Supporting Actor 2002

Now this is a veteran group of actors. I'm looking forward to watching these guys do their thing as I know it's going to be a great group.

2002 Best Supporting Actor

Chris Cooper - Adaptation.

I don't think I've ever seen Chris Cooper act better than he did in this role. Everyone in Adaptation. delivered some top notch performances but Cooper's was downright amazing. I said before for Streep, it's glaringly obvious that everyone was having a ton of fun on set and with their roles because they simply own them and give us pure acting gold. Cooper plays a Florida man who has become an orchid thief, illegally harvesting the flowers from deep in the South Florida swamps. Cooper plays a Florida cracker pretty well and is a real redneck genius. His character is able to attract the New York based Streep character who is writing about him precisely because he's so passionately himself. There's no sense of trying to be someone else or wanting to be someone else. He legitimately thinks he's the smartest orchid guy in the world or whatever new passion he's started on and it's refreshing to see someone not put on airs. This all works because of Cooper's oozing charisma with every toothless grin. Honestly, he's just plain fun to watch and what I'm trying to say with this jumbled mess is that he is really, really good and absolutely deserved his Oscar.

Ed Harris - The Hours

This is a really interesting nomination. When you think of Ed Harris performances, you think rough and tough and manly badass or villain type roles. But in The Hours, Harris plays a gay poet dying of AIDS who is friends with Streep's character. It's a stark contrast to what we expect from Harris and he does a pretty good job of changing up those expectations. The way Harris delivers his lines in a kind of poetic, literary way is a neat touch and fits the character wonderfully. Harris is basically only in two extended scenes with Streep, so he gets to act off one of the greats who is just doing her usual thing. Even though Harris' scenes are short, he leaves an impression on the audience. It sort of jazzes up the modern day story in the film when he's on screen because frankly the story is mostly a bore and I didn't one hundred percent understand it's point to the overall film. Streep's character is named Clarissa Dalloway which is the name of the character from the Virginia Woolf book that Kidman writes and that Moore's character reads and her son is Harris. A convoluted mess but Harris plays his part to perfection. It's a small role that makes an otherwise noteworthy impact on a mostly dull story.

Paul Newman - Road to Perdition

My first Paul Newman! Which makes it sound like I'm collecting baseball cards or something. I'm excited for when I can finally get into some of his more juicy roles, even though that will probably be 10 years from now. It's plainly obvious that this nomination is a veteran nomination, a last chance to honor and reward one of the all time greats. So in that sense, I'm okay with these kinds of veteran nominations. It's a serious acting show from Newman and not just a glorified cameo or something so it doesn't taint the allure and luster of the Oscar nomination. It's a good enough performance, if unremarkable. It doesn't necessarily stand out and doesn't feel memorable, though his final scene is somewhat powerful in it's simplicity. But it works extremely well within the story, with Newman playing the old crime boss whose nefarious ways finally catch up to him. If the Academy is going to keep rewarding actors as a nod to their career, this should be the benchmark by which all the future veteran and career nominations are set against.

John C. Reilly - Chicago

One might easily dismiss this nomination as simply being here because it got swept up in the tremendous love for Chicago that year. But if you look at his resume for 2002, you'll see Reilly is also in 2 other Best Picture nominees: Gangs of New York and The Hours. So this very much seems like a nod to his amazing year on top of his acting ability. Oscar always seems to find a way to nominate actors/actresses that appear in a couple Best Picture worthy films. So how exactly is Reilly's performance in the film? Well, there's not a whole lot to it, honestly. He plays Zellweger's husband and stands by her no matter what looking like quite a buffoon. But he plays the part well enough and has one song and dance number that is mostly forgettable. It's a perfectly benign performance. This was definitely a moment where Oscar rewarded the actor with a nomination based on the sum of his parts rather than his specific performance here. And I'm totally okay with that. Reilly is an underrated actor who is just as good in the dramatic as he is in the comedic. A well deserved nomination based on a tremendous year's worth of work.

Christopher Walken - Catch Me If You Can

When it comes to Christopher Walken, it's easy to forget that he actually is a really talented actor (and dancer) despite all of our preconceived notions about him. Yes, lately he essentially become a kind of caricature of himself and is more well known for the more cowbell SNL sketch or the Fatboy Slim music video. But Walken has some serious acting chops and those are put to good use in this Spielberg film. His signature idiosyncrasies are mostly muted. He talks without his trademark stilted cadence and doesn't lumber around scenes looking like a vacant shell of himself. He is fully engaged in the role of Leonardo DiCaprio's father who has done some shady stuff in the past but doesn't want to see his son get in trouble like he is even though he's extremely proud of what he has accomplished, real or otherwise. I'm not sure if it's because we are used to the eccentric Walken or what but this performance comes off as measured and dare I say normal? I hate to just make it seem that Walken is just this weird, crazy dude that stopped knowing how to act but this isn't what we (I) are used to! He's a great actor and it shows in this film. I'm really eager to watch some of his other, earlier work (he was nominated and won for his role in The Deer Hunter) and I know he'll be in a couple films on my journey even if I don't get to them until 2021. Christopher Walken is supremely talented and that fact can be lost on some people, including me. He does a great job of reminding us of this talent in Catch Me If You Can.

As usual the Best Supporting Actor category delivers a group of nominees that don't disappoint when it comes to their performances. It's a strong group but there is a very clear winner here. Even though it was a sort of surprise on Oscar night, Cooper is hands down the winner. His performance is easily the best of the 5 and is one I can watch over and over without getting tired of it. The rest of the group all kind of fit into the same mold: good but not great. Harris showcases his range, Walken reminds us he is a serious actor, Newman caps off a storied career, and Reilly caps off a hell of a year. Always glad to get a strong group like this one to watch.

Oscar Winner: Chris Cooper - Chicago
My Winner:  Chris Cooper - Chicago
Ed Harris
Christopher Walken
Paul Newman
John C. Reilly