Full Article Text
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
REVIEWS
EDITOR'S PICK FILM
Capote
• Dlrected by Bennett Miller. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman . Sony Pictures Classics
Truman Capote cut a florid figure late In life, offering up sharp-tongued bons mots on TV talk
shows and generally spending more time in the gossip pages than at his work. People who know
only the Capote who dismissed author Jack Kerouac with the memorable slam "That's not writ
ing. That's typing" could be forgiven for thinking Capote was just a celebrity, not an artist who
revolutionized journalism. The movie Capote should enlighten them.
Unquestionably one of the best movies of the year, Capote details the signal triumph of
Capote's long career-the reporting and writing of In Cold Blood, a remarkable best seller about a
multiple homicide in Middle America and the men who committed it. The book exploded concep
tions of what was possible in nonfiction, and the openly gay Capote influenced writers and re
porters for generations to come.
At the center ofthe film is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote. Hoffman has wowed us repeat
edly in movies like Boogie Nights and on Broadway in such productions as lllng Day's Journey Into
Night so we expect brilliance . We get it. Capote could easily be portrayed as a vain, silly figure-
played for laughs, as gay men, especially "sissies," so often are. But Hoffman exhibits the keen
intelligence and seductive empathy that helped this exotic creature win the trust of informants as
disparate as high school girls, the head of the investigation, and, especially, killer Perry Smith
(Clifton Collins Jr.), a miserable outcast with dreams of artistry.
By Hoffman's side is Catherine Keener as Capote's childhood friend, writer Harper Lee (To Kill
a Mockingbi rd). Ke.ener is having a career year, thanks to her warm and sexy turn in the sweet
comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin and now her superlative work here. Capote asks Lee-who's
100 I October II, 2005 www.advocate.com played as a lesbian, albeit implicitly-to
come with him to the Kansas town where
the murders took place. There she almost
literally opens doors for him, helps type up
his notes, and serves as the anchor for his
budding talent. Keener defines supporting
actor here, and her work keeps Hoffman's
risk-taking grounded in reality. It's hard to
imagine Capote succeeding as well without
Lee, and it's hard to imagine Hoffman
succeeding as welt without Keener.
So much of the film works beautifully: the
production design; the sharp black-and
white photography; the subtle score; and the
delicate dance between Capote and Smith,
the killer Capote identifies with, wins over,
and then lies to repeatedly in order to main
tain the flow of information.
First-time feature film director Bennett
Miller (who helmed the documentary hit The
Cruise) triumphs completely here, as does
first-time screenwriter Dan Futterman (Will's
onetime boyfriend on Will & Grace). Here
they've excelled at that most difficult genre
of film: that which captures an artist at work.
Watching it, we can see they're artists at
work as well. -Michael Giltz
THE ADVOCATE
REVIEWS
EDITOR'S PICK FILM
Capote
• Dlrected by Bennett Miller. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman . Sony Pictures Classics
Truman Capote cut a florid figure late In life, offering up sharp-tongued bons mots on TV talk
shows and generally spending more time in the gossip pages than at his work. People who know
only the Capote who dismissed author Jack Kerouac with the memorable slam "That's not writ
ing. That's typing" could be forgiven for thinking Capote was just a celebrity, not an artist who
revolutionized journalism. The movie Capote should enlighten them.
Unquestionably one of the best movies of the year, Capote details the signal triumph of
Capote's long career-the reporting and writing of In Cold Blood, a remarkable best seller about a
multiple homicide in Middle America and the men who committed it. The book exploded concep
tions of what was possible in nonfiction, and the openly gay Capote influenced writers and re
porters for generations to come.
At the center ofthe film is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote. Hoffman has wowed us repeat
edly in movies like Boogie Nights and on Broadway in such productions as lllng Day's Journey Into
Night so we expect brilliance . We get it. Capote could easily be portrayed as a vain, silly figure-
played for laughs, as gay men, especially "sissies," so often are. But Hoffman exhibits the keen
intelligence and seductive empathy that helped this exotic creature win the trust of informants as
disparate as high school girls, the head of the investigation, and, especially, killer Perry Smith
(Clifton Collins Jr.), a miserable outcast with dreams of artistry.
By Hoffman's side is Catherine Keener as Capote's childhood friend, writer Harper Lee (To Kill
a Mockingbi rd). Ke.ener is having a career year, thanks to her warm and sexy turn in the sweet
comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin and now her superlative work here. Capote asks Lee-who's
100 I October II, 2005 www.advocate.com played as a lesbian, albeit implicitly-to
come with him to the Kansas town where
the murders took place. There she almost
literally opens doors for him, helps type up
his notes, and serves as the anchor for his
budding talent. Keener defines supporting
actor here, and her work keeps Hoffman's
risk-taking grounded in reality. It's hard to
imagine Capote succeeding as well without
Lee, and it's hard to imagine Hoffman
succeeding as welt without Keener.
So much of the film works beautifully: the
production design; the sharp black-and
white photography; the subtle score; and the
delicate dance between Capote and Smith,
the killer Capote identifies with, wins over,
and then lies to repeatedly in order to main
tain the flow of information.
First-time feature film director Bennett
Miller (who helmed the documentary hit The
Cruise) triumphs completely here, as does
first-time screenwriter Dan Futterman (Will's
onetime boyfriend on Will & Grace). Here
they've excelled at that most difficult genre
of film: that which captures an artist at work.
Watching it, we can see they're artists at
work as well. -Michael Giltz
THE ADVOCATE