Infamous

By the time Isabella Rossellini poses the question “Do you think your book is worth a human life?” the difference between Infamous and its oft compared predecessor, Capote, has been made clear: Capote was subtle. While Bennett Miller’s more simply titled and generally simpler film was a beautifully photographed and haunting tragedy of sheer brilliance, Douglas McGrath’s Infamous amps up the flamboyance and whimsy, making it a palatable alternative despite its obvious inferiority.

The film takes a different approach to the story of Truman Capote’s experiences in researching 'In Cold Blood' by delaying his arrival to Kansas and placing far more emphasis on his time spent as a star conversationalist amongst other New York City socialites. This increases the opportunity for comedy and wry wit, which are the films greatest strengths and also the strongest parts of Toby Jones’ charmingly silly but awfully soulless depiction of the legendary author. Both Jones and the film fall flat when the events of the story turn truly tragic. Capote was an eerie film with doses of dark wit. Infamous is a full blown comedy that just happens to end with a hanging or two. It really can’t balance its laughs with its chills and as a result its ending is a painfully muddled and shallow take on what should have been a very powerful finale. The film’s heart seems invested in Capote’s love of gossip when it should really be invested in the film’s more emotional arresting developments.

Besides Jones’ over the top performance as Capote, the movie boasts an array of famous faces doing almost nothing. In addition to a barely on screen Rossellini, it also features Sigourney Weaver, Hope Davis, and Gwyneth Paltrow doing very little at all. It’s the immediate cast of supporting players that do the best work here. Daniel Craig and Sandra Bullock both offer rougher and distinctively different takes on Harper Lee and Perry Smith respectively. They’re nice surprises in a mixed bag of underperforming talent.

Infamous is definitely a downgrade from last year’s Oscar winning biopic, but it’s still a funny film with some deeply effective monologues delivered by Bullock and a few very heartbreaking sequences involving Craig as convicted killer, Smith. It lacks Capote’s quiet depth, but it still has a nice enough spirit to function as a humor piece if you’re willing to forgive its generally overwritten and often insincere dramatic material.

Grade: B-