Philip Seymour Hoffman finally has a film to call his own. Usually a creepy and cringe-inducing background fixture in movies such as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, The Big Lebowski, and Happiness, he finally has a lead role in Love Liza. Unfortunately, this film may not get Hoffman the recognition he deserves.
Hoffman performs admirably within the character he’s given, but the role doesn’t expand on the character Hoffman generally plays. The foregrounding of a usually minor character results in an understated film that’s difficult to get involved in emotionally. The problems stem from the film itself, and not from Hoffman’s acting. This is dark comedy at its darkest, with no hint of optimism, but that’s not to say it’s without artistic merit.
The feature directorial debut of Todd Louiso, whom you may remember as the shy record employee from High Fidelity (in other words, not heartthrob John Cusack and not outspoken cynic rocker Jack Black), Love Liza is also Gordy Hoffman’s first screenplay, which makes three firsts for this film. Hoffman? Yup, that’s right, he’s Philip’s older bro. With the prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award now under his belt, he may join his brother in an ascent to fame.
Hoffman plays Wilson Joel, a dorky web designer whose wife Liza recently committed suicide. We don’t learn any details of Liza’s death or their life together. Instead, the film revolves around Wilson’s stalling as he avoids reading Liza’s suicide note. Desperately trying to divert himself, Wilson takes up gas-huffing and remote control airplanes. Unwilling to face facts, he prefers to live life through a rag-soaked haze. “Do I smell gas?” several characters ask as they come near him.
Jack Kehler (the Dude’s landlord from The Big Lebowski) adds some small comic relief as Wilson’s new remote control buddy, who covers for Wilson’s eccentric behaviour by saying, “This guy’s wife just blew her head off, okay?”
Also memorable is Sarah Koskoff as Wilson’s boss Maura. The reason for Maura’s relentless attempts to get Wilson back on his feet, to which he appears mostly oblivious, becomes obvious when she makes an inappropriately sweet confession as they sit among zoo animals.
Kathy Bates, who plays Wilson’s mother-in-law, is the only one who shares Wilson’s grief, but he wants no companion in misery. When she finds Wilson sleeping on the floor and contemplates moving him, he responds with one of the film’s more memorable lines: “I’ve found a place to sleep. I know it’s a stupid place, but it’s what I’ve found.”
Lisa Rinzler’s cinematography (Pollack) and Jim O’Rourke’s music may be the saving graces of this film. In fact, the music may have been my favourite part. Instead of walking out feeling depressed as all hell, I left underwhelmed. What could have been an emotionally heavy film just didn’t weigh in. Hoffman is still a great character actor, just don’t expect anything new.
