Nerd 5 Presents: A Tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman

            Sunday February 2^nd was a very bittersweet day, as a Seahawks fan it was a glorious day 38 years in the making (28 for me, but who’s counting); but Sunday was also the day that we lost Philip Seymour Hoffman, possibly the greatest actor of his generation and one of the greatest of any generation. Hoffman’s death came because of a tragically fatal flaw, addiction.

            From all accounts Hoffman was a good person, he took care of his family, was pleasure to work with on set, a consummate professional, and good man to both his wife and kids. He struggled with his addiction privately and never let it affect his life. Addiction is something that many people struggle with and while I’m not conducing Hoffman’s drug addiction I am saying he should not be condemned for it. Hoffman was drug free for 20 years before a recent relapse and subsequent rehab stint, he was released and thought to be clean, this was not the sadly the case and lead to the tragic events of Sunday morning. Was his addiction illegal? Yes. Was it wrong? Yes. But Hoffman has paid the ultimate price for his addiction and lost the last years of his life. (There are plenty of sites with the story of Hoffman’s death, that’s not what we are here for. There’s a wonderful thing called Google that can help you with that).

            So why we are here? To celebrate the life and career of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman left this world far too soon; he was such a good actor that it’s very hard to find a poor performance in his entire career. Hoffman had a very good run from the mid-90s to mid-2000’s, and was currently in a phase of rejuvenation, about to reclaim his spot in the Hollywood pantheon recently gaining two more Oscar Nominations and taking part in one of the biggest box office hits of 2013 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). Hoffman was one of the most talented and respected actors in Hollywood and it seemed like he was on the brink of giving another all-time great performance. Another performance that would that would be among the best of the best, a performance so iconic and so memorable it would be held with the likes of Atticus Finch, Michael Corleone, Hannibal Lector, and Daniel Plainview, but alas we will never this performance.

            In Nerd 5 tradition we are here to countdown the top performances of Hoffman’s varied and winding career. As a person with countless standout performances it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few, 5 was impossible so you’re getting 6 and you are going to deal with it. Hoffman was outstanding in Big-Budget blockbusters like Twister, Mission Impossible 3, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire; amazing in independent films such as Happiness, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, and Mary and Max (a beautiful and touching, yet very overlooked film; watch it today on Netflix); wonderful in smaller studio films like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Patch Adams; and simply breathtaking when working with his most frequent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson in such great films as The Master, Punch-Drunk Love, Magnolia, and Boogie Nights (some of which will be talked about later in the article.) A four time Academy Award nominee (The Master, Charlie Wilson’s War, Doubt, Capote), and one time winner (Capote) Hoffman will be sorely missed and now it’s with great honor that we present the Nerd 5 Top 6 Philip Seymour Hoffman performances.     

6. The Count – Pirate Radio (2009) – Hoffman plays The Count, a legendary radio DJ in the 1960s. As The Count Hoffman is the most enigmatic and charismatic DJ of the whole bunch and serves a leader, mentor, and inspiration for all the others aboard the boat and around the UK. Richard Curtis directed this little seen film and it’s simply a delight. A great journey, with something to say, and unforgettable characters leads Pirate Radio to be a great film and Hoffman stands out in the fantastic ensemble, as he always does.

5. Art Howe – Moneyball (2011) – Art Howe was the cantankerous manager of 2001 Oakland A’s and is played to perfection by Hoffman. The part of Howe could easily be lost in the shuffle of this film full of great drama, friendship, baseball, transition, and tradition; but because of Hoffman he’s not. Moneyball is not the first film that director Bennett Miller and Hoffman have worked together, and not the last time they will be on this together. Moneyball is a film that reveals more and more of itself with each viewing and Hoffman’s performance is equally layered.   

4. Father Brendan Flynn – Doubt (2008) – Father Flynn is a unique character shrouded in questions, mainly; did he? Or didn’t he? Which is the central question behind Doubt. Hoffman plays Father Flynn right down the middle giving the audience to grapple with the questions of the film. It’s legend vs. legend as Hoffman is opposite Meryl Streep for some of the most crushing, brutal and honest scenes in all of film. Doubt is a titanic performance that leaves you questioning many things; but not a single one about Hoffman’s greatness.

3. Truman Capote – Capote (2005) – For playing Truman Capote Phillips Seymour Hoffman won a most well-deserved Oscar. In what could have been a showy and gaudy performance Hoffman fills it with subtly and nuance. He turns an outlandish real life personality into someone we can sympathize, empathizes, and relate with. In Capote Hoffman transforms himself into someone completely unrecognizable. This is the first pairing of the fruitful relationship between Bennett Miller and Hoffman and it stands as their best. Capote stands as a pillar of what happens when you let an amazing once in a lifetime actor carry an amazing once in a lifetime script. This is certainly one of the best three performances of Hoffman’s career and is his best leading part.

2. Lester Bangs – Almost Famous (2000) – Hoffman made a name for himself by stealing scenes and films in the 90s and early 2000s, in Almost Famous Hoffman is unbelievable as Lester Bangs a middle aged music critic and DJ passing on knowledge to the films lead character. Hoffman knows his character inside and out and this gives him the ability to be the most well rounded and fascinating part of Cameron Crowe’s best film. Almost Famous has very little of Hoffman in it, but you want more, it leaves you wanting more. An entire film of Hoffman playing Bangs, yes please; I know I want a mentor like Bangs; we could all use a Lester Bangs to help us on our way and remind us that “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we are uncool.”

1. Scotty J. – Boogie Nights (1997) – Oh… Scotty J…. Scotty J. The immortal Scotty J, this breakthrough performance stands as the most iconic of Hoffman’s career, it’s layered and funny, serious and moving, unforgettable and stunning. As Scotty J. Hoffman plays the sound guy for a pornography film crew and has more issues than anyone could have ever imagined. In the nearly three hour film Hoffman is on screen for maybe 30 minutes but has one of the more lasting characters of the film. A truly breathtaking performance from a truly breathtaking man.