Alternate Best Actor 2002: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Love Liza

Philip Seymour Hoffman did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Wilson Joel in Love Liza.

Love Liza is the type of independent film that kind of give independent films a bad name, about a man dealing with the sudden suicide of his wife.

That earlier statement comes just as it features the Indie tropes of some dark topic filtered through a semi-quirky spin then processed through a whole lot of repetitious nothing. That is what we have here that is a film that believes it is creating meaning yet falls into really acts of nothingness in its procession to a particularly obvious conclusion, though hey at least it doesn't have the as obnoxious tropes of no music, unearned long takes and or even less earned ambiguous endings. What the film does have an actor that I kind of hate to look back against because once again we lost him far too soon. Of course Philip Seymour Hoffman was an incredible talent, and this film is another example of that, even when then character of his Wilson Joel I don't think is the most well written he ever played. Hoffman though was a great actor, so he can at least fill in some of the gaps of the character even if he can't quite make the film work. We have the early scenes where Hoffman creates a certain daze the man is in from reeling from the sudden suicide of his wife. Hoffman vividly realizes this sort of early state that he makes nearly denial. This as he portrays Wilson still as able to basically function, but a bit off in just how well he can function. This in his moments of reacting to the happiness of others Hoffman delivers Joel's laughs too much, of a man trying to be happy, though there is an obvious failure in this. This in showing the front that cannot really hide the obviously trauma inside.

This quickly deteriorates, again I think a problem with the film is just in the writing never quite supports Hoffman enough, though Hoffman does well in portraying this deterioration. This in now granting a man less in a daze and more so in a fixation. A fixation on the death with a sadness in his eyes though also a focus as though he is trying to uncover the meaning of his relationship. This is a bit overly represented by the last letter from his wife that he refuses to open. This pain though Wilson quickly tries to cover up, in something that hits sadly too close to home regarding Hoffman's own story, as Wilson begins to engage in substance abuse by huffing gasoline fumes. Hoffman though is terrific in realizing these moments as basically a man trying to fill his head with anything other than his pain and return to at least some kind of daze. These scenes become a bit repetitive though, and sadly quirky, as he comes across different people asking about his fumes to which he lies about being interested in model planes. This adds up to nothing really, but Hoffman is good in presenting the very limited front he can muster through the daze to appease his slowly more suspicious onlookers, his co-workers and friends. Too much of the film basically sits on that idea as we just get scene after scene of Wilson getting high without really an effective progression in the narrative or further examination of the situation of character. Hoffman is still good in all these scenes mind you but they don't give him the most interesting material to work with.

The one relationship that does offer something more interesting is with his mother-in-law Mary (Kathy Bates). This as the two develop a great kind of anti-chemistry. I like that they are able to realize in their interactions between the two, not a dislike but rather just an indifference of two people who really didn't interact before much, now are connected in their mutual grief. Hoffman is great in these moments in the way he realizes Wilson's way of becoming even more physically withdrawn around her, as against creating that sense of the connection within the lack of connection. This until late in the film where it appears she's taken his memories of his wife including her last letter. This where we finally get a more cathartic release of emotions and Hoffman unsurprisingly delivers on the sheer intensity of the man's grief. This in showing the sudden rush of emotions of trying to reclaim the little he did have of her left. This until finally getting the letter and choosing to read it. Hoffman is legitimately outstanding in this scene in quietly reading each word and in that reflecting the heartbreak in every word. This though as she essentially tells him in the letter to move on, Hoffman wonderfully realizes every ounce of pain though with the sense of the very real love he shared for all the same. It's strong work from him, and though I won't hand wave it as a "of course it is", I will say in the end there was a certain detachment from me in viewing the film. This in the flaws of the film I felt kept Hoffman from being able to quite make the next step in terms of crafting a truly unforgettable portrait of grief. Although I won't call it a technical exercise on his own part, it felt that way by the particularly manufactured feeling elements of the screenplay. I can't criticize Hoffman himself, as he excels here, I only wish the material was fully able to support his own efforts.