Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt (cameo), Michael Cera, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Matt Damon (cameo), Rutger Hauer, Richard Kind
Directed by: George Clooney
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Crime
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A game show host (Sam Rockwell) is recruited by the CIA to be a hitman.

Review:

Tim: George Clooney makes his directorial debut with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, a film that really requires some unpackaging. I went back-and-forth myself on how I felt about the movie. On the one hand, Clooney certainly creates a unique viewing experience. From the story to his filmmaking style, this is a movie unlike most that you see. That's a very positive thing. However, there are some less effective elements to the movie as well. In the end, I decided the movie did more things right than wrong, but not by all that much.

Now, going into this movie cold, I was intrigued by a "true story" that feels far too unlikely to be real. It's a bit of a marvel to watch this film and wonder how much of it is accurate- was this game show host a secret CIA assassin, as he claims in his book? It certainly seemed unlikely, but stranger things have happened. After watching the film, I read that Chuck Barris had admitted to making all the CIA stuff up. That was a little disappointing. If that was still somewhat a mystery- even if the facts pointed in one direction- I could see making a movie about Barris' life. It felt weird to watch a movie about a man's life when the most interesting bits are all fictional. This isn't a fatal flaw because all movies are fantasy (even documentaries have some fictional aspects). Still, it made me like the movie less, not more.

But, if we're willing to watch this movie not as a representation of reality but an entertaining look at a man's life, the film is fairly enjoyable. Chuck Barris as represented here is quite fascinating. From his relationship struggles, to the ups and downs of showbiz, to being recruited for the CIA and acting as an assassin- it's a fairly ludicrous story, which is also fairly entertaining.

The cast certainly helps- I could see this film going down a very different (i.e., worse) road without such a good cast. Sam Rockwell was great as Barris. He's sleazy enough to make you question all his motives and everything he says, but he's likeable despite those character flaws. You might not love the guy, but you begrudgingly like him no matter what he does. Rockwell is a strong actor, which was needed in this role. Drew Barrymore is serviceable in her role. She doesn't do anything that really makes you sit up, but it's a solid supporting performance. She occasionally drifts into over-the-top territory, but my complaints are few. Clooney did a great job of casting himself, because adds a strong supporting performance as the CIA recruiter. It really did the movie a service to have Clooney in front of and behind the camera. Julia Roberts adds a great supporting performance- it's quite different from her usual roles, but it showcases her talent. The cameos of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were mostly pointless, but I admit it was a fun "hey!" moment. As a whole, Clooney's first directorial effort is probably saved because of the great cast assembled.

I thought it was interesting to read the conflict between Clooney as a director and Charlie Kaufman as a writer. I don't feel like I take either side because I can see both sides of this issue. It makes sense that Kaufman was upset that the film strayed so far from his script, of which he was understandably proud. However, I also understand that Clooney felt some of those scenes would never get studio approval. It sounded like he wanted to tell the story closer to Barris' perspective (even though much of it was false) rather than allowing Kaufman to fully do his thing. Without coming down on one side or the other, this is simply another interesting aspect of the film.

As far as directorial debuts go, Clooney gets credit for delivering an unexpected, entertaining movie. This is a solid first effort. However, a lot of directors have started stronger than Clooney did. This film shows promise for Clooney as a director, but there are certainly a number of flaws from his inexperience behind the camera.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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