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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by George Clooney
R, 113 min. (language, sexual content, violence) |
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Starring: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer
Producers: Andrew Lazar, Steven Reuther
Screenplay: Charlie Kauffman
Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel
Distributor: Miramax Films
Released: 12.31.02 (Limited), 1.24.03 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind seems like a strange choice for George Clooney's directorial debut, but his background
with TV game shows (his father directed them) certainly played a factor in his choice to accept the challenge of
portraying the hidden side of Chuck Barris' tumultuous life. Barris was the creator of such TV shows as "The Dating Game,"
"The Newlywed Game," and the wildly popular "The Gong Show." According to his own "unauthorized" autobiography, he
was also a CIA hitman for nearly twenty years, using his celebrity status as cover for his work for the U.S. government.
Of course, his claims are highly disputed, and Barris himself is strangely quiet on the subject when questioned about it.
Regardless, the material here seemed too good to pass up for Clooney, therefore his creation of the film. The film itself
is hit and miss, utilizing unnecessary cinematic techniques (unusual camera angles, saturated colors, black and white)
to convey Barris' recollection of his struggle for identity and acceptance. Still, for Clooney, it's an auspicious start behind
the camera.
The movie opens in 1981 New York with Chuck Barris (brilliantly portrayed by Sam Rockwell) standing naked in a hotel room
watching TV from morning to night nonstop. His own perceived failure in life to make a difference is his inspiration to
record his "wasted life." He recounts the days of creating his various gameshows for the major TV networks, at first
rejected in favor of shows such as "Hootenanny," but eventually given the greenlight to produce his ideas. Meanwhile,
he is approached by Jim Byrd (George Clooney), a CIA operative, who offers to give the ever-restless Barris an "out"
for his pent-up frustrations. He reluctantly accepts, survives training, and makes his first kill. Although at first uncomfortable
with his double-life, he soon craves as much action as Byrd can give him, usually with assignments in European locations
such as West Berlin and Helsinki. He uses the cover of chaperoning his TV show's winning couple on their ultimate date
destination. But his duality leads to confrontations with his long-time girlfriend, Penny (Drew Barrymore), who is frustrated
that he won't settle down. One reason for his restlessness is Patricia Watson (Julia Roberts), another spy who carries on
an sporadic affair with him over the years. After his shows are eventually cancelled and his days as a spy over, Barris
faces the prospect of examining his life without either.
Clooney does an effective job of establishing characters and creating appropriate atmosphere for each of the film's
segments, most notably during the scenes between Bariss and Penny, who generate considerable chemistry despite
their apparent differences. The film is not really about the spy business, as evidenced by its somewhat comedic, B-movie
approach to the material - Barris supposedly assassinates 33 people over the years although we only see a handful of them,
which are almost bumbled each time. Instead the film centers on the psychological damage that is inflicted on Bariss'
mind, which still hasn't recovered from an abusive childhood. His inability to form lasting, intimate relationships with
women is proof of his unstable mental state - Penny is long-suffering and patient, but needs an eventual commitment from
him in the form of marriage. And, with Patricia's femme fatale relationship going nowhere, he is confused even further.
The film is undoubtedly carried by the fine performance of Rockwell, who seems to make the perfect complement to
Bariss' real-life persona. He's conflicted, but only subtley so, giving the audience pause as to his thoughts and feelings. For
Rockwell, who has toiled in relative obscurity in films like The Green Mile and Heist, it's easily the best of his career.
Barrymore is nearly as effective, bringing an infectious likability factor to Penny, and Roberts (in an almost cameo role)
is adequate as the seductive Patricia. Clooney gives himself the easygoing role of Byrd, a man who is challenged to find
the right kind of operative for his bosses.
There's a lot to admire in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, even if Clooney garners only a passing grade. The material
he chooses to showcase his directorial skills is not easy, and for that, he's given a pass for his first go-around. He's
obviously learned from his collaborations with Steven Soderbergh and the Coen brothers, and has put some of their
techniques to use here to only marginal success. His efforts are certainly better than the average director's first attempt,
and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. The film is worth exploring if for no other reason Rockwell's
performance, but it's also an interesting behind-the-scenes look in the world of TV game shows.
© 2003 Jonathan Cornwell
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 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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