Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very entertaining, and Rockwell is excellent, 12 Mar 2007
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and first-time director George Clooney take us on a trip into the bizarre mind of American TV game show host Chuck Barris with this one. Barris, not content with being known as the creative mind behind TV pap like The Dating Game and The Gong Show, also claimed he was a hitman for the CIA. The film follows Barris's story from his perspective, so as we see him acheiving his various successes in television we also travel around the world with him as he shoots people and meets with shady figures from the spy world. Clooney and Kaufman make no judgements on whether Barris's claims are true - that's for you to decide.
If nothing else, this film is a spectacular calling card for Sam Rockwell, who puts his great charisma and manic energy to perfect use as this strange and possibly delusional character. He's excellent throughout, both as the cocky young ladies' man and, later, as the paranoid loon. Drew Barrymore gives one of her better performances as Barris's long-suffering girlfriend, and Clooney himself is impeccably deadpan in a supporting role as Barris's CIA contact. Julia Roberts has a small part, too, as do two more of Clooney's Ocean's 11 buddies in a hilarious cameo.
Confessions is a lot of fun, and it's such a fascinating and unusual story that it makes perfect fodder for a film. George Clooney proves himself to be a talented director, although it's possible he should have started out with a more simple story. If the film has a weakness, it's that Clooney tends to over-egg the cake, indulging in a few too many insecure stylistic tics, montages and whatnot. The exaggerated, playful feel is a good fit for Barris's mindstate, but there are times when the film feels too flippant and lightweight. That said, this is a very good one, and worth a watch for Rockwell's performance and the eccentricity of the story.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who's the mole?, 23 Feb 2006
Close on the heels of his ADAPTATION, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman scored again with CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, based on the (fictional?) autobiography of the same title by Chuck Barris. It's also George Clooney's initial outing as Director.At the very beginning when the audience sees a bearded and naked Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) standing as if in a trance while a frumpy housekeeper vacuums around him, the viewer suspects that the film will be something special, outrageous, or both. This is the starting point for an extended flashback as Barris recalls his young adulthood, when it seemed everybody but him was having sex, to his successful career as a TV game show creator and low-brow polluter of the American airwaves ("The Dating Game", "The Newlywed Game", "The Gong Show"). Pretty standard stuff except that along the way Barris is seduced by a penchant for violence into a double life as a CIA contract killer, and the schizophrenia brought on by his double life almost proves his undoing. Rockwell is superb in the leading role, as is Director Clooney, who plays his square-jawed, no-nonsense CIA recruiter and control, Jim Byrd. (Byrd to Barris: "Listen, you're thirty-two years old and you've achieved nothing. Jesus Christ was dead and alive again by thirty-three. Better get cracking.") Drew Barrymore does a swell job as Penny, the on-again, off-again love of Chuck's life, but she's deliciously upstaged by Julia Roberts in a new sort of character for her, that of the seductive and deadly femme fatale spy, Patricia. ("Prove how much you love me, baby. Kill for me. Then I'm all yours".) Brad Pitt and Matt Damon have hilarious two-second cameos on stools. And there's one scene where a Federal official lectures The Dating Game contestants on the dire repercussions of introducing risqué material into their game show appearance that alone is worth the price of admission. I don't know who that actor was, but he deserves an Oscar for a one-minute speech. This is a movie that perhaps has to be seen twice to be fully appreciated for the deft and clever use of camera perspective, scene and timing changes, and almost-overexposed color, all of which keeps the audience on its toes wondering what's coming next. And the Big Question: who's The Mole? This is one of the best dark comedies that I've seen in a long while. It was one of the must-see films of 2002/2003. Bravo, bravo!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good film - but subject won't appeal to everyone, 3 Jul 2005
By A Customer
I wanted to watch see this film because it featured Sam Rockwell and George Clooney, two excellent actors, and so many film reviews recommended it.
Sam and George did not disappoint, plus several other familiar actors. It is a well constructed film - the scenes, the acting, the way the story is told, the camera angles, lighting, etc make it a satisfying film to watch - probably worth 4 or 5 stars.
However, I'm not sure the film subject will appeal to all - it's about the wierd life of a tv entrepreneur/game show host. If this real life character, Chuck Barris, is someone you've heard of, then I should imagine this film will be fascinating.
But I found it difficult to muster any empathy or interest for him or any of the other characters - hence 3-star rating, not 4 or 5. Reminded me a bit of The Talented My Ripley - good quality film, but no heroes - which is fine, but not to everyone's taste.
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