So Brendan Fraser won best actor at the 2023 Oscars for his role in “The Whale.” This was the grand conclusion of the clichéd narrative that Fraser was exiled from Hollywood after The Mummy fame due to some off screen controversies. My awareness is only limited to what happens on the silver screen, particularly Fraser’s nuanced portrait of Alden Pyle — the principal character in the second film iteration of “The Quiet American” — whom the seminal novelist Graham Greene crafted as a “face with no history.”
His recognition in Darren Aronofsky’s film, as merited as it is, feels like a consolation to his performance in Philip Noyce’s 2002 film. He got snubbed in the political drama due the award ceremonies’ addiction to immediacy, which is not how art operates. Some great works need time to ripen. Multiple viewings need to be sandwiched between bottles of beer, sticks of nicotine, and a sack of life struggles before they sink deeply into our consciousness.
I re-watched the film earlier this afternoon, and I’m still in awe at how he transforms from an American douchebag to an ordinary human craving for and lost in love. Is it his perfectly round eyes, which illuminate like a robust moon amid a black sky? Is he a plyometric sage that’s why he’s able to utilize his hefty build to render emotions without words in wide angles? His understated performance is as captivating, mysterious, and arresting as the acts of Robert de Niro in “Jackie Brown,” Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight” and the million roles of Tom Hardy.
There’s no room for subtlety in Hollywood. You have to “disappear into your role” or seamlessly emulate the voice, mannerisms, and intonations of a cultural icon in a biopic to be heralded as a major thespian (That’s why Adam Sandler only got his respect after PTA’s “Punch Drunk Love”). Of course, being at one with the zeitgeist also helps. This makes the Oscars a pliable signpost of specific milieus, not a celebration of the frenzied world of film.
As for the audience, what does this reveal about them and their predilection for such “transformative” performances? Is great acting really wearing a fat suit or starving yourself until your shoulder blades protrude from the flesh? Have we lost the talent for decrypting human behavior? Do we need to turn red before we’re handed a chill pill? Do tears need to flow from our eyes before a warm embrace? Do we need to see blood and guts before we extend a helping hand?
Punch Time Clock 