The vastly underrated actor has been in some absolute gems.
With the Oscar nominations set to be announced, it would a major surprise to discover that Sam Rockwell’s superb performance in Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri isn’t nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Having won the Golden Globe, the too cool for school star is an absolute certainty to receive his first Oscar nomination.
In Martin McDonagh’s new film, Rockwell is happy to admit that his character is a bit of a dick – ironic given that he plays a character called Dickson. In fact, they were his exact words when he sat down with JOE’s Rory Cashin to discuss the film.
This being said, very few actors could play a character that’s so racist, misogynistic and aggressive, but still, somehow, manage to keep the audience on their side throughout.
It’s a remarkable performance and while film fans are lapping it up, we think it’s appropriate to pay tribute to some of his other performances in five ‘lesser-seen’ films.
The Way Way Back
Plot: The funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan’s (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in the fun-loving Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world – all during a summer he will never forget.
Who does he rock? Well…: Think you’ve seen everything that these coming of age films have to offer before? Think again.
As stated previously, this film is one of the finest hidden gems of the decade and Rockwell’s likable performance is central to that. He’s a goofball that never looks down on Duncan for being a kid, he just constantly takes the mickey out of him and lends him an ear when he needs it the most.
A wonderful, wonderful film.
Choke
Plot: Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) has got some problems — when he’s not at Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings hunting for women to bed, he masquerades as a choking victim in restaurants as a scheme to gather money from unsuspecting strangers, which he uses to keep his ailing mother (Anjelica Huston) in a high-end extended-care facility for her extreme dementia. But what happens when this messed up Colonial-era theme-park employee finds Mrs. Right in the guise of his mother’s doctor — and how can he give their relationship a try when she tells him he’s the next coming of Jesus Christ? Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s (Fight Club) pitch-black comedic novel, this is for people that like really, really…REALLY black comedy.
Who does he rock? Well…: Without a doubt, this is Rockwell at his most fearless because his character is an absolute degenerate. The ‘staged rape’ scene – trust me, it makes sense – really shouldn’t be funny but in Rockwell’s hands, it’s the standout piece. Much like Three Billboards, you’ll be laughing in places where you really shouldn’t be and that takes some skill.
Moon
Plot: An astronaut miner extracting the precious moon gas that promises to reverse the Earth’s energy crisis nears the end of his three-year contract, and makes an ominous discovery. With only two weeks to go before he begins his journey back to Earth, Sam starts feeling strange: he’s having inexplicable visions and hearing impossible sounds. Then, when a routine extraction goes horribly awry, it becomes apparent that Lunar hasn’t been entirely straightforward with Sam about their plans for replacing him.
Who does he rock? Well…: Who else has enough talent, charisma and humanity to hold your attention for 97 minutes without any other actor to star alongside? It’s a tour-de-force that you really need to see.
Galaxy Quest
Plot: For four years, the courageous crew of the NSEA Protector donned their uniforms and set out on thrilling and often dangerous missions in space – then their series was cancelled. Twenty years later, the five stars of the classic ’70s series “Galaxy Quest” are still in costume, making appearances at sci-fi conventions for legions of die-hard fans – but some of those fans are a little more far out than the actors could have ever imagined. A group of aliens who have mistaken intercepted television transmissions for “historical documents” arrive at a convention and whisk “Commander Peter Quincy Taggart” and his crew into space to help them in their all-too-real war against a deadly adversary. With no script, no director and no clue about real space travel, the actors have to turn in the performances of their lives to become the heroes the aliens believe them to be.
Who does he rock? Well…: A film that’s well before its time, Rockwell’s performance as Roc Ingersol/Guy Fleegman, the security chief onboard the NSEA-Protecto, gets some of the best one-liners. Like a sidekick that’s never appreciated, his desperation to be acknowledged as a main part of the crew is probably the funniest thing throughout the film…and that’s saying a lot.
Matchstick Men
Plot: Neurotic con man Roy (Nicolas Cage) suffers from several emotional problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He and his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) swindle people out of money by posing as money collectors who promise things like tax refunds, package vacations, and other fabulous prizes (which they never get). Frank wants to pull a really big job, but Roy is too consumed with fear and panic attacks to join him. Only cigarettes and his trusty illegal prescription drugs seem to keep him going. When Roy finds himself in desperate need of more pills, he is forced to see legitimate psychotherapist Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman). Roy ends up talking about his emotional damage from a troubled marriage and divorce, which results in the discovery of a child whom he has never met. Dr. Klein suggests that he spend a weekend with the kid, so in walks teenaged Angela (Alison Lohman). Reluctant to develop his role as a father, Roy also gets heavily involved in Frank’s ambitious swindle.
Who does he rock? Well…: Truth be told, we could have opted for Welcome to Collinwood, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Seven Psychopaths, or his unhinged turn in The Green Mile, but we’ve opted for this crime caper because he steals every scene that he’s in – fitting given the plot.
Whenever Rockwell’s off screen, you notice that the energy and the pace drops.
If you haven’t seen any of these five films, we urge you to do because they feature Rockwell at his brilliant best.
