(2005)
4.5
Cammila Albertson
Capote is spellbinding and awe-striking, an almost perfect film. This accomplishment is even more remarkable when you take into account that this is director Bennett Miller's first feature, producer/writer Dan Futterman's first film, and that it's adapted from Gerald Clarke's first full-length biography. The craftsmanship apparent in Capote is clever and quick, creating scenes that are sometimes bizarre or funny, but never heavy-handed. Without plodding speeches or Oscar-bait tantrums, Capote weaves together a hauntingly realistic portrait of the charismatic and the grotesque. The movie isn't about the slaying of a family in Kansas, and it's not about Perry Smith, the convicted killer in the case -- whom Capote became so famously close to while writing his book. When it comes right down to it, Capote isn't even really about the writing of that book -- though the bizarre process of it is detailed almost completely. The story of the film is eerily captivating, but in the end, its narratives are just the pieces that eventually come together to form an almost impossibly intimate psychological portrait of Truman Capote the man. Capote sheds a gradually overwhelming light on its subject, revealing with a quiet intensity how a man of such superhuman charm and skill could in fact be so crippled by a near sociopathic narcissism. The minimal awareness portrayed in Capote's character make him all the more intriguing and compelling, even as his power over another man's life ripples distantly in his consciousness as little more than a component of his success as a writer. This heartbreakingly real performance is what makes the film such a masterpiece, and denotes perhaps the most breathtaking turn in the film -- Philip Seymour Hoffman's. While Hoffman is far from a new face and has enjoyed a highly respected career in a multitude of films, a role of this magnitude is a first for him; the kind it's instantly certain that he will be remembered for. As a profile of the character's inner life, the aforementioned production team behind Capote most certainly pursued the project with the knowledge that it would fail without such a perfect fit. As a result, even Hoffman's tremendous success can be seen as a component in the synergy that made this one of the best films in years.
awards for Capote on AllMovie
Capote (2005)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Director
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
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2006 |
American Film Institute
Boston Society of Film Critics
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Screenplay
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Director
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
Broadcast Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Screenplay
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
Chicago Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Screenplay
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
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Won |
Most Promising Director
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2005 |
Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
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Won |
Top Ten Film
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2005 |
Directors Guild of America
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Nominated |
Best Director
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2005 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
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Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
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2005 |
Independent Spirit Awards
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Cinematography
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Screenplay
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2005 |
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Won |
Producers Award
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2005 |
Iowa Film Critics Association
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Nominated |
Best Actor
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2005 |
Kansas City Film Critics Association
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Nominated |
Best Actor
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2005 |
London Film Critics Association
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Nominated |
Best Actor
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2006 |
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Nominated |
Screenwriter of the Year
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2006 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Screenplay
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
National Board of Review
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
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2005 |
National Society of Film Critics
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Director (Runner-up)
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Picture
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Screenplay (Runner-up)
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress (Runner-up)
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2005 |
New York Film Critics Circle
Online Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Breakthrough Filmmaker
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2005 |
Phoenix Film Critics Association
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Won |
Top Ten Film of the Year
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2005 |
Producers Guild of America
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Nominated |
Producer of the Year
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2005 |
San Diego Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2005 |
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Won |
Best Director
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2005 |
Screen Actors Guild
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Won |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Ensemble
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
Telluride Film Festival
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Presented |
Film Presented
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2005 |
Toronto Film Critics Association
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Nominated |
Best Actor
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best First Feature
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2005 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
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2005 |
Writers Guild of America
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Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
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2005 |
