I have never been a Mandy Patinkin fan. He has always seemed like a diva and I don't mean that in a sexual way but rather that he seems full of himself. Above the common masses. A Broadway baby that occasionally steps off stage. I guess I am mainly thinking about when he stepped down from--was it Chicago Hope?
But I have to say in the terrific HBO series, HOMELAND, he is bringing nuance, quietness and the creation of a real man to his role. He is able to recede into the background and still remain part of the canvas. Claire Danes is great too, of course, but Mandy's character is the best one for me. Nothing would surprise me because he has left it and himself open to anything. Wow!
If you don't have SHOWTIME, HOMELAND is worth renting when it comes out on DVD.
Any recent performances by actors that surprised you as much as this one did me?
13 comments:
He'll always hold a special place for me as Inigo Montoya.
I still haven't seen TPB. Must get my hands on it.
I will second everything you said, Patti. Not a Mandy fan, seems like a self-important diva but...he is great on HOMELAND. Also, we just saw AN EVENING WITH PATTI LuPONE AND MANDY PATINKIN, which he devised, and he toned down the vocal "stylings" that usually annoy me. Also, it was his 59th birthday and Patti had 10 scantily clad women come out and sing "Happy Birthday" to him, which was fun. It was clear that they are really friends, not just fake show biz friends.
And yes, you must see THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
Jeff M.
Otherwise, I don't know if I'd say it exactly surprised me, but I loved Margo Martindale in last season's JUSTIFIED, for which she deservedly won an Emmy. She was perfect.
Jeff M.
Ted Danson is surprisingly good on CSI
Patinkin has walked away from two series I believe. The first was Chicago Hope, but his second was the successful Criminal Minds, still, for me, one of the most interesting shows on TV. I don't get HBO, or any premium movie channel for that matter, so all these shows you folks discuss are over my head.
hum, I have no idea who this guy is. Can't be sure I've ever seen him on anything, although the name sounds vaguely familiar.
Agreed. I love PRINCESS BRIDE, but even with that performance there seems to be an "I'm so impressive" attitude just below the surface.
The gal news anchor for the Onion New Network's Fact Zone is great. That might be cheating though, she used to work for FOX News.
Well, her self-parody as well as her work on parodying the form is adept.
Walking away from CHICAGO HOPE was a matter of good judgment, and while I like most of the cast of CRIMINAL MINDS, I tend to find the series a bit facile, a bit too much of a wallow. Patinkin managed to do a good job in YENTL, under what must've been remarkable difficulty (no one can out self-importance Streisand), and while I've liked his acting better than his singing on balance, I don't hold much against him.
I should probably give HOMELAND more of a go, but it has seemed unfortunately improbable to me on several levels (despite liking most of the cast a Lot). Even the shallower STRIKE BACK (Cinemax/B Sky B), dealing with similar matters in a more hugger-mugger way (MAGNUM PI vs. HILL STREET BLUES), has seemed less improbable.
Patinkin was very watchable and enjoyable in a very differne tlight on one of my favorite sleeper TV series: DEAD LIKE ME.
An actor I am not at all fond of - Zach Braff of SCRUBS - was *very* good in a movie called THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB about a softball league made up of gay men. That was one of the most surprising performances I've seen in a while. Interestingly, he made the movie two years before he started working on SCRUBS. That may have something to do with why he's so good.
I was never able to see the charm in SCRUBS and he may be a big part of the reason.
Mmm. Though Braff was supposed to be a callow fool in SCRUBS. That could be off-putting, I'm sure.
(That Patinkin's character in HOMELAND is trying to patch together his marriage with long-term favorite of mine Sarita Choudhury's character likewise was good judgement on the writers and producers' part...)
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