Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Rating:
Summary: A TRULY EXCELLENT BLACK COMEDY BIO-PIC
Review: From the moment I first lad eyes upon the CDM trailer, I knew, somehow, I would like this film. Based upon the book by the same title, CDM is a (true?) black comedy drama about former game show producer Chuck Barris. As a person of the present generation, before this film I had barely heard of Barris (though The Newlywed Game is one of my favorite programs on Game Show Network). But after watching the film for just minutes, Barris becomes extraordinarily famous again. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is sublimely funny, all the while chocked-filled with perverted sexuality, and bizarre flare.

The film's plot centers around Barris' life; mainly from the start of his TV career, to his marriage. We follow Chuck through his early years, hungry for sex (who isn't?), and his days as TV creator. What spices this already interesting story up further is the little side job Barris holds as a contract killer for the CIA. As evident this severely complicates things. And of course excites things as well.

But probably the most excellent feature of the film is Sam Rockwell's absolutely magnificent portrayal of Chuck Barris. Rockwell is simply perfect as Barris; delivering a fluid and fun performance that even Holden Caulfield would have to admit is amazing realistic. It is indeed one of the best acting performances I've seen in quite awhile.

I must mention as well, George Clooney, Drew Barrymore, and Julia Roberts, all also shine as the supporting cast, making the movie truly enjoyable, even for acting sticklers.

The cinematography is also exceptional; with several quick switches between fuzzy-overexposed film, to gloriously precise color, Confessions' visuals are continuously eye-catching, and complement the plot, and music of the film wonderfully.

And, of course, we also have veteran actor George Clooney in his first romp in the director's chair. And does he do a good job? I would definitely say so! The directing is probably the second best aspect of the film aside from the acting. I dearly hope Clooney decides to continues his directorial career.

There are two minor flaws of the film, though.
The first would have to lie with Clooney's direction ( ironically, the best and worst aspects of the movie are the same man). Some scenes just seem a little too ambiguous in their confidence; it seems as though the dictor's ego is just a little too big.
The second would have to lie in the editing towards the end of the picture. We are treated two flashbacks of Chuck's childhood, and his various problems with his mother. This is the only time in the film this issue is really addressed, and frankly, it is quite confusing. Somehow the scenes seem to imply that these early memories are the cause of Barris' troubles. I couldn't make the connection. Either these scenes should have been cut, or additional scenes should have been added earlier on in the film for continuity. It would drastically improved the overall presentation of the movie.

But other then those extremely minor flaws, Confessions is still a amazing well written, well crafted, and well executed film, that should not only delight fans of the genre, but also fans of every genre out there.

Rating:
Summary: It takes some work to like this one.
Review: This is a movie about BS and the way it can really mess up a life. Not terribly vicious BS, just the typical Hollywood, game show TV type. Chuck Barris is the king of BS. He knows it when he sees it and knows how to use it to get what he wants. The problem is, he's so deep in it, he never really knows what he wants. He just BS's his way through life. He ends up naked in a hotel room in New York, trying to find some reason to keep living.

Until that point, Chuck Barris never really makes a decision his entire life. He just goes with the flow, slings the sh**, and takes what comes to him. You never really know what matters to him; I don't think this is a writing or directing weakness; I think the point is nothing really matters to him. It's pretty amazing that you can make a movie about a guy who writes hit TV shows and works for the CIA and yet have nothing really matter to him, but the key element is the bull****. As he narrates his life, he tells us all he wants is to get laid; that's not a desire, it's an appetite. He gets into TV. Why? Apparently so that he can get laid. It's impossible to believe that he has any higher goal, desire, dream for TV than that.

He meets Penny and their relationship is entirely based on agreeing that dating and romance is BS. He becomes a CIA assassin without even thinking about it: Byrd offers him the job and he says, "yeah, sure, I'll be a secret agent. You get to F*** beautiul Eastern European women.." he sees through the b.s. Byrd feeds him about serving his country and "letting democracy get its proper foothold in the world," but he doesn't have anything better to replace it with.

There comes a point in the movie where Penny can't take it any more; she needs some kind of decision. She asks him, "do you even like me? Do you want me around?" but he can't give her a straight answer. He's still full of BS: "everything's complicated. I love you...in my own way. Maybe not the romantic way, but what's that anyway?" BS. But so's what he just told her. Penny tries to hang on to something: "Did you just say you loved me?" but even that statement is rendered meaningless by "in my own way." What does that mean? Nothing. Everything. Whatever he wants it to mean, and it can change from day to day. It's BS.

And so he ends up naked in a hotel, ashamed of his life. But, surprisingly for a Charlie Kaufman movie, he recovers. His recovery looks something like AA's 12 steps: First, admit you are wrong. He writes a letter to Penny, asks her to forgive him. Not take him back, just forgive him. Second, catalog your mistakes. He writes his autobiography. Third, cut your ties to your old life. He kills the mole and effectively ends his assassin days. Next, begin your new life: he finally marries Penny.

And everyone lives happily ever after. Maybe Kaufman was surprised; his characters never live happy. So he throws on the "Old Show" ending and tries to act like the movies about broken dreams. But it's not. It's an incredibly movie about BS.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Film
Review: If George Clooney were a personal friend I would have phoned him at once, as soon as I saw the film, to tell him how extraordinary his direction was, how incisive the script, how remarkable the performances. I would have told him I could see the influence of the Coen Brothers --he worked with them, after all, in "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou", which was brilliant-- but that he took this vision much farther, with a perception and a subtlety granted to few. I would hope that Mr. Clooney follows the example set by Robert Redford, a charming actor, but a really exceptional director. We hope to see more of his work, and with luck he will always have this kind of astonishing material as his point of departure, to continue to have us dazzled and at his feet with admiration.

Rating:
Summary: You know...
Review: ...I really don't think that this movie had enough montages.

And have you ever noticed how people who really like stuff like this and think they're all smart for "getting it" can never seem to spell the word "definitely" correctly? Huh.

This movie sucks.

Rating:
Summary: The Dark and Disturbing Gong
Review: This movie, based on the Chuck Barris 'Unauthorized Biography' of the same name, is twisted and compelling. Known to the world as host of "The Gong Show" and producer of other silly game shows, the plot alleges that Chuck led a double life as a CIA hit man. I recall reading the book when it first came out when I was in high school and finding it hugely entertaining though altogether unlikely.

When I heard it was being made into a feature film I was ecstatic, as I was always a fan of Barris. Overall this adaptation is quite good, but a good deal more depressing that I would have liked. Even the book, which has been recently re-released, is considerably more upbeat than the film. In his directorial debut, George Clooney acquits himself quite well. The film has an almost film noir feel to it, though I feel it's taken to extremes, for example in Julia Roberts' costumes: they scream 'cold war' so loudly, you might for a moment forget that you aren't watching Rocky and Bullwinkle chase Boris and Julia Roberts hither and yon.

The sets and locations are brilliant (for more on this, I highly recommend a viewing with the commentary turned on) and do accurately convey the era. The technical aspects of the film are brilliantly executed. Visual effects (mostly done 'in camera', i.e. not through cuts or editing) are superior. Particularly impressive is the 'rotating set' technique, which is explained in one of the special features. The sound editing is particularly noteworthy as well. The expression of unseen activities and moods through sound in this film is breathtaking, particularly in the pool scene late in the film.

Acting here is generally first rate: Sam Rockwell nails the Barris mannerisms, and Clooney is brilliant as the never smiling CIA recruiter. Drew Barrymore does yeoman's work in one of the more complex parts in the movie, and veteran Rutger Hauer is in peak form in a psychologically difficult part. The only performance I was not fond of was that of Julia Roberts, who, through a combination of direction and native acting abilities, came across as cartoonish, and distinctly less believable than the rest of the ensemble.

This is a fascinating and disturbing movie, a film that is more a psychological thriller than anything else. The DVD comes with some great extras, including deleted scenes, and an excellent audio commentary. It also comes with a short feature titled "The Real Chuck Barris Documentary", which is a gem and an absolute treasure for fans. Although the film was darker than I would have liked, it was generally well acted and directed, with innovative plot twists worthy of a story of intrigue and espionage.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Film!
Review: "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is about Chuck Barris who produced many television shows like "The Newlywed Game," "The Game Game," and "The Dating Game." He also was the host of the very famous "The Gong Show." This movie is based on his memroirs based on the same name. In the book he claims that he worked for the CIA and killed people as a second job. Sam Rockwell plays Chuck Barris in the film. Sam Rockwell wowed me in this movie, and then wowed me in a newer movie "Matchstick Men." What I liked about this movie was that the people who casted it were pitch perfect with Sam Rockwell. He looked just like the pictures of Chuck Barris that I have seen. He also looked different in every scene, something that I found very intesting. The rest of the acting was good. Drew Barrymoore was great as Chuck's girlfriend Penny. Julia Roberts was good with her short role. George Clooney worked in front and behind of the camera as an actor and the director, and I think that his vision of Chuck Barris' story was right on. The most important thing about this movie was that you care for the character of Chuck, and even though you know that he is not going to die on one of his missions, you can still get the thrill of what he feels like on his missions.

The movie begins in 1981 and we meet Chuck who is in a New York hotel suffering from a mental breakdown. Scared of everything he decides to write a book about what he believes to be a useless and wasted life. We flashback to 1955 where he becomes obsessed with television production and he believes that the future is big for TV. He meets the free spirted Penny, while sleeping with her roommate Debbie, and the two become attracted to each other. She also gives him the idea for his first game show "The Dating Game." After making a pilot he meets Jim Byrd who recruits people for the CIA. Barris agrees to becoming a member of the CIA, and decides to make dates on the show to the places where he has to go for his work. He is an assassian and uses the show as the cover for his CIA work. He produces more and more game shows and becomes successful, all while leading his double life. He meets another agent Patricia Watson and a shady guy by the name of Keeler, and becomes attracted to Patricia, while being involved with Penny. Things get much more confusing when it turns out that there is a mole in the CIA, and everybody cannot trust everybody else. Chuck cannot leave either because he knows everything about the organization. Every secret, everybody, and every plan.

"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is a "true story" that I really can't believe it to be true. Barris really is believable though. Throughout the movies we are treated to interviews with Dick Clarke, the Unknown Comic, and Gene Gene the Dancing Machine from "The Gong Show." They all told the truth about Chucks activities, how he went away for long periods of time, etc. The movie was written by Charlie Kaufman who wrote great movies as "Being John Malkovich," and "Adaptation," and movies that are odd, but entertaining like "Human Nature." The similiar thing about all of his movies are that there is always an added twist. The same goes for "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." Hollywood picked a perfect person to adapt Chuck Barris' story, and I cannot think of anybody that could do it as well as he did.

ENJOY!

Rated R for language, sexual content and violence.

Rating:
Summary: Great performance by lead: hard to take story seriously
Review: Who's kidding who. Mr. Barris did not kill 33 people. He did not get swapped at Checkpoint Charlie, and he did not outsmart treacherous agents around the world. Asking us to believe that he did (or might have) is taxing to downright annoying.
But who cares. This movie has a lot going for it. The lead is amazing, Drew Barrymore hits just the right tone, and Clooney's directorial debut is truly impressive. A very worthy rental, but by no means is it a comedy. Consider it a quirky drama, and watch it for the style of the shots and for the very impressive lead performance.

Rating:
Summary: Wrong Tone, Wrong Cast
Review: In the featurette on "the making of," everybody praises Charlie Kaufman's script adaptation from Barris's fictional (non-fictional?) autobiography -- including Barris himself! Then Clooney comes on and starts talking about his own vision for the movie, saying "I hope I didn't ruin it."

It seems pretty clear he did.

The in-the-camera special effects, the performances, the sets and costumes are all top-notch, but the editing and tone of the film are in direct opposition to the material. Clooney has made it into a film noir. He took out all of the ambiguity and mystery. The editing is a mess of unrelated scenes, poor music choices, unattractive color saturations and/or monochrome scenes. For a film about a comic there are painfully few funny moments. The script that enticed big names like Clooney and Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore to sign on for essentially no money seems to have been thrown out the window entirely -- at least, there is none of the bracing originality that made "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation" and "Human Nature" so refreshing.

The film seems to have been sold to the studio on the basis of the big names attached to it rather than the script or the original work behind it. Roberts as the over-the-top femme fatale spy is totally out of place. Barrymore as the goofball girlfriend is out of place. Clooney as the deadpan CIA recruiter seemingly comes from a different movie altogether. Rockwell does a heroic job with the material, and is easily the best thing going for this film, but even his performance cannot prevent it from going astray -- horribly astray.

Perhaps if a more-seasoned director like Milos Forman ("Man on the Moon") had been at the helm, this shipwreck in tricky waters could have been avoided.

Rating:
Summary: Rockwell + Clooney = Genius
Review: George Clooney sets the bar quite high with his directorial debut film about the ludicruous life of TV Host and self-proclaimed CIA hitman Chuck Barris. The only thing in this movie better than Sam Rockwell's convincing Barris is Clooney's prodigy-level camera work. He moves the camera with the ease and grace that you will soon find yourself thinking that he is a seasoned pro at this.

Drew Barrymore's character is pretty run of the mill, but she is worth enduring for all the other awesome performances in the movie. Even Julia Robert's usually stomache-turning appearances become not only tolerable, but actually fun as her cartoonishly characterized CIA liason.

A very solid movie, and I hope desperately to see another Rockwell/Clooney collaboration in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: I confess its out of my mind!!
Review: Just want to forget I seen this movie I watch until the end waiting for something to get good, but nothing and I like my true stories ,but not this one .Maybe not in my time chuck Barris a story but not a movie nice try for two stars.