Phil Parma is one of Hoffman's greatest characters, decidedly different than the larger-than-life roles he created for Capote, Charlie Wilson's War, The Master and countless others. No, there aren't any loud monologues or impromptu songs or accents - Phil Parma, a nurse's assistant, is too real for that. A friend of mine first recommended Magnolia to me years ago. He's a Tom Cruise fan, and so I assumed Cruise was a large part of what made Magnolia such a great movie; I watched it and was indeed impressed by Cruise's role, as it's one of his finest. But upon rewatching Magnolia, I realized the degree of subtlety I'd missed (and that my friend had likely caught) along the entire film. This is especially true of Hoffman's performance as Parma - he has no overarching motives other than what comes out of his heart, no duty to his job to go above and beyond as he does. In this scene he calls for help in finding Cruise's T.J. Mackey, as Mackey's father is under Parma's care and is quickly dying of cancer. This is such a small portion of an incredible role, though, and while I recommend Magnolia for all of the performances, Hoffman's rings the most true. The passing of Mr. Hoffman marks the loss of nothing less than one of the finest actors ever. Suggest more scenes and roles in the comments section below, as there are countless others that will entertain us for years to come.
