"Holy crap! He's this far up on the list? Seriously?!" Yes, seriously.
Carell sticks with comedy in this gem, but it is unlike any role he's done before. Previously known as Evan ("I like-a-do-the-cha-cha") Baxter from Bruce Almighty and the title character of The 40-Year-Old Virgin ("Kelly Clarkson!"), Carell is actually somewhat serious as Uncle Frank.
The first time we see Carell in the film, he's staring out the window of a hospital after trying to kill himself. The title of the film appears on his shot, the word "Sunshine" ironically placed on his sorrowful face. It's this moment you're in for a ride.
Sarcasm is the refuge of losers.
Carell's dry cyncism and depression echo throughout the film. As the audience we identify with Uncle Frank who feels like a stranger into the bizzare family of the Hoovers. His new discoveries are ours, and so forth.
F&&& beauty pageants.
It isn't until Carell meets the kids of the family when he starts to take a position of role model. He talks with little Olive and gawky Dwayne about their problems and gives them comfort- however, his own problems are hardly comforted.
Gas station.
Carell's shining moment is at an awkward encounter at a gas station with his gay former lover. The mannerisms Carell gives Frank- the rushed tendency to hide his bandaged wrists behind his back and the urge to duck behind a shelf when the boy looks back while walking away- are deep. Carell's utterly heartwrenching in this scene.
It's pretty much a crime he wasn't given an Oscar win let alone a nomination in anything this year. A very, very, overlooked performance.
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