admin Napoleon, on the other hand, is, y’know, an emperor—one of the most powerful men in history. But as played by Phoenix, he’s also something of an insecure child-man. Scott allows Phoenix to use his American accent in Napoleon, which means the supposedly great military genius sounds like the worst guy you ever went on a Hinge date with. His Napoleon is a brat who throws a temper tantrum every time he doesn’t get what he wants. He’s self-important certainly, but also a total crybaby saying things like, “Destiny has brought me this lamb chop” and, in reference to the British, “You think you’re so great because you have boats.” When he wants to have sex with Josephine, he starts making whimpering noises.
Most crucially, both Beau and Napoleon do not know how to speak with or deal with women. They both have domineering mothers, who know they have full control over their weak sons. Napoleon’s mom eventually forces him to have sex with another woman to determine if Josephine is infertile or if he is; he obliges, walking into the situation like a scolded puppy. Meanwhile, the women they’re involved with are objects of obsession rather than pure desire. These guys want to possess them, but they are not sure how to act when they are face to face.
Phoenix understands that both these men are utterly embarrassing, that their inability to regard women as anything but objects on a pedestal makes them buffoonish. Watching them flail is funny, and by leaning into the hilarity of their social incompetence, Phoenix does some of his best work on screen. It’s not that I think Phoenix has become a looser actor, because there’s still an intensity to his work—but that intensity is centered on making us laugh rather than making us cringe, and the result is so much more satisfying.
Which brings me back to those sex scenes. They are wonders of male ineptitude, horrifying in that they represent a complete lack of understanding of the inherently two-sided nature of the act—and in both films they’re played for laughs, not titillation. Humiliation is the name of the game here, and Phoenix is up for the task.
