Jay & Matt Pay Homage to the Late Philip Seymour Hoffman

This is Jay.

 I was 20 years old when I saw Boogie Nights. Paul Thomas Anderson had truly created The Godfather of films about the porn industry. It was glitzy, it was dirty, it was all pop and pizazz brought to the screen with a cast of lost characters steeped in sadness, desperately looking for a family of their own. One of these characters was played by an actor I hadn't really noticed before. His name was Philip Seymour Hoffman and he played Scotty J, the closeted gay crew man who has a crush on Mark Whalberg's boyishly handsome Dirk Diggler. It was a breakthrough performance for Hoffman and opened many doors for the artist who would go one to carve out a career over the next 17 years which would make him one of Hollywood's most revered character actors.

Last Sunday morning, Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in Greenwich Village, the victim of an apparent heroin overdose. My first reaction was one of shock. I had never known this talented performer had a problem with drugs. He was a private man, who seemed to have kept a lot of demons secret from most of the world. His passing is truly a tragedy for his family and friends, and also for those of us who admired his ability to inhabit a role so completely.

Matt and I decided that we would honor his memory by sharing with you each of our favorite three performances of Hoffman's and why we loved them so much. So here we go with my picks first:

Allen in

Happiness (1998)

Directed by Todd Solondz

After his brilliant turn in Boogie Nights, Hoffman churned out a handful of great performances in the late 90's. Movies like The Big Lebowski, Next Stop Wonderland and Todd Solondz's Happiness would continue to showcase the actor's range and his desire to choose roles that were challenging. His performance as Allen in Happiness, in particular, is a favorite of mine. It is a great representation of the type of dark and quirky men that Hoffman liked to play. Allen is the quintessential loser who lives an insular existence defined by the desires he desperately wants to act our with one of his neighbors (played by Lara Flynn Boyle). His performance is darkly funny in a movie filled with uncomfortable moments. It is not a film I would recommend for anyone who is easily offended or not OK with very touchy subject matters. But, if you are open-minded, you will recognize its greatness as one of the great dark comedies of the era.

The following scene shows Allen making a dirty prank phone call to his neighbor, Helen (Boyle) and his reaction to her surprising response. Be warned, this scene has graphic language and adult situations are discussed.

Phil Parma in

Magnolia (1999)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Philip Seymour Hoffman would reunite with writer/director, Paul Thomas Anderson for the third time in 1999's Magnolia. Still my favorite of Anderson's films, it is a kaleidoscope of intersecting stories of regret and longing played out against the backdrop of Los Angeles. Hoffman plays Phil Parma, a hospice nurse, caring for the bedridden Earl Partridge (Jason Robards in his final role). Earl is deteriorating fast and he asks Phil to help him track down his estranged son, Frank (Tom Cruise in one of his best roles), a popular motivational speaker for men. His performance here is more understated, but no less memorable. The connection he makes with his dying patient and his desire to reconnect him with his son is touching and his being witness to this emotional reunion gives the viewer someone to identify with. PSH would certainly play many parts that would be considered more nuanced or heavy with character but for me this Phil's subtle goodness makes him one of my favorites.

In this scene, Phil is trying to convince one of the employees of Frank to put him in touch with the famous speaker. The operator is reluctant to give in to Phil since he has no idea who he is, or if his story about Frank's father is true. It is probably my favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman moment of his career.

Andy in

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Directed by Sidney Lument

Another thing PSH was great at was playing the bad guy. For me, he was only reason worth seeing Mission Impossible III, a very flawed movie, that Hoffman's villain nearly made watchable. But, if you want to see how evil he could be check out the great Sidney Lument's thriller, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. He and Ethan Hawke play brothers Andy and Hank respectively, who concoct a dubious scheme to rob their parent's jewelry store. While Hank is the emotional and moral center of the film, it is his brother Andy who pulls the strings. He is narcissistic and filled with a drug-fueled anger which makes him unpredictable. Hoffman plays him deftly, like a coiled spring, who, when sprung, is unable to be contained as he takes down everyone around him in his demented desire to be rich and significant. Many actors sometimes do their best work when they can sink their teeth into a great villain, and this is Hoffman's defining antagonist.

This violent scene concerns the two brothers robbing a heroin dealer that Andy frequented. Hank watches on in horror as his impulsive and uncontrollable brother murders two people and steals all their drugs and money. Hoffman is brilliant in it.

Matt's Picks:

Lester Bangs in

Almost Famous (2000)

Directed by Cameron Crowe

To me, this is the quintessential Hoffman film! It's only a supporting role, but, wow, what a role. Hoffman's portrayal of real-life rock journalist and critic Lester Bangs is a role most actors could only dream about getting. In this 2000 film loosely based on director Cameron Crowe's experiences as a teenage reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, Hoffman plays Crowe's mentor Bangs (who died at the age of 33 from an overdose). Above is the scene in which the audience first meets Bangs, who is giving a radio interview and insulting The Doors while admiring The Guess Who ("Live, 'American Woman!?' The most brilliant piece of gobbledygook ever!"). All of the scenes Hoffman's Bangs is in are brilliant, but the most memorable has to be the clip below, which is near the end of the film when the film's protagonist William (Patrick Fugit) -- based on Crowe -- is trying to write his article and calls Bangs for some advice. Bangs knows what William is going through and emotionally opens up to him while also giving some great advice.

Sandy Lyle in

Along Came Polly (2004)

Directed by John Hamburg

Hoffman was a great dramatic actor -- no doubt! However, I loved his comedic roles. My favorite has to be as former child actor Sandy Lyle in Along Came Polly. Sandy was in the famous movie Crocodile Tears (a wannabe The Breakfast Club) and is now a struggling actor trying to star in an off-off-off-off-off Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar while having a documentary crew follow him around. There are many comedic scene stealers from Hoffman -- such as when he admits that he himself hired the documentary crew to follow him around just so he would look important. But the best scene was every scene he was in! "Rain dance!!!"

Owen Davian in

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

I know I'll probably be earning a roll of the eyes from Jay with this entry, but he should hear me out. Despite what anyone thinks about the movie itself, Hoffman's performance as main baddie Owen Davian is truly great. Now, I'll just admit. I really liked M:I3; director J.J. Abrams breathed life into a struggling franchise -- that had an insulting, dismal first film and OK-but-still-not-good second film -- when he took the reins in 2006. And while Hoffman wouldn't usually be believable as a bad guy before this role (even I had doubts when I saw the trailer), he proved he could do it blindfolded ... literally! Hoffman plays Davian, an arms dealer who has a special weapon device he wants to sell to terrorists. It is up to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team to kidnap Davian and learn where the weapon -- dubbed the "Rabbit's Foot" -- is so they can get it before the terrorists. 

My favorite scenes are when Davian is captured and interrogated by Hunt, and he threatens Hunt's fiancee, which comes to fruition; and when Davian -- while holding a gun to Hunt's fiancee's head -- is interrogating Hunt about the location of the weapon all while looking as unaffected as a hawk looking at its prey.

Of course, there are so many other Hoffman films that we could name, but these are the favorites. To Mr. Hoffman, we raise a glass and toast a great actor gone too soon. "LET IT RAIN!"