Philip Seymour Hoffman: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Phil Parma - Magnolia

In his obituary for Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Fear of Rolling Stone wrote that "no modern actor was better at making you feel sympathy for f*cking idiots, failures, degenerates, sad sacks and hangdogs dealt a bum hand by life, even as - no, especially when - he played them with all of their worst qualities front and centre." It was something Hoffman excelled at, which is probably why Paul Thomas Anderson thought he would give his pal a break by casting him as a "really simple, uncomplicated, caring character... really takes pride in the fact that every day he's dealing with life and death circumstances". Which is what he did as hospice nurse Phil Parma in Magnolia. One of the actor's many collaborations with director Anderson - Hoffman's part as slightly pathetic lapdog Scotty J in Boogie Nights is another stand out - he manages to not get lost in an ensemble that includes such heavyweights as Julianne Moore, William H Macy and Tom Cruise playing brilliantly against type as misogynistic motivational speaker Frank Mackey. Phil's patient, the dying husband of Julianne Moore's character, asks him to track down his long-lost son: that self-same misogynistic motivational speaker last scene talking about taming and respecting different genitalia. For once, Hoffman isn't playing a character who is a total screw up, or morally compromised in some way. He's just a nice guy. Not just a nice guy, actually, but a guy who really has everything together, is aware of his place in the world, and wants to do what's right. He's the calm centre of a three-hour storm of devastating feeling and emotional catharsis, and his showdown with Cruise - eventually convincing the arrogant douche to come see his dad before he dies.