Film Vault Tuesday (Week 8)

The first time I saw Phillip Seymour Hoffman he was playing a bit role in "Leap of Faith", a quality but forgettable Steve Martin movie about a con-man hustling as a preacher.

He didn’t really show anything special in that role, but his face began popping up in smaller roles in movie’s like "Scent of a Woman", "Nobody’s Fool", and "Twister"…

He had established himself as a “that guy” actor… You’ve seen him in some movies before but he didn’t do anything special enough to make you remember his name… All that changed for me the second I saw him step onto the scene as Scotty J., in a movie called “Boogie Nights.”

It took him several more movies before he really got a following from mainstream movie goers, but for me- Boogie Nights was all I needed… From that moment on I told anyone who would listen that Hoffman (or PSH for short) was as good as any leading actor out there.

I was worried that his lack of Hollywood good looks would relegate him to a career of supporting roles as a character actor… I over analyzed and worried about every movie role he picked- afraid the wrong choice could end his career while all the time knowing that he was also only one perfect role away from stardom.

And now he’s there… The pinnacle of success… Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

So, in honor of PSH’s big win, this Film Vault Tuesday is dedicated to the movie where he stole my heart…

Title: Boogie Nights (1997)

Credits: Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly

Why? I don’t even know where to begin… This movie defines the phrase “All-Star Cast.”

It’s an eclectic mix of literally, the best actors Hollywood has to offer. And they all deliver.

You add in a brilliant script loosely based off the life of deceased porn star John Holmes and you’ve got magic…

More than any movie, this movie has molded the vocabulary of my friends… there are so many little throw away lines that just stay with us… The movie's director/writer, PT Anderson has a style unlike anyone else. He gets top notch actors to play intentionally over the top, bizarre roles and somehow make you take the whole spectacle seriously.

You spend half the movie laughing at the absurdity of the characters and before you know how it happened you suddenly find yourself emotionally connected to them.

Remote Stopper Scene: Perhaps the most tense scene in movie history takes place towards the end of the movie... Let me just say it involves cheesy mustaches, a gay underage Chinese prostitute who loves to throw firecrackers, and a drug deal gone terribly wrong... the whole scene is set to the backdrop of the Rick Springfield classic "Jessie's Girl."

Also, despite the fact that Mark Wahlberg is a pretty mediocre actor, he has a great moment where you can see the moment he realizes that he's hit rock bottom based only on his facial expression.

Goosebump/Tear Factor: Of course this scene is dedicated to the great Phillip Seymour Hoffman and the moment he stole my heart... It's a big New Year's Eve party at Dirk Diggler's house and Scotty J. (PSH) has been following Dirk around like a puppy dog all night... Finally he talks Dirk into coming outside so he can show him his new car... and he tries kiss him!

Nothing is more disturbing than watching an overweight and unkept Scotty J. plead with Dirk, "Please, can I kiss you, can I kiss you on the mouth?"

Of course, Dirk denies Scotty's pathetic advance, leaving the desperate camera man with nothing left but a lame attempt at blaming it all on the alcohol.

He's left alone in Dirk's driveway as the New Year's Celebration rages on without him.

Crushed, he retreats to his car where he proceeds to bang his hand into the steering wheel in a fit of rage, crying hysterically the whole time... My words don't do an adequate job of expressing the moment. It's something that most be seen to be truly appreciated.

When I first saw the scene I was laughing uncontrollably and then all of a sudden in a matter of mere seconds he made my eyes water with sympathy... And that made him a star, in my eyes at least.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10. This movie isn't for everyone. In addition to some very graphic nudity and lots of drug use, the film drags on for 156 minutes... It's the type of movie the requires an emotional commitment. The first 2 or 3 times I saw it, I wasn't even sure I liked it.

I knew I liked a lot of scenes in it, but it didn't realize until much later how brilliant the movie really was... It follows the life of Porn Stars, but really it's not about pornography... It's about broken people trying to make their way through life.

It's about overcoming obstacles and finding yourself, just as much as it's about sex and cocaine... It's genius is that it makes you not only care, but actually connect with people that you have so little yet so much in common with.