Philip Seymour Hoffman got the Oscar® for his performance as Capote during the creation of In Cold Blood, and I can get behind that decision (though David Straithairn in Good Night, and Good Luck. or Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line would have been equally admirable choices). Hoffman sinks into the role so thoroughly that even his physical stature seems to transform, resulting in a portrayal of astonishing depth. He dissects Capote's double-edged charisma and unbridled ego without turning the proceedings into blatant Hollywood award-bait like Geoffrey Rush in Shine or Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. Catherine Keener, who inspires in me nothing but sheer ambivalence, almost to the level of a Kyra Sedgwick or a Robin Wright Penn, also excels, and not in the usual Academy-friendly way. As Harper Lee, she provides the tonic to Hoffman's questionable (and arguably psychopathic) lack of remorse in pursuit of his art. At one point I found myself wishing that this were the pilot for a TV show in which Capote and Lee solve crimes together using literary texts and English-major logic. Chris Cooper is probably the film's MVP … he remains incredibly underrated despite brilliant turns in countless high-profile films. I can't say I left this movie caring one way or the other about it, but it would be a lie to say it wasn't well done. As much as I'd like to shrug the movie off because it garnered so much attention from "sophisticated" moviegoers and critics, Capote stands as an exemplary example of the big-budget biopic: emotionally real enough to draw anyone in, and performed well enough that you can forgive its ultimate needlessness.
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