Jack Nicholson (times five)

I don’t like Jack Nicholson very much. At the same time I’d be immediately read to assert that he’s probably one of the 30 best actors alive at the moment – perhaps of all time if you only include American and British. As far as the males go he’s the closest thing to Oscar royalty, what with his record breaking twelve Oscar nominations and whatnot. Despite my feelings, though, he’s always fascinated. One undeniable fact about Nicholson is that he’s charismatic. I remember when I was watching The Departed with a friend of mine and she was positively repulsed by Nicholson’s Costello. “The man’s hideous,” she said. And yet he’s built a career as a sort of atypical ladies man, more than a ladies’ man though something that never fails to intrigue me about Nicholson and his Oscar wins is the fact that each time he won the Oscar he was accompanied to the podium by the leading actress in his film – namely Louise Fletcher, Shirley MacLaine and Helen Hunt. The only thing close I can think of in Oscar history is Katharine Hepburn winning her final three Best Actress slots for films that went on to win best screenplay (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, On Golden Pond). In celebration of CS' LAMB Feature, I'm doing a shoddy attempt at profiling....grading five performances of his.

R. P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest B+

There’s a slight irony that this is the film Nicholson is most remembered for since I feel the same way about the film as I do about him. It’s brilliant, no doubt, but I feel little for it. Looking back at the category that was a relatively good year for men, but it was Jack's "time" as they call it and going crazy is a good way to win Oscar. What's more he's obviously the best in show, I'm very sceptical about Fletcher's Actress win but that's a conversation for a whole other day....

                   

Garret Breedlove in Terms of Endearment B/B-

The eighties weren’t a horrible decade for film, but it was a poor one for Oscar. Save for Amadeus and depending on my mood maybe Out of Africa I’m more often than not confused by their choices for Best Picture. Terms of Endearment is one of those films which I’m constantly trying to find the appeal of. Sure, Shirley MacLaine is brilliant and Debra Winger, Jeff Bridges and Nicholson offer up good performances but it’s resounding acclaim always leaves me feeling a little out of the loop. Jack is fine here, definitely playing Jack but of the three wins it’s the one I’m most surprised by. Considering that none of the gents from The Big Chill made the lineup (WTF?) I suppose Oscar weren’t thinking too clearly in the category.

Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets B/B+

I don’t hate Helen Hunt as much as many do, though I’ll say she was easily the least deserving of the nominees that year. But the movie belongs to jack irrevocably. The crazy antics are Jack’s but it’s more than just him being an automatons. Even when he's playing drama Nicholson still has the tendency - exasperating at times - to be a comic, so something like Brooks' antihero works wel on him. I will say that Greg Kinnear gives him a good run for his money, but really it's the Jack Show. Shameless hamming at times, but it works...

Incidentally one of the two Jack performance I’d single out as his crowning achievement is one that’s generally quite forgotten. His Eugene O’Neill in Reds is the performance I’m always somewhat miffed he lost the Oscar for. It’d get an A in a heartbeat from me. the thing is Reds has got to be one of the most underrated films of the eighties, sure it’s 3 hours long and an epic about communism; but it’s freakin’ brilliant. It features Warren Beatty’s best work (writing, acting and directing) Diane Keaton’s strongest dramatic work, Nicholson’s strong work (says me) and an excellent supporting turn from Maureen Stapleton. 

The thing is, Jack is fine when he’s hogging the camera but I always like him when he’s supporting and you have to wait for him to turn up – that’s when the appreciate grows a little more like in The Departed. His performance in Chinatown is another one I'm quick to laud. Like his performance in Reds he doesn't put too much Jack in it, even though he still has all that charisma. Maybe it's  because Chinatown is so tightly focused on plot with little interest in becoming a character study so he's forced to act as succinctly as possible, or maybe it's one of the treasures of having a scene partner as brilliant as Faye Dunaway. Either way, this would get another A from me. And once again this is a performance that's defined by its leading lady. 

Flashback: Something’s Gotta Give

For some reason I always find myself going easy on Nancy Meyer, and if I trace the reason I’d probably end up at Something’s Gotta Give - a film I’d easily place somewhere in my top ten of 2003. The thing is – I often feel as if I’m alone when it comes to appreciating the somewhat atypical romantic comedy. In retrospect Something’s Gotta Give’s sleight of hand (focusing on the mother of the romantic heroine instead of said presumed heroine) is not as inventive as it likes to think, but I’m damned if I don’t find it fresh and enjoyable nonetheless. A young woman brings home an older man and due to medical problems her mother ends up looking after him. The ending is probably obvious from the inception, but no matter - Something’s Gotta Give still has a whole lot to give (weak pun, I agree).

It seems like a non-argument to lament on it, but it’s a rare thing seeing two thespians, both over sixty, helming a film. It’s even less likely to see such a film that is not a drama focusing on inevitable loss of life (or parental woes). A romantic comedy for the aged? Unlikely. What’s more unlike her latest feature, which I just couldn’t love, Something’s Gotta Give doesn’t get its bearings from seeing older folks act like children. Sure, Nicholson’s playboy is still holding on to his youth – but he’s definitely an old chap and of course the always luminous Diane Keaton is wonderful just because she’s so mature. I think I’ve intimated as much before, but Keaton effortlessly stands out as my favourite female performance of 2003. Moreover, I’d find it difficult to say just what makes me so impressed with Keaton’s outing here. She’s a talented comedienne, that much is a given. She’s arguably the best of her era at comedy (even more than Dench and Sarandon and Streep and Mirren), but she’s so often in those horrendous comedies we tend to forget. The odd bits of subtlety in Something’s Gotta Give always surprise, and then Keaton is just doing so much to make her Erica deliciously interesting while still retaining that bit of weirdness.

It doesn’t take a genius to tell you that the third act of Something’s Gotta Give is not as tight as its previous too. Then, there’s just the slight feeling that Meyers solution to all the drama (albeit, comedic drama) is just a little too rote, but I will occasionally let those issues go because of the gusto with which the entire thing is created. Something’s Gotta Give probably started out as a foray in two Oscar greats working alongside each other, but it turns into a one woman show. Sure, Amanda Peet and Frances McDormand offer nice supporting bits, sure Jack Nicholson is surprisingly emotive at times and yes Keanu Reeves is shockingly on par with his cast – but this is all Diane Keaton. From the first shot we’re enamoured with this woman. Meyers is lucky she got such a talent; with her Something’s Gotta Give turns into more than the sum of its parts.

   

Am I too effusive with praise? What do you think of Keaton and Something’s Gotta Give?

Performances of the Decade (Male)

The general argument is that it’s difficult for actors to make a great impression on you in ensemble casts. Is it really? Brad, Ian, Ed and Tim all do excellent work playing supporting roles in large ensembles. I’m not certain if this is a supporting performance – I’d say no.

          

#5 Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed (2006)

Sometimes I believe I can not the exact moment I knew Leo was on to something special in The Departed with Billy Costigan. It’s about twenty minutes in as he watches over the deathbed of his mother. He’s approached by his waspish uncle who gives the general affectations of guilt ridden relatives. Sure, Monaghan’s script is an absolute delight, but DiCaprio’s delivery that always floors me: 

“…Well maybe it would have done you some good to have a question from time to time. Am I an asshole, are my kids a mess? Is my wife a money grubbing whore? Those are questions. Have I ever been good to my dying sister or am I now just pretending to be?” 

It’s the sort of intensity that marks DiCaprio as an actor, and distinguishes Costigan from his peers in The Departed. From the first shot of him, his shifty eyed discomfort in the classroom in his police uniform which seems completely wrong for him. Or the first shot of him in civilian clothing as he waits outside Queenan’s office – there’s something a little off about this guy, we're not certain if he's bad or something bad has happened to him, but he's troubled.

The Departed is not a film that’s wholly concerned with defining each of its characters (the actors are left to their own devices), and even though on the most superficial of levels it’s the battle between good and evil it doesn’t care to relegate its characters to types either because although it would be remiss of us to call Billy a bad guy we can’t exactly call him a good guy either. One of the ironies of The Departed for me is that even though DiCaprio’s visits to Madolyn are part of the ruse he really does seem like someone who needs psychiatric help. His eccentricities do provide laughter, but it’s the sort of tense laughter that always makes you just a little uneasy. Who can forget the line about the cranberry juice? - The anti-diurectic drink. His outbursts in Madolyn's office are nice to watch, the implications below are unnerving. DiCaprio plays Billy with a deliberate stride, he’s not quite unhinged, but he’s on the path there. I’m never certain, though, if he’s acting in that first meeting with Madolyn or is he really is feeling that high-strung. I’m not sure he does either.

The thing is, though Leo convinces me of Billy’s craziness it’s the moments of uneasiness when he breaks down that are my favourite. The most piercing is the moment of Queenan’s death. It all happens so fast (it is a pity that we’re robbed of seeing more of Sheen’s excellent portrayal). That moment as Queenan’s blood spatters on Billy is taut and the pathetic expression on his face is intense. Queenan’s role as a surrogate father to Billy is obvious, as is the conflicting role of father that Costello should represents. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Nicholson is as effective as that between he and Sheen. It’s with the same intensity after Queenan’s death that he returns to Madolyn, the only person he can trust – even when he can’t. I can’t speak of Leo without at least mentioning Vera’s excellent work. She takes a character that exists principally as the plot point – and the role in theory is quite thankless – and turns it into a highly nuanced character. More importantly, Leo works well with her and the two do good work together.

Someone once said The Departed was one of those badass flicks, and it is. It doesn't care to sentimentalise and Scorsese demands the same from his actors. I suppose that The Departed still manages to work without DiCaprio but that doesn't make this performance any less of important as far as I'm concerned. His immersion in character is impressive even as he goes (unknowingly) to his death he is always Costigan, and no one else. A truly brilliant performance.

        

There’s a slight aversion to DiCaprio the actor that exists even if he tries to be as diverse as possible. I see this as the best work he’s done with Scorsese; but do you think it’s worth a mention?