5 Great Philip Seymour Hoffman Performances You Might’ve Missed
Yesterday we presented to you our 15 favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman performances, from his heartbreaking roles in "Boogie Nights" (1997) and "Magnolia" (1999) to his villainous turns in "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002) and "Mission: Impossible III" (2006) to his scene-stealing portrayals in "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007) and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013).
There's more to Hoffman's filmography — a lot more. Here are five of his performances you may have missed, forgotten or overlooked in some capacity that should be discovered or revisited as soon as possible.
5. Joseph Turner White, "State & Main" (2000)
As a fiercely loyal 'theatre person,' Philip Seymour Hoffman was certainly familiar with David Mamet, one of the most celebrated playwrights of the past century. PSH got to indulge in some 'Mamet-speak' on the big screen in "State & Main," the odd yet affectionate tale of the culture clash that ensues when a Hollywood production comes to shoot in a small New England town. Mamet regulars William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin deliver amusingly over-the-top performances as the director and star of the movie-in-the-making, respectively, though PSH nicely underplays as the somewhat overwhelmed screenwriter who falls for a local bookseller (played by Mamet's real-life wife, Rebecca Pidgeon).
4. Max Jerry Horowitz, "Mary and Max" (2009)
PSH tugged at our heartstrings using only his voice in this clay-animated dark comedy/drama that premiered at Sundance 2009. "Mary and Max" chronicles the very strange and often touching decades-long pen-palship between Mary (voiced by Bethany Whitmore and later Toni Collette), a poor Australian girl, and Max Jerry Horowitz (voiced by PSH), a middle-aged New Yorker suffering from obesity and anxiety attacks. Principal photography on this unique little gem lasted over 57 weeks, using 133 separate sets, 212 puppets and 475 miniature props.
3. The Count, "Pirate Radio" (2009)
Known as "The Boat That Rocked" in the U.K. and set in 1966, this comedy spins the story of a pirate radio station based on a ship anchored in the North Sea that broadcasts rock music to the United Kingdom whilst the government (led by Kenneth Branagh) tries to shut them down. The ship's 'crew' is a bunch of misfit disc jockeys and staffers, with PSH as 'The Count,' a brash American DJ and the station's unofficial captain who takes 17-year-old Carl (Tom Sturridge) under his wing. If anyone in Hollywood has a voice for radio, it's definitely Hoffman.
2. Dan Mahowny, "Owning Mahowny" (2003)
PSH took front and center as a leading man in this addiction drama about Dan Mahowny (based on real-life bank manager/gambler Brian Molony), a Toronto bank employee who manages to embezzle more than $10 million via his position as an assistant branch manager to support his gambling habit, which involves weekly trips to the casinos in Atlantic City, where he's something of a local celebrity. Roger Ebert named this unfortunately ill-titled indie one of the best films of 2003.
Kevin Smith is quite the fan, too.
1. Robert Gelbart, "A Late Quartet" (2012)
One of PSH's final gigs had him in the role of Robert Gelbart, the second violinist of the Fugue Quartet, a musical group dealing with various behind-the-scenes tensions as they approach their 25th anniversary. "A Late Quartet" allowed Hoffman to work with the great Christopher Walken, who plays the group's ailing cellist, and reunited him one last time with Catherine Keener, who worked with him on "Capote" (2005) and "Synecdoche, New York" (2008).
