The Script Calls for Crazy

    So, I just finished watching The Perfect Host starring David Hyde Pierce. I was thinking about reviewing it on here, but I decided against that. The movie is great. There where several good OMG moments. The acting was fantastic. David Hyde Pierce's performance blew me away. This is one of those movies, however, that are better left discussed after viewing. So, go see it so we can talk about it. Tee hee. Seriously though, due to the twists and turns as well as character motivations and psyches, it would be hard to review this film without giving too much away.
    What am doing on here typing about it anyway if I'm not going to review it? The answer is pretty simple actually. I want to address crazy in movies. Mental illness of all sorts can be included in this monologue, but I'm going to be leaning more to portrayals of characters that are seriously crazy. It is an actor's profession to be able to express the emotions, thoughts, motivations, and such of a character. Some obviously are better at this than others. A good director, crew, and supporting cast can help raise an actor's apparent skill. However, I feel that it takes a very special kind of actor to do crazy properly. Most either go too far or fall short.
    When actors go too far with the crazy, it doesn't play right. It is either hokey and laughable or annoying and unbelievable. In either case, it usually comes across as "hey look at me. I'm crazy. Can't you see that I'm crazy?" A lot of what I like to call "Hillbilly Horror" contains this kind of madness. It's over the top. It starts out with you figuring something just isn't quite right, and it ends with them laughing hysterically whilst they and the corpses of their relatives dine on a character's friend. Usually, my reaction is, "oh yeah, figured they were nuts." Rarely in these cases am I surprised, shocked, or can even find a reason to care. Then again, I'm not much of a fan of Hillbilly Horror. It seems in many of the cases where they go too far with the crazy that the reason they are crazy is simply because they are crazy. "Ok, Steve, you're character is crazy, like I'm talking nuts. I like what you did in that scene, but I want you to go even crazier." The fact that they are "crazy" is enough for the script writers, cast, and director.
    When actors fall short with the crazy, it is usually because they don't go deep enough. Their characters come across as either a bland generic example of a mental illness or as someone who may have a couple of issues but nothing too extreme. Unlike when they go too far, falling short comes across as, "oh I guess he's crazy. Ok, whatever." In the really bad cases, it just leaves the audience wondering why the character is doing what they are doing.
    There are exceptions in both cases of course. If a movie is itself completely over the top and nuts, the crazy characters have to be that much more crazy. If they don't stand out as crazy, they are just another aspect of the craziness of the movie in general. If the character is some minor character like a henchman in an action flick, they are allowed to fall short and be typical. They don't really matter to the plot and will most likely be killed off pretty quickly.
    Finally, we arrive at those that do crazy right. Here we have two classes. The first are those that do crazy right, but don't necessarily shine. Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys is a good example of this. He did his research, embraced his role, and quite frankly did a great job... but it doesn't grab you inside. Jack Nicholson in the Shining is another good example. His descent into madness is pretty good, and he goes really nuts well. It still though doesn't hit that nerve.
    The other class is really a class all to itself. This is the class where not only do they do crazy right, they nail it. They do is so perfectly that you feel...words fail me here. It is some internal feeling of not quite shock, not quite stirring, not exactly creeped out. You are captivated and yet a little unsettled. If you have felt it, you'll know what I mean. It is kind of inexpressible. Two prime examples of this are Heath Ledger and Anthony Perkins. Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was above and beyond. His Joker was so complete that I wasn't watching an actor's portrayal of a character. I was watching the real guy. There was no "character." Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates was another fantastically complete character. All the credit cannot go to Hitchcock because even in the sequels, Norman Bates doesn't change. Perkins took the character and made him real. He had such a subtlety and depth with his portrayal of Bates that just made it all so complete and real. UGH! I really wish I could express that feeling!
    I can now add David Hyde Pierce to that list. I wish I could give you my reasons for adding him to the list, but doing so would ruin so much of The Perfect Host for those who haven't seen it. So, yeah, I guess I'll wrap this up with: if you're going to play crazy, do it right or go beyond to near perfection. Your audience will thank you for it.