Ed Harris Received his fourth Oscar nomination for portraying Richard Brown in The Hours.
Ed Harris plays the aids stricken gay but former boyfriend now friend of the the now lesbian Clarissa (Meryl Streep). Ed Harris' performance is the type that just screams for an Oscar he is playing a gay dying character who is also crazed and even suicidal. Although I suppose a performance even when way to baity can still be good, but this is not the case of Ed Harris' performance, who wants to brilliantly play against type but instead plays the part way over the top.
Harris' performance is basically made up of just two scenes where he gets to act loudly toward the screen making sure the audience knows he playing a troubled dramatic suicidal man. He does this with so many dramatic line reading and even the way he sits and moves around suggests that he just wants to make sure everyone sees how much acting he is doing in the part.
Harris takes every moment of his performance to use an obvious voice to suggest that Richard is gay, poet and sick all at once. It far too much overacting from Harris who adds to his too calculated of a voice with some equally actory and over the top faces to add to his needlessly overblown performance. Harris could have toned down just a little any facet of his performance but always stays way far too over the top to be believable.
Harris wants to give an impassioned powerful performance that wants to be a heartbreaking portrait of this poet. For me though he fails completely because he insists on giving such a knowing performance. He never for a moment is able to bring an actual emotion because of his portrayal. His needlessly overdone performance becomes cringe worthy unfortunately. He never for a moment brings genuine emotion because of this despite how desperately he wants it to seem an emotional powerhouse of a performance.
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