Capote

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2:06

Capote

R

2005

1h 55m

Biography

History

Drama

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

194 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

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Critics Consensus

Philip Seymour Hoffman's riveting central performance guides a well-constructed retelling of the most sensational and significant period in author Truman Capote's life.

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Tim Robey

Sight & Sound

08/01/2018

As Capote, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in complete control of his effects... No other actor has the ability to laugh at his own jokes and be so appallingly funny.

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Zadie Smith

Daily Telegraph (UK)

01/16/2018

It's the acting that sings, especially when Hoffman duets with luminous Catherine Keener, the lady with the loveliest laugh in film. Hoffman's writer is a self-serving egoist; Keener's a restrained, wise soul.

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Victoria Segal

New Statesman

09/26/2017

Unfortunately, by the end of it, Capote isn't the only one who wants to turn to drink.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 26

3/4

Anyone checking out this drama expecting an exhaustive expose on the literary lion and social raconteur might be surprised to learn that the film focuses exclusively on the period when he researched and wrote his nonfiction masterpiece In Cold Blood.

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Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

03/28/2025

4/5

Hoffman's Oscar-winning performance is the main reason to watch this biographical drama. [Full review in Spanish]

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

12/17/2022

Hoffman goes beyond mimic to inhabit the contradictory soul under the fey, mannered skin of the social creature who is most at home holding court in New York cocktail parties.

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Ed B.

@EdLee Feb 28

Capote , is a well acted movie starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman in title role. Its focus is during period of time when Capote wrote, In Cold Blood. Capote’s relationship with the murderers of the Clutter family in 1959, is intriguing to watch. Overall, Very dramatic and well acted movie.

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Mickey B.

@Mickerdoo Feb 23

Hoffman is brilliantly unique in this character role. Wild magnetism and very conflicted. Interesting period for this to play out in.

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Movie F.

@hiker Oct 31

Excellent movie. Brilliant acting.

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Monty J

@RT76708219 Sep 11

In Capote, Bennett Miller composes a cool, restrained ballad about obsession and creation. Philip Seymour Hoffman, in a performance as precise as a muted trumpet, embodies Truman Capote at the moment he discovers the story that will define him. Drawn to Kansas by a brutal murder, Capote begins researching what becomes In Cold Blood, aided by lifelong confidante Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). What starts as reportage deepens into a fraught duet with condemned killer Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.), their exchanges echoing with unresolved chords of empathy, manipulation, and need. Miller keeps the tempo measured, each scene a carefully placed note, refusing flourish in favor of lingering resonance. The film charts not only the birth of a landmark book but the unraveling of its author, who sacrifices innocence for art. Like the darkest blues, Capote leaves us with a melody that haunts long after the final cadence fades.

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Matheus F

@matheusf_neto Aug 26

Philip Seymour Hoffman is irreplaceable. The best performance of his career.

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Patrick G.

@wastrre Jul 22

8.9/10 Good movie this mf is an insane actor fr

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Bennett Miller

Director

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Truman Capote

Catherine Keener

Nelle Harper Lee

Clifton Collins Jr.

Perry Smith

Chris Cooper

Alvin Dewey

Bruce Greenwood

Greenwood

Capote: Official Clip - This is My Work

1:51

Capote: Official Clip - I Want to Take Your Notebooks

1:59

Capote: Official Clip - Charming the Deweys

2:10

Capote: Official Clip - Paying for Compliments

1:39

Capote: Official Clip - Did You Fall in Love With Him?

1:55

Capote: Official Clip - The Way I Am

1:53

Capote: Official Clip - Remembering the Murder

1:58

Capote: Official Clip - What's the Name of Your Book?

2:06

Capote: Official Clip - They're Torturing Me

2:06

Capote: Official Clip - I Did Everything I Could

2:08

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Capote: Trailer 1

2:06

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Synopsis

Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

Director: Bennett Miller
Producer: Caroline Baron, William Vince, Michael Ohoven
Screenwriter: Dan Futterman
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: United Artists
Rating: R (Violent Images|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.7M
Runtime: 1h 55m