Jack Black could have done the part. Within the confines of the movie as a movie, this argument is moot. Hoffman does an excellent job portraying Capote. However, as of this writing, one has to consider that he is up for an Academy Award and has already won BAFTA, BFCA, and Golden Globe awards (as well as other less prestigious awards).

For the content, the movie also seems a bit overlong and ultimately feels rather unimportant. One of the reasons it took so long to write this review is because I utterly forgot about the movie immediately after seeing it.

It's the material. The script is decent, the direction is good, if derivative, and the acting is passable. This was not a difficult movie to make - Capote follows all the formulas, emulating other thematically similar (and superior) films such as The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, and Chinatown.

My conclusion - Capote, while decent, is really a forgettable film - and by far the most overrated of the year.

6.5/10

[Kevin Trotter]

ditto, I was underwhelmed by Hoffmans performance. I really went in expecting a virtuouso performance and got a gimmicky, creepy

Rich Little-like impersonation disguised as a film. However I like Cathrine Keener in anything so it wasnt a total waste.

I saw Hustle and Flow and thought it was a okay film and good performance by Terance Howard but that it paled in comparison to his work in Crash. i guess my point is Capote was an above average film and Hoffman was given the Oscar that should have went to someone else.