Monday, December 22, 2014

In Character: the Cast of The Homesman

Tommy Lee Jones’ The Homesman is a fantastic film that feels sadly destined to disappear. Despite being in competition for the Cannes Films Festival’s coveted Palme d’Or last May, The Homesman suffered a piss-poor theatrical distribution, and will likely soon fade out of theaters, thereby slipping past audiences. 

The film is a revisionist western about a lonely and depressed woman named Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) who volunteers to transport three insane women from their homes in Nebraska to a mental health care facility in Iowa. There are potential risks on this journey. Bad weather, vengeful Native Americans, rapists, thieves – you name it. Shortly into the film, Mary Bee saves the life of George Briggs (Jones), who in return, agrees to help Mary Bee make the trip.

Directed and co-written by Jones, The Homesman is emotionally brutal, unapologetically cynical and utterly thrilling. It also boasts one of 2014’s most notable ensemble casts. If you have a chance to see The Homesman, do check it out. Maybe this cast alone will be all the reason you need to give the film a go.

Barry Corbin
Role in The Homesman: Buster Shaver, a townsmen Briggs meets on the way.
Notable Roles: WarGames, Northern Exposure, The Big Easy, One Tree Hill, In the Valley of Elah
Best Role: His single scene in No Country for Old Men, as Tommy Lee Jones’ wheelchair-bound uncle, is so quietly astonishing. You can just feel that man’s loneliness.

David Dencik
Role in The Homesman: Thor Svendsen, the horrific husband of one of the insane women.
Notable Roles: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (both Swedish and US versions), Brotherhood, A Royal Affair
Best Role: I’ve liked Dencik in everything I’ve seen him in (he plays a monster in The Homesman), but I’m particularly drawn to his “Poorman” from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

William Fichtner
Role in The Homesman: Vester Belknap, another spineless husband of one of the women.
Notable Roles: The Underneath, Heat, Armageddon, Go, Black Hawk Dawn, Crash
Best Role: His brief by startling role as a deaf widow in Nine Lives is something that, once seen, you can’t forget. (Read my breakdown of Nine Lives here.)

Grace Gummer
Role in The Homesman: Arabella Sours, one of the women being transported.
Notable Roles: Larry Crowe, Frances Ha, The Newsroom, American Horror Story
Best Role: Easily her tragically repressed Arabella from The Homesman. If you only know Gummer from The Newsroom, she’ll floor you in this film.

Evan Jones
Role in The Homesman: Bob Giffen, a would-be suitor for Mary Bee.
Notable Roles: Jarhead, Glory Road, Lucky You, The Express, The Book of Eli
Best Role: As perpetual fuck up Cheddar Bob in 8 Mile.

Tommy Lee Jones
Role in The Homesman: George Briggs, the gruff journeyman who helps Mary Bee transport the women.
Notable Roles: Coal Miner’s Daughter, JFK, The Fugitive, Natural Born Killers, Men in Black, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, No Country for Old Men
Best Role: Tough call. As a tired and despondent military father looking for answers in In the Valley of Elah. I’m so drawn to his hard-earned melancholy in that film.

Richard Andrew Jones
Role in The Homesman: Carmichael
Notable Roles: Under Siege, Blue Sky, Lone Star, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Bernie
Best Role: Jones doesn’t typically appear in a film for very long, but he’s always a reliable presence. So, because it’s fresh in my mind, I’ll go with his Grandpa Cliff from Boyhood. Who didn’t get a kick out of watching Grandpa Cliff give Mason a gun for his birthday?

John Lithgow
Role in The Homesman: Reverend Dowd, a kind man praying for Mary Bee’s safe travels.
Notable Roles: Obsession, All That Jazz, Blow Out, Terms of Endearment, Footloose, Cliffhanger, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, Kinsey, Love Is Strange, Interstellar
Best Role: Jesus, how can you pick? Such a varied and impressive career. I’m going to do a full profile on Lithgow soon, and until then, I need a few more days to make up my mind.

Tim Blake Nelson
Role in The Homesman: The Freighter, a deadly obstacle Mary Bee and Briggs encounter.
Notable Roles: The Thin Red Line, Minority Report, The Good Girl, Syriana, The Incredible Hulk, Lincoln
Best Role: Gotta be good ol’ Delmar from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Gopher, Everett?

Miranda Otto
Role in The Homesman: Theoline Belknap, one of the women being transported.
Notable Roles: What Lies Beneath, Human Nature, The Lord of the Rings saga, War of the Worlds, Rake
Best Role: Who can forget Otto’s devastating turn as the sole female in The Thin Red Line? She hardly utters a word on screen, yet she rips our damn guts out.

Jesse Plemons
Role in The Homesman: Garn Sours, a kind soul in a film with very few of them.
Notable Roles: Observe and Report, Paul, The Master, Breaking Bad, Olive Kitteridge
Best Role: I love Jesse Plemons. Absolutely love the guy. It’s damn tough to beat his lovable psychopath in Breaking Bad, but I’m still partial to his fearless work on Friday Night Lights.

Sonja Richter
Role in The Homesman: Gro Svendsen, the most haunting of the three women being transported.
Notable Roles: In Your Hands, Open Hearts, Cecilie
Best Role: Her Homesman character, no question. The shit that Gro Svendsen endures in this film… I still can’t remove it from my mind.

James Spader
Role in The Homesman: Aloysius Duggy, a smug hotel owner who makes the mistake of offending Briggs.
Notable Roles: Less Than Zero, Stargate, Crash, Secretary, The Practice, Boston Legal, The Office, The Blacklist
Best Role: Graham from Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Such a creepy and misunderstood little bastard.

Hailee Steinfeld
Role in The Homesman: Tabitha Hutchinson, a spiteful young woman Briggs comes across.
Notable Roles: Hateship Loveship, Begin Again, Ender’s Game
Best Role: Mattie Ross from True Grit. It was a damn tough year, but I would’ve loved if she won the Oscar in 2011.

Meryl Streep
Role in The Homesman: Altha Carter, a reverend’s wife who is set to take in the three troubled women.
Notable Roles: Manhattan, Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, Silkwood, Adaptation, The Hours, Angels in America, The Devil Wears Prada, August: Osage County
Best Role: The Deer Hunter. For me, it’ll always be Linda from The Deer Hunter. The sadness in her eyes.

Hilary Swank
Role in The Homesman: Mary Bee Buddy, the brave soul who volunteers for the journey.
Notable Roles: Beverly Hills 90210, The Gift, Insomnia, Million Dollar Baby, Conviction
Best Role: The helpless and doomed Brandon Teena in Boy’s Don’t Cry. The very definition of a star-making turn.

47 comments:

  1. I love that you did an In Character post for this film! It really is exceptional, and it sucks that it isn't getting more recognition. So many talented actors, all of who shine in this film. For Meryl, almost any of her roles you could call her best. For me, Sophie's Choice. A cliché pick? Maybe, but she was perfect. If Marion doesn't make the Oscar cut, I think it'll be Swank who makes it in, which I certainly have no problem with.

    Looking forward to reading your post on Lithgow! He is incredible, I can't wait to see Love is Strange. Also, have you seen Olive Kitteridge yet? If not, Jesse Plemons is in the first two episodes and he is great in them.

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    1. So glad you're a fan of this movie, it really deserves to be discussed more. I wonder if Swank will make the cut. I'd be all for it too, but Marion... wow, so good. I actually haven't seen Olive Kitteridge yet, but I really need to. Heard nothing but good things.

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    2. As usual, Marion was out of this world in two very different films. I hope she'll make it, she deserves it.

      Oh, you should definitely see Olive Kitteridge. I don't remember the last time a miniseries affected me that much. Everything about it is absolutely perfect, and it broke my heart, pieced it together, only to crush it again. Phenomenal, a work of art.

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    3. Ahh, I really need to watch Olive now, hopefully over the holidays. I've heard nothing but great things, and your praise has me very excited!

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    4. Yes, you should watch it when you get the time!

      I feel bad for not asking sooner, but have you had any luck on the festival circuit for Wait?

      Also, Merry Christmas!

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    5. Just finished the first episode. LOVE it. Wow, had no idea it was going to be so intense. Whatta cast.

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    6. Oh shit, sorry for missing the Wait question. Don't ever feel bad for asking! Submissions are going really well, now it's just the waiting game. I should start hearing back in a month or so. Very exciting!

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    7. Yes, and it gets even more intense as the episodes go on, especially those last two episodes.

      It's great that things are going well for Wait! The stills you included in your post on the sex scene looked beautiful. The lighting, the framing, the colours, it works really well together.

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    8. Aww thanks so much! I really appreciate you saying that :)

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  2. Wow, I didn't realize that this cast was so...full! I've heard mixed things about this film, but mostly positive, so I'm anxious to catch it when I can. It's funny how it opened at Cannes and everyone kind of thought it would be a thing this Oscar season and no one has talked about it since. Shame.

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    1. Damn shame. It isn't a very marketable film in terms of mainstream tastes, but I really loved it. It definitely deserved a wider release, no question. Every one in the cast is ace.

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  3. Love it that you chose to do an In Character post for Tommy Lee Jones' film. You're damn right when you say that it is "a fantastic film that feels sadly destined to disappear." It's such a subtle and hauntingly poetic commentary on an extremely dark era in American history and the roles of both women and men at that turbulent time. Jones' calm and confident direction captures the real essence of what it could feel to breathe and live back then at the Old West and takes a decidedly and unapologetically grim look at the way the latter could crush the souls of its people. Hilary Swank gets the opportunity to portray the kind of woman we rarely as an audience get the chance to see in a contemporary American film. Seemingly strong and independent but seriously lonely and broken inside. Mary Bee Cuddy is a really remarkable role for the actress and she delivers a monumental performance. The whole cast is excellent and I really dug your choices buddy in regards to their best roles to date. I mean, Toby Esterhase aka Poorman for David Dencik? You're the man! Such a perfectly-measured performance. The case of Meryl Streep is definitely a tough one but for me it's Sophie's Choice. Her performance is a phenomenal achievement of total commitment to the character. I love Linda from The Deer Hunter though. Fantastic work my friend, keep it up!

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    1. Thanks man! So happy you liked The Homesman. You're right, it's such a calm yet confident film. I absolutely adored it. Sophie's Choice is an enigma for me. I honestly do not like the film at all, but Streep's performance is astounding. I mean, THAT scene... Jesus. It never fails to shake me up.

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    2. I don't really like the film much either, but Streep's performance is really some kind of a wonder. Everytime I see that scene, I cannot believe how she was able to do that the way she did. Amazing. For me, a narrow second wouldn't be The Deer Hunter, but Silkwood. She should have won Best Actress In A Leading Role for me back to back. She fucking deserved it. She shouldn't have to wait 30 years to get it for The Iron Lady. She's incredible there as always and totally worthy of an Oscar win but really her performances in films like Silkwood or A Cry In The Dark are to me far superior. And The Iron Lady, ugh, what a bore. The kind of biopic that really reminds me of a Lifetime movie.

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    3. Oh man, The Iron Lady was so bad. I didn't like it at all. I was shocked that she won Best Actress, to be honest. I didn't like The Help either, but I thought Viola Davis had that in the bag. Still, I would've preferred Rooney :)

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    4. Rooney would be such an inspired choice. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised that she was even nominated for her otherwise phenomenal turn in Fincher's masterful adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Films and performances that dark and twisted get rarely recognized from The Academy. Such a shame. A Rooney Mara's win that year would be really awesome for me as well. I think Meryl's win for The Iron Lady was definitely deserving but as I've said she was so much more deserving for her turns in other films before Phyllida Lloyd's disappointing film.

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    5. I was very surprised and pleased by Rooney's nomination as well. Though I often forget that that movie actually did win an Oscar, which is really cool.

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  4. Oh man, I love the Cheddar Bob character. He's so fun to watch. That is a great cast as I'm still unsure if I want to see the film though I did like Jones' last directorial film in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. I'm just turned off by Hilary Swank's Oscar campaign. Like she needs another one.

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    1. I honestly think you'd really like The Homesman. Melquiades Estrada was very raw (which is why I loved it), whereas The Homesman is far more refined. Really impressive that both films were made by the same man... who happens to be a phenomenal actor.

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  5. I thought the film was good up until the point where "the thing" happened and then I felt as though the film sort of just bottled out. I think Swank is very good, as is Jones and the rest of the cast, but I honestly never felt as invested in the film after "the thing" happened. Was surprised to see Spader and Lithgow in the film though, both giving solid performances for sure! Looking forward to your post on Lithgow!

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    1. I completely get where you're coming from, and I thank you for not ruining said thing here. I was... well... wow, but I loved that the film went there. Very, very bold and wholly unapologetic.

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    2. Oh very bold choice indeed, and just to clarify, I like the film (I don't love it but I was actually surprised how much I enjoyed it - not that you in any way insinuated that I didn't like the film, I'm just saying lol).

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    3. Yeah again, I totally get where you're coming from with this one.

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  6. i love that you spotlighted this great movie. you're right, not many people are talking about it.

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    1. Thanks so much for reading and commenting! A great and overlooked film from 2014.

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  7. I have been curious about this movie, but it's been impossible to find a theater where it plays near me so i'm gonna have to wait for the Blu-ray or VOD release. I sounds like a movie i would like and the cast looks amazing. It's a shame Hilary Swank's career is so bad at the moment. She is a great actress. Also, can't wait for your profile for John Lithgow. He is one of my favorite actors. You should definitely check out his season of Dexter if you haven't already. You will never look at him the same way again.

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    1. It's such a bummer that this one has been so hard to find for so many people. It was easy to track down in LA, but this thing deserved to be seen showed everywhere. Damn shame. I've only seen the first season of Dexter, but I'll definitely try to make it to season 4 before my Lithgow post.

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    2. Season 2 and 3 are pretty mediocre, but i promise you that season 4 will be worth it just for Lithgow alone. He is an absolute psychopath there. You can skip the rest of the show after that though because it's all downhill from there. I have never seen a TV show i used to like crash and burn that hard in it's later seasons before. It's actually quite impressive.

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    3. That's what I've heard about that show. So crazy. Some shows have lousy seasons, but to just completely drop off like that, whatta shame.

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  8. Are you gonna watch that season of Dexter for John Lithgow post? He was excellent there and that was the show's best season it all went downhill from there.

    Love your choices here, I really want to see this film but I heard it's bleak and I'm not in a good place, mentally to see this now

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    1. I definitely will. Which means I'll have to put the post on hold, but it should be worth it, right? Lithgow as a psycho is never a bad thing.

      As for The Homesman - yeah, a very bleak movie.

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  9. I was blown away by The Sunset Limited. An overlooked film of 2011. So I will definitely try to check this one out. The cast looks perfect.

    Jesse Plemmons role as Todd was one of my favorite characters on that show. Him and Lydia were the shows real couple.

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    1. I really like The Sunset Limited as well. Jones feels born to speak McCarthy's words.

      Fuckin' Todd, man.

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  10. What an impressive cast! No wonder you decided to feature them all together. Absolutely dead on about Corbin in No Country, too. Great call.

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    1. Thanks man! Seriously, the cast alone makes The Homesman worth it.

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  11. Great spotlight on The Homesman's cast. Though I wasn't a fan of the script for the second half, the cast is truly extraordinary. The amount of people I only recognized after your post really surprised me how talented all of these actors were - especially the ladies escorted across the country and their husbands. All of the performances were truly haunting.

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    1. Thanks Katy! Those three actresses - wow, they really went all in there. And their husbands! Holy shit, such bastards.

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  12. Make a list of films that you are looking forward in 2015.
    The Hateful Eight: QT + SL.J means that the film will be between A and A+ and
    Silence: Scorsese maybe the best living director so I'm into.

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    1. I'm definitely going to do that post shortly into the new year. Very excited for some upcoming films.

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    2. What do you think about a top 10 quotes, top 10 best villains?

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    3. For what, 2014? Honestly, probably not. Not bad ideas, but I'm going to be doing a lot of Best Of posts for 2014. Don't want to do too many.

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  13. Many are calling it the best western since 'Unforgiven'

    Whenever I hear that, I am always saddened by the lack of people who know about The Assassination of Jesse James, By the Coward Robert Ford- I'd hope you agree :)

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    1. Yeah, I definitely agree with you. Unforgiven is great because it resurged the revisionist western, but tAoJJbtCRF is a masterpiece. No question.

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  14. Now that's one hell of a cast. Really curious to check this out now, but it looks like it's not playing anywhere around here. :\

    Great post, man. I always love reading these.

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    1. Thanks buddy! Ahh that's a bummer it isn't near you. Maybe it'll be On Demand soon?

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  15. Nice work man. I missed this in theaters, but I'll definitely check it out on DVD. Didn't recognize Miranda Otto in The Thin Red Line, and I love that you listed In the Valley of Elah as Jones' best role. That's one of my favorite Oscar nominations in recent years.

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    1. I rewatched Elah after I posted this, and yeah dude, it still really hits for me. First film I ever review on this site!

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