Philip Seymour Hoffman was only 46. He had battled significant personal demons his whole life. He got clean and sober early in his career but relapsed just recently. He’d been called the greatest actor of his generation, yet few outside true film fans would be hard-pressed to list his major mainstream accomplishment. Instead, Hoffman stands as an example of excellence marred by a maddening vice, a habit that cost him his life and his legions of admirers’ future appreciation.
From his earliest moments onscreen (for example, the boarding school student ratting out his classmates only to confront a blind and batshit Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman), he was an actor of enormous depth. Even when it looked like he was playing the heavy, he found the lightness and the lift in each and every turn. So when we read of the tragic details of his death, it seems to suggest someone else, not this luminary we came to love onscreen.
Over the course of 22 years and dozens of performances, Hoffman rarely disappointed. Even when he stepped outside his comfort zone to make commercial fodder (as with his important turn as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games franchise), he remained a riveting movie presence. As comfortable on the stage or the small screen as he was before the standard cinematic lens, Hoffman’s name on a cast list meant that said film instantly became more interesting. Even when the resulting effort was less than successful (as in his directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating), there was no denying the talent involved.
The fact that he will now forever be remembered as just another drug casualty doesn’t lessen his impact on his craft. Thus we present the “10 Best Films of Philip Seymour Hoffman”, a subjective way of discussing what is otherwise an incredible body of work. Sadly, it also represents the end to an amazing run for what was truly a terrific performer.
10. The Big Lebowski (1998, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)
Though it’s not one of the main roles in this beloved cult classic, Brandt, the “Big” Lebowski’s personal assistant, is the kind of cloying sycophant who comes across as both desperate and devious with his constant kowtowing to the wishes of his wealthy employer. The moment where he must inform the Dude that his boss is in the study, “inconsolable”, stands as one of the best bits of body acting ever. Though he is often thought of as a thinking actor, Hoffman was exceptionally skilled at using his size and shape to suggest subtext to his characters. He succeeded in that regard here as well.
9. Magnolia (1999, Paul Thomas Anderson)
As one of several collaborations with the amazing auteur Paul Thomas Anderson, Hoffman played Phil Parma, a nurse for the ailing Jason Robards, and the individual asked to find his character’s estranged son, a motivational speaker played by none other than Tom Cruise. His sequences with the aging icon, himself a few months away from dying in real life, have an authenticity and a poignancy that counteracts some of the more fantastical moments in Anderson’s look at how chance plays a part in our everyday existence. Hoffman was coming into his own around this time, with roles in Flawless and The Talented Mr. Ripley bookending his work here.
8. Boogie Nights (1997, Paul Thomas Anderson)
As the closeted homosexual scoping out all the guys on the set of Jack Horner’s porn epics, Hoffman’s Scotty J. is the walking embodiment of a man uncomfortable in his skin. From his obvious lust for Mark Wahlberg’s wannabe meat puppet to the moment he finally declares his affections, we see someone struggling within to deal with the prejudices placed upon him by society. While he’s often seen as the comic relief in the movie, an alternative lifestyle loser limited by his awkward mannerisms and plentiful pot belly, Hoffman makes Scotty sad and sympathetic, something that would become a benchmark of his best work.
7. Happiness (1998, Todd Solondz)
Another somber turn, this time in Todd Solondz stunning (and shocking) social commentary. Hoffman is Allen, the neighbor to Lara Flynn Boyle’s successful author and, initially unbeknownst to her, an obsessive, near stalker obscene phone caller. When she ultimately discovers his identity and rejects him, his inner rage against another potential paramour is horrifying in its hate. Throughout the early part of his career, Hoffman enjoyed being part of the ensemble. He seemed to have a working knowledge of the overall theme of a film, ensuring his work would complement and consider what others were doing.
6. Doubt (2008, John Patrick Shanley)
Four fantastic actors — Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and a late-arriving Viola Davis — take on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by John Patrick Shanley, and the results are as electrifying as such casting would suggest. Here, the late actor plays a priest accused of “inappropriate behavior” with an impressionable young boy at the Catholic school where he teaches. Streep is the Head Mistress and their moments together suggest the acting craft at its finest. As he does throughout all his work, Hoffman finds the proper balance between guilt and innocence, never once showing his true hand even when we know he actually is.