Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Review
by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)February 3rd, 2003
'3BlackChicks Review...'
CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002)
Rated R; running time 113 minutes
Studio: Miramax Films
Genre: Drama
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Lansing, Michigan)
Official site: http://www.miramax.com/confessions/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0290538
Written by: Charlie Kaufman (based on the book by Chuck Barris) Directed by: George Clooney
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer, Jerry Weintraub
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003
Review URL:
http://www.3blackchicks.com/2003reviews/bamsconfessions.html
Movies "inspired by the true story" have vexed me lately. With films like A BEAUTIFUL MIND and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN bending if not outright fracturing the truth, I've found it hard at times to discern between fact and fiction when critiquing these films.
I had no such trouble with CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND. I found it easy to not believe in any of it. Even the bits that were true.
THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
Early on his life, Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) pursued one thing: he just wanted to be loved...or at least, scromped repeatedly until it fell off. In his pursuit of the kittycat, Barris stumbled onto the medium of TV, still in its infancy. Having a few show ideas of his own, Barris worked his way through the ranks at various studios until, through hard work and persistence, Barris was contracted to produce his shows. He hooked up with the free-spirited Penny (Drew Barrymore), and soon created what some considered to be groundbreaking TV game shows like THE DATING GAME and THE GONG SHOW. Yada yada yada they lived happily ever after the end, right? Well, not quite...
..because in his Other Life, Barris was a CIA Operative, chosen by super spook Jim Byrd (George Clooney) because Barris supposedly fit "the profile". Byrd recruited Barris to become a covert assassin [as if there are overt assassins. But I digress] while using his TV producer gig as a cover. With the help of mata hari Patricia Watson (Julia Roberts) and fellow CIA Op Keeler (Rutger Hauer), Barris was convinced by Byrd that it was Barris' job to rid the world of Communism, a job achieved by chaperoning contestants on his TV shows to exotic, third world locals - just before killing the pinko bastids on his hit list.
This is the part where Wackiness would normally Ensue; but CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, believe it or not, is not a comedy. Not on purpose, anyway.
THE UPSHOT
Oh, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND was purty enough. Hard not to be, with the likes of George "Soderbergh, Jr." Clooney at the helm, and the bankroll of Miramax Films behind it. Sure, Sam Rockwell does a mean Chuck Barris impersonation, especially his spot-on mimicking of Barris in GONG SHOW heyday (yeah, I watched GONG when it was on originally. Hey, bite me.) And wonder of wonders, I even tolerated Julia Roberts in this flick; for the first time ever, my skin failed to crawl when she appeared on-screen. No, it's more than that: I actually _liked_ Roberts here. oy.
But I had to chuckle at the notion that Barris (via his book) had to create this outlandish version of himself, to avoid being remembered as a dour footnote in American television history: the grandfather of all that's Unholy about Reality TV in America today. That's not really a fair tag to put on Barris, of course. THE DATING GAME, THE NEWLYWED GAME, and THE GONG SHOW, on their worst day, were not as irritating and gag-inducing as the likes of SURVIVOR, THE BACHLORETTE, FEAR FACTOR, et al. Not even Barris could have predicted the hellhole that American TV would eventually sink into, even as he was busy digging its grave. Be that as it may, a completely unbelievable alter-ego seems to be a big stretch to use as filler for the parts of ones life that are naught but a void.
Decent performances by Rockwell and Roberts helped to save this movie from mere mediocrity; their final scene together was great, and as filmed by first-time director Clooney, it showed the potential this movie should have achieved in the 100 or so minutes before that climax. As director, Clooney's influence by Steven Soderbergh (who directed him previously in OUT OF SIGHT and SOLARIS) was clearly evident, especially in well-shot scenes such as the voice-under sequence with Rockwell and actor Clooney. Knowing winks to the viewers, like the cute cameos by Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, and the inclusion of "documentary" type interviews with some of Barris' old workmates, show that Clooney's no dummy; he knows how to play his audience. But in the end, CONFESSIONS added up to lots of interesting bits that didn't come together in one tight package.
BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE
I'm actually being too generous in giving CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND a flashing yellowlight rating; only then, because it was stylish enough and featured decent work from Sam Rockwell, George Clooney, and (gasp) Julia Roberts. But as normally happens with eye-candy, this film will leave you wanting a more substantive diet later.
CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND rating: flashing yellowlight
Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/
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