Confessions of A Dangerous Mind
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Here's a strange movie. It was a well-made movie, meaning I was interested the whole time, and it was fairly thoughtful... but there's nothing leftover when the credits role. The movie plays out it hand from the moment it starts, to the moment it ends. Seemingly, the movie desires that you feel about the same way at the credit crawl that you felt when you walked into the theater.
hrm... neither an enigma, or a stinker, it is a tale of overbearing balance. The drama is completely balanced with a dark humor. The minor romance is easily offset by the random (though sparse) violence. The human struggle is so grounded in seeming insanity, that it doesn't seem like a struggle at all. Rather, it seems like willy wonka's drug-addled boatride. In the end, the only thing I remember standing out was a dark-skinned elvis impersonator singing ballads over a string of romantic flashbacks in an attempt to make fun of them. Perhaps, the only constant element was the quirk.
This is funny though, because the script was written by charlie kaufman. Quirk is his specialty (being john malkovich, adaptation), and I would have expected copious quantities of it. Rather, there is a dim little glow from a black light keeping an otherwise normal narrative offbalance. In terms of dialogue, he does a good job of not being bland, and the story elements are well-placed.
oh, a summary. Chuck Barris, (played by Sam Rockwell) creator of The Dating Game and the Gong Show, had a normal life until he was approached by the cia to do political hits. Clooney plays his handler, Julia Roberts plays a temptress, and Drew Barrymore plays his girl. The tale unfolds as a normal movie with random documentary-style interviews with Barris' acquaintances (including Dick Clark).
This movie convinces me that George Clooney is competent, but doesn't convince me he's worth noting beyond his choice of materials, and his selection of actors (including himself). The actors all did well, but I thought more could have been squeezed out of their performances. Everyone seemed to be holding back real emotion in favor of blank sobriety (as in the scene when Rockwell is naked watching a tv). The only person I'd count as completely emotive would be drew barrymore's character (but I'm partial to the girl). But, I'd be wrong if I didn't say that Sam Rockwell did a great job with his starring role, and carried the movie with ease. Even Clooney was interesting in his role. Still, there was more, I'd say.
Bah, I'll see clooney's future efforts (directing and acting), but if he becomes as good a director as he is an actor, this movie will soon be forgotten. I like both his capacity for comedy (O' Brother), and his handling of drama (Solaris, Perfect Storm), so I'm not giving up on the man, but I hope the result is more developed than this.
This movie is a saturday night time-waster for the indie kids on a break from the hardcore fair. It's not boring by any account, and I'm sure noone who sees it will hate it, so give it a rent when it comes out on dvd. Perhaps a matinee if you're so inclined.
I give it 3 out of 4. |
