Justin Kirk was robbed
I've just spent the weekend watching this film twice and I have to scream it from the rooftops that Justin Kirk's acting throughout was absolutely phenomenal. How this guy didn't win about 14 golden globes or emmy's and everything else is bizarre and a ripoff. Even in a film with the likes of Pacino and Streep, he completely blew me away. How on earth did Pacino get 'lead' actor status ? Kirk is clearly the lead actor, here.
The comic delivery and timing all the way through for god's sake (busting into Joe's office and yelling at him that he's a prophet and ("What do I look like, a marriage counselor!?") and then backing off and saying "sorry, wrong office", imitating Lou's "butch" voice in the first scene, his reaction to Mother Pitt asking him if he's a "typical homosexual" ("stereotypical! - what do you mean, a hairdresser ? because that would be your lucky day!") ...
The sheer (what must have been taxing) physicality all the way through this role vs the minimal amount the other actors had to do ... crawling bodily down a hallway floor, dragging himself around and up stairs and through a park on his 'bad' leg and with a cane, the number of times this actor is thrown around a room or on a bed with an earthquake/wind tunnel going on around him or forced to act while looking straight up over his head into a blinding bright light, or completely matted down and covered head to toe in sweat or whatever imitation sweat they lather these actors with (which I think happens what - 8 different times in this film?), having to wrestle with that angel, wading through a waste deep lake in hospital gown ...
Even the physicality of the terror in his face during the visitations, the simultaneous exhaustion/venom in his face and voice during the hospital abandonment scene, and when the nurse runs in after he screams and he simply tells her quietly, "I hurt all over" - which just makes your hair stand on end - ...
Anyway, again, I was astounded at what this guy had to do and this was a freaking 10 month shoot. He deserved huge accolades and it seems was stiffed.
To think little Andy Botwin on Weeds has this much acting range.