Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1990: Bob Hoskins in Mermaids

Bob Hoskins did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Louis "Lou" Lansky in Mermaids. 

Mermaids is an okay coming of age story about a teenage girl in the 60’s Charlotte (Winona Ryder) dealing with her single mother Rachel (Cher) who never seems to be able to stay in one place. 

The film opens as the family, including also the youngest sister Kate (Christina Ricci), move to a small town in Massachusetts where they meet shop owner Lou played by Bob Hoskins. I have covered Hoskins several times in the past in his various leading roles as an atypical but impressive leading man. This is the first time I am reviewing him for a supporting role where Hoskins is not intended to be the center of attention. Hoskins seemingly respects that idea and gives a performance that is particularly generous in his grace through every scene. As I think given the nature of the film and the part there could have been a tendency to turn his Lou into too much of character to stand out overtly in the narrative and become a caricature. Hoskins instead seems intent on being quietly convincing and adding to a much-needed honesty to his film. When we first meet Hoskins, he brings a nice eager but believable energy as the shop keep who does not mind having a little fun with his costumers. Hoskins has a nice easy charm about it and sets up a nice sense of his instant attraction to Rachel. Hoskins does not make overt just a little glint in his eyes as a quick fascination with the woman who is very quick to speak her mind. I particularly love just his genuine quick laughter from the asides and his way of delivering the responses as just something that energizes Lou. 

Things move quickly as Lou and Rachel begin a relationship though almost instantly we see that they are maybe on slightly different wavelengths regarding what the relationship means. We get a quick scene after they have had sex for the first time where Hoskins is wonderful in his beaming reactions towards quite frankly just how much Lou appreciates getting to have sex with her. Going as far as to even trying to ignore her more dismissive remarks as a guy just high on his life in this moment. Lou continues the relationship but even more strongly becomes an integral part in making Charlotte and Kate more comfortable with the town as home. Hoskins is great in his way of showing how Lou ingratiates within the family so naturally. In part we see him trying to push Rachel to be less defensive even asking technically nosy questions but saying it is just his nature to be so. A sentence that could be obnoxious quite frankly but Hoskins delivers the line with the warmth of genuine interest to become invested with this person not just gossip material. Hoskins is also great with Ryder and Ricci in presenting the gradual steps of becoming more so a father figure with them. Hoskins is so perfectly earnest in the steps and the specific quiet excitement he brings in his every expression where you see the joy he gets out of bringing them joy. One particularly remarkable moment in that regard being when he creates an “Ocean room” for Kate, and just watch impish glee Hoskins brings in seeing their jubilation, which makes Lou just so endearing. 

Where Hoskins especially shines, and I think was potentially the trickiest aspect of the role, is portraying Lou challenging Rachel for her lack of commitment which spreads to her even accusing Lou of “using” the children in a certain sense. Hoskins is amazing in every moment of portraying Lou’s frustrations because he brings such a delicate sense of decency in every moment. Hoskins even delivers the line about wanting to hit Rachel with such a strong balance of creating the real sense of anger at her stubbornness while showing the conviction of real concern. Hoskins manages to show that while the anger is real to the point of such violence the concern is of a man who would never actually hit here but just wants to be able to express her love to her. An idea that only becomes stronger to the point Lou proposes to her at a New Year’s party. Hoskins is genuinely just so perfect in the scene where he brings such a powerful combination between the most vigorous of enthusiasm in sharing this declaration with her to the most subdued yet absolutely piercing heartbreak in his reaction as she turns him down. A moment emblematic of his whole performance in this film where he consistently goes for the quieter note and makes it sing all, the more because he can portray Lou as the man wholly listening, wholly wanting to be there, therefore making the rejection of him more painful. Although the resolution of this is off-screen mostly, Hoskins even makes great use of his nearly silent later scenes, such as just his warm loving presence when he shows up to comfort a time of great distress or just the wonderful potent enthusiasm of every second of his performance as we see Lou at the Baseball Hall of Fame. I love Hoskins in this situation because he can portray that specific uncontrollable energy one gets when just overwhelmed with the excitement for something they love to the point it is almost a little bit of a panic in a sense. Theoretically not even a major sequence yet Hoskins manages to create a bit more of an impact by bringing such honesty to every second and make Lou such a convincing average guy throughout. Even while the film itself I didn’t really always believe every character as a person, Hoskins elevates every bit of the script to make Lou absolutely tangible and graciously does so in such modest way.