Today marks 20 years ago that an incredibly promising acting career was cut tragically short due to drug addiction.
At the age of 23, Oscar nominee River Phoenix collapsed outside the Viper Room in Los Angeles due to a heroin and cocaine overdose. In just an eight year period, Phoenix had earned the status of one of the finest actors of his generation. His first film role came alongside a young Ethan Hawke in Joe Dante’s 1985 cult sci-fi flick Explorers.
By the following year, River really broke out with roles in Rob Reiner’s terrific Stand by Me and alongside Harrison Ford in the well-reviewed The Mosquito Coast.
In 1988, Mr. Phoenix received a Supporting Actor nod for his impressive work in Sidney Lumet’s Running on Empty, which is a picture well worth seeking out.
In 1989, Phoenix’s biggest commercial success would come in the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where he played a young Indy quite believably.
In 1991, he would costar with Keanu Reeves in Gus Van Sant’s acclaimed My Own Private Idaho, where he won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. That same year he starred with Lili Taylor in the critical favorite Dogfight.
More commercial success would follow in 1992 with Sneakers, in which he played a supporting role alongside heavyweights Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, and Sidney Poitier.
It’s hard to imagine, but River Phoenix would only be 43 years old if not for the fateful Halloween evening in 1993. There is little doubt that his career would have persisted onwards and upwards alonside contemporaries like Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The family legacy has certainly continued. It was River’s younger brother who placed the 911 call while River fought for his life. Joaquin Phoenix and his brilliant work in Walk the Line, The Master, and his Oscar buzzworthy turn in the upcoming Her carries on the tradition of great acting that his big brother started.
Hard to believe it, but Mr. Johnny Depp turns the big 5-0 tomorrow. He was once known as that cool actor who eschewed big Hollywood projects in order to do it his way. Ten years ago, a certain project came along that made him the biggest movie star in the world… and the highest paid. There is no question that Depp belongs in the pantheon of most significant film stars in the medium’s history.
In order to celebrate Johnny’s half century on this Earth and the enjoyment he’s brought to audiences, I’ve compiled my personal Top Ten favorite Johnny Depp performances.
First, some notes about pictures that did not make the cut. Most famous actors have forgettable film debuts. Not Johnny Depp. Audiences first saw Depp meeting a rather unfortunate end in one of the best scenes in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street.
While 2010’s Alice in Wonderland may be his second highest grossing flick ever, you won’t find it in my Top Ten. I found it to be quite a disappointment. Johnny is apparently negotiating to star in a sequel and I hope it improves on the original considerably.
While a number of Depp’s Tim Burton collaborations are in the Top Ten – you won’t find Sleepy Hollow or Dark Shadows or Sweeney Todd. And even though he got an Oscar nomination for it, Marc Forster’s JM Barrie biopic Finding Neverland missed the cut, as did Michael Mann’s John Dillinger biopic Public Enemies.
So, let’s get to the movies that did make the list, shall we?
10. From Hell (2001)
The Hughes Brothers retelling of the hunt for Jack the Ripper is a violent and visionary feast. Depp is terrific as Inspector Frederick Abberline, the investigator whose drug-inspired dreams leads him down Jack’s trail.
9. Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Robert Rodriguez’s follow-up to Desperado is the rare sequel that’s quite a bit better. And part of that has to do with Depp’s often hilarious and typically offbeat portrayal of a CIA agent. He’s got some great one-liners to work with here: “Are you a Mexican or a Mexican’t?”
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Anyone trying to compete with Gene Wilder’s brilliant work in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory faced an uphill battle. Smartly, Depp didn’t even try. He created his own take on Roald Dahl’s eccentric factory owner. The result: another top-notch performance from Depp in his collaboration with Tim Burton.
7. Blow (2001)
Based on the true life story of drug kingpin George Jung, Depp is on his game in this Ted Demme effort. This is a Depp performance that is mostly free of his character quirks that are found in most roles he chooses. He’s one of the best dramatic actors and Blow is evidence of it.
6. Don Juan DeMarco (1995)
One of the actor’s most underrated films and performances. Depp plays a patient at a psychiatric hospital who believes that he is Don Juan, the world’s greatest lover. His doctor is played by Marlon Brando. Don Juan DeMarco features fabulous work from these two titans of acting and if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor.
5. Donnie Brasco (1997)
Here we have Depp teaming up with another acting God, Al Pacino. Mike Newell’s film casts Depp as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating the Mob in the 1970s. Pacino is one of the gangsters who becomes close with Depp’s character. Based on a true story, Depp excels once again in another straight dramatic performance.
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Terry Gilliam’s tale of journalist Hunter S. Thompson on a drug fueled journey through Sin City gave Johnny an unforgettable role. There are simply too many terrific one-liners that Depp spews to list here and he has a solid partner with Benicio del Toro as his attorney. This is Johnny gone wild and boy is it fun!
3. Ed Wood (1994)
Tim Burton’s loving biopic of Ed Wood, often called Hollywood’s worst director, is a great film with Depp as the title character. Burton’s picture wonderfully displays the joy of movie making, even if the movies are crap. And Depp sells it as the man behind the camera. And he gets to cross dress in it, too!
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
It’s kind of hard to recall now just how amazing this picture was when it came out ten years ago. Much of that may be due to the three lackluster sequels that followed. However, Black Pearl is popcorn entertainment of the highest order. And it’s Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow that turned it into an instant classic. Disney was worried about Depp’s performance when it was being filmed. Turns out Depp’s quirky take on the pirate was its main selling point. This is what turned Johnny into the biggest movie star on the planet.
1. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Depp’s first collaboration with Tim Burton is still the best. Furthermore, Depp’s performance as the title character embodies everything great about this performer. There’s the aforementioned quirkiness. The vulnerability. The physicality. Edward Scissorhands is a special film with a very special leading performance.
So there you have it! My favorite work from one of the best actors in movie history. And Happy 50th birthday to Johnny Depp!
As far as film history, the year 2001 will most be remembered for the first installments of two billion dollar franchises, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Other than that, not much will be remembered about the year. It was an exceptionally weak year for movies.
This was reflected in a relatively unimpressive group of Best Picture nominees. Ron Howard’s good but not great A Beautiful Mind would take top prize against Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, Todd Field’s In the Bedroom, and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge. The other nominee: Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which began a three-year streak of the franchise’s entry being nominated.
I’ve always felt Fellowship was the best of the trilogy and I certainly would’ve had no problem with it winning over Mind. The Academy decided against some edgier material, such as David Lynch’s critically lauded Mulholland Drive and Chris Nolan’s twisty thriller Memento.
Ron Howard took Best Director over Altman and Jackson. Lynch would be nominated here for Mulholland, as well as Ridley Scott for Black Hawk Down. Field and Luhrmann were the two auteurs whose Picture was nominated left out. Certainly, I would’ve reserved a slot for Nolan for his work in Memento.
Denzel Washington would earn his first Best Actor prize for Training Day (he won Supporting Actor for Glory in 1989). Other nominees: previous year’s winner Russell Crowe for Mind, Sean Penn for I Am Sam, Will Smith as Ali, and Tom Wilkinson for In the Bedroom.
I would have considered Johnny Depp for his performance in Blow or Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball. Keeping with the Memento kick, how about Guy Pearce for his challenging lead role? And if you’ve read my previous Oscar History posts, you’ll notice I usually advocate for comedic performances, which the Academy typically ignores. So how about a shout-out to Ben Stiller for his hilarious turn as Derek Zoolander?
Oscar history would be made as Halle Berry became the first African-American to win Best Actress for Monster’s Ball. It would also be the first year where both the Actor and Actress prizes went to African-Americans. Other nominees: Judi Dench in Iris, Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, Sissy Spacek for In the Bedroom, and Renee Zellwegger for Bridget Jones Diary. Other performances worthy of consideration: Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive and Audrey Tautou in Amelie.
Jim Broadbent was a surprise Supporting Actor winner for Iris, beating out favorites Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast and Ian McKellen in Lord of the Rings. Other nominees: Ethan Hawke for Training Day and Jon Voight in Ali.
Steve Buscemi in Ghost World and Gene Hackman in The Royal Tenenbaums were worthy nominees. And here’s a totally outside-the-box selection from me: Bruce Davison’s wonderful performance as Kirsten Dunst’s dad in the romantic drama Crazy/Beautiful, a greatly underrated film.
Jennifer Connelly would win Supporting Actress for A Beautiful Mind. Other nominees: Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith (both for Gosford Park), Marisa Tomei for In the Bedroom, and Kate Winslet for Iris.
I probably would have found room for Cameron Diaz’s effective performance as Tom Cruise’s jilted lover in Vanilla Sky.
So, all in all, other than some historical Actor and Actress winners, 2001 was a pretty blah year for the Academy. A Beautiful Mind is a solid flick, but definitely one of the least memorable Best Picture winners of recent years, as I see it.
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