The runners-up:
Third place:
Samuel L. Jackson, Django Unchained [89 points / 15 votes]
Second place:
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained [110 points / 17 votes]
And your winner...
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master [187 points / 28 votes]
"Discussion of The Master has focused on Joaquin Phoenix, and for good reason – as Freddie Quell, a boozing, emotionally unstable Navy vet and drifter, Phoenix gives one of the most electrifying, unpredictable performances in memory. But the praise for Phoenix has largely neglected Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose performance as Lancaster Dodd, the founder of “The Cause” and Freddie’s self-appointed mentor, is just as impressive and crucial to the film’s success. Hoffman wisely doesn’t try to match the volume of Phoenix’s performance; instead, his approach in the scenes between Freddie and Dodd is largely understated. Dodd responds to Freddie’s vulgarity and aggression with quiet, gentle chiding and a restraint that feels just a bit forced, hinting that underneath his self-regard and mannered eloquence, he’s as volatile as Freddie. Hoffman reminded me of Herzog’s story about the indigenous cast of Fitzcarraldo who informed him that they were less afraid of the raving Klaus Kinski than the director who quietly regarded the actor’s outbursts.
Dodd is largely inspired, of course, by L. Ron Hubbard, and it would have been easy for Hoffman to give a broadly critical performance, making the character a pompous, cynical charlatan. But director Paul Thomas Anderson, in his collaborations with Hoffman, probably understands the actor’s unique screen presence better than any other director – think of the painful vulnerability of Scotty in Boogie Nights, the quiet compassion and generosity of Phil the nurse in Magnolia or the hilariously witless, swaggering mattress man in Punch-Drunk Love. While Dodd is pretentious and hubristic, he’s not Elmer Gantry – Hoffman plays him as a man driven by the sincere belief that he’s found a way to help others become happy, self-actualized people. To Dodd, Freddie is the dragon he’s trying to catch by the tail – “curing” him will validate his methods, but he also clearly wants to help his new friend. At the same time, there’s the suggestion that Dodd has a lot of affection for Freddie’s animalistic nature, is attracted to or perhaps even in love with Freddie for precisely that reason. Scenes like the confrontation between Dodd and Freddie in adjacent jail cells require Hoffman to simultaneously convey frustration, disapproval, sincere concern and quiet longing, and he pulls it off beautifully. It’s a great supporting performance in the best sense; Phoenix can go as big as he does because Hoffman creates a solid foundation for his co-star and the film.
While I appreciated The Master a great deal, it seemed that the movie fizzled out when it arrived at the final meeting between Dodd and Freddie; I hope that future viewings will clarify Anderson’s intentions. That said, it’s a tribute to the strength of Hoffman’s work here that I only questioned whether the ending made sense for the movie after the fact. As I was watching the film, Dodd’s tearful serenade of “Slow Boat to China” was quite moving; I’m not sure it was the right ending, but I’m still impressed that Hoffman took a moment that could have provoked unintentional laughs and made it believable and affecting. Dodd remarks to Freddie earlier in the film that they’ve known each other through many lifetimes. Thanks to Philip Seymour Hoffman, by the end of the film, we believe him." - Andrew Bemis
See the full results.
Interesting statistical note: As relatively significant as the vote-splitting was between the two DJANGO actors, McConaughey got it worse - each of his four performances saw voting action. Add up all the points he received, and he's sitting in second place.
ReplyDeleteNow, if I had seen The Master two weeks ago and not yesterday, Hoffman would've made it in (not at the top, Waltz is still my favorite) just because of the song at the end, I almost teared up. And I'm guessing that it will be common for me in many categories that The Master will go up and I would be one of the few that wasn't able to see it in time to vote for it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent write-up Andrew.
ReplyDeleteJaime, that's bound to happen, especially when you're dealing with voters who are at the mercy of non-USA release patterns. Back in 2007, Daniel Day-Lewis appeared on every ballot save one, and that person hadn't seen THERE WILL BE BLOOD prior to the deadline because she lived outside the US. But it happens with the rest of us sometimes too. A SEPARATION and MARGARET would probably have placed #2 and #3 in my best film category last year, except that I didn't see them until the first week of March. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Unknown!
ReplyDelete