If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or get my blog updates by email. Thanks for visiting!

There is something about the sensitivity this short but extremely profound actor brings to the screen. Tobey Maguire left a real mark in all of our minds with his thoughtful yet subtle performance in Pleasantville and his career changing Ice Storm. Both these films opened to great critical praise. But this was just the beginning of what he was about to achieve with cinema itself. His biggest role came within a red and blue suit that scorched the screen and etched an image in each and every child’s dream. In the eve of its release fans of the great super hero thought he lacked the voice of a superhero. But the tinge of vulnerability is what made this superhero more akin to any child’s daily struggles. His performance re sounded with all the fans of this comic caper. But this was just the beginning of what he had to offer. His face oozed with sincerity and an uncanny innocence.

It was only when Steven Sodenberg wanted him to play the anti of what he always played that things changed for him. The role of Tully he played with the strong Cate Blanchett. He left the other two stars far behind what he achieved with the role. Tobey’s biggest strength is standing out in his roles with seasoned performers. His small appearance in a Bob Dylan video sleeping in a cafe is unforgettable. His idea of acting is more of a restrained vulnerability. In Cider House Rules he stood apart from the strong Michael Caine. His performance of a submissive man on the edge of finding his solace is truly remarkable. His character Homer Wells has an undying love of watching films in those drive in. The love he shows for all the moments in that film is so kindled and genuine.

His use of his kindled spirit was once again used luxuriously in the horse racing drama Sea Biscuit. This film actually shows the trust he has in all the skills of acting he has learned through the years. His characters every point in the film seems to me like a wave. It is of an undying wave that wouldn’t stop even if it hits a rock. He holds the whole movie with gazes and sharp use of his body at several junctures in the movie. This film will make any hater of the sport genre think again and feel the true spirit of cinema through the gestures of this kindred spirit.

Another director who has used in him such different directions is the beautiful Ang Lee. The role of Paul Hood in the movie is one of a truly affected man. A man who has taken refuge in the forests of innocence with branches of cynicism in his thoughts. Tobey’s creditability as an actor began to take turns with every role he took and his fan following had reached astronomical proportions. But this has not left him un fazed with all this fame he still believes in the true of nature of his craft.

He has also contributed to cinema with his turn as a producer for the thought provoking film 25th Hour by the ever changing Spike Lee. He also acted as an executive producer for his hugely popular and critically lauded Sea Biscuit.

I wouldn’t like to end this article without the role that got me talking about him. It is probably the greatest comic caper Spiderman 2. The film was one of the most challenging and mind bending commercial films that has ever come out of Hollywood in the new century. The performance he gave for this film was so thoughtfully layered it gave a sense that it was written for Tobey to rule the world with this performance. It left an impression on every ones mind and it was credited for some brilliantly written sequences of action that will remembered for a long while. The film also boasted of one of my favorite villains of the franchise Dr Octopus played by the underrated Alfred Molina. His performance in this film at times outshone the clever nuances of Tobey Maguire. They had a competition of sorts on who will pull the winning punch. Tobey put a really good fight as Peter Parker and took on the might of Molina and like everyone know settled the outcome in the very last reel. Tobey cannot be compared to the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio or Johnny Depp. These are men who carved their own paths and settled for nothing but the best. Tobey had his share of rough patched and bad choices. His adding of the final Spider Man in his resume was a really bad turn. His use of an extremely emotional Spidey didn’t go down well with many of the die hard fans. He sort of stretched it with this one. But this performance can be looked as a welcome change from what he was used to doing. This will also give the much needed experience for his next couple of ventures. He did have his moments in this film but they were just not enough.

But in the end there are very few performances that actually define the career of these actors. In Tobey’s career in my view it was Red Pollard in Sea Biscuit. His resolve and optimistic turns in this role hopefully should give his fans more reason to believe this is just the beginning of what he can give us. He still has a long way to go to reach the greatness of several of his contemporaries but he climbed the slippery steps of greatness and will soon reach the summit.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!