Rating: 
Summary: I WORK FOR THE CIA AND I KILL PEOPLE
Review: Well-I was hoping this would be a good movie-how it got best film of the year is beyond me!Sam Rockwell was good as Chuck Barris-but everyone else seemed to fall flat-for instance Drew Barrymore is annoying as hell-she was to happy and everything-I dont care much for her acting anyways! The first half of the movie was good and funny-then the second half of the movie was lame and stupid-it just sort of got out of control-just like Chuck Barris's life I guess! Of course I'm not to suprised that this wasen't that great-since an actor directed it-actors just cant make good movies! This movie should get the gong! George Clooney what were you thinking? The dvd features are better then the movie! The book was way better then the movie!
Rating: 
Summary: A thoroughly entertaining exploration of artifice
Review: I think Steven Soderbergh should be quite flattered: George Clooney's directorial debut, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, is a tribute to his work. Clearly the films they've done together have had a great influence on Clooney. Stylistically, the way the filters are used to indicate the mood and the location of the scenes is right out of OUT OF SIGHT and TRAFFIC. The cast including Clooney himself, Julia Roberts and cameos from Brad Pitt and Matt Damon gives one the feeling that casting for CONFESSIONS was done on breaks from Soderbergh's OCEAN'S ELEVEN. Luckily I really enjoy Soderbergh's work (except for last year's inexcusable vanity piece FULL FRONTAL) so this did not diminish my enjoyment of this film. Just prior to seeing this film, I had listened to Chuck Barris' reading of his 'unauthorized autobiography' and heard Clooney discuss his approach to the film in terms of the central question of the truth behind Barris' account of his own life. Clooney celebrates the VERY fine line between fantasy and reality that exists in Barris' story. His claims of balancing the life of a successful TV producer with contract work as a CIA assassin-for-hire is so bizarre that it seems just as likely to be true as not, a notion this film exploits beautifully. Sam Rockwell shines as Barris, capturing the real dichotomy of Barris' character: deeply shy and thoroughly obnoxious, consumed by failure and unbelievably successful. His slouchy stance and floppy hats pulled down over his face show that he's not comfortable in his own skin. I think Rockwell was a good choice both for the strength of his performance and also because he is not so familiar that he was unbelievable playing a biographic role. (Something that I think worked similarly for Greg Kinnear in AUTO-FOCUS.) For once Drew Barrymore's flakiness is a plus in the role of Penny Pacino, Barris' on-and-off-again love (who is actually a Barris-styled amalgamation of many women from his past). Penny's styles and interest change with the weather, but her devotion to Barris is pathetically unwavering. Julia Roberts gives another one-note performance playing Patricia, a fellow CIA assassin and sometime lover of Chuck's. Slight spoiler: As a Bostonian I was disappointed by her on-screen demise, because in the book he claims to have bumped her off following a stroll through the city and dinner at The Union Oyster House. However, all the locations in the movie are deliberately vague, more theatrical sets than actual cities, so better not to make a strong visual identification with a specific place. In all, a thoroughly entertaining exploration of artifice, as viewed through the life of one of the masters of the craft.
Rating: 
Summary: Sam Rockwell is amazing
Review: This is a great DVD with hillarious, extensive special features. Sam Rockwell's acting--everything from his voice to his body language--perfectly capture the essence of the Gong Show host.
Rating:
Summary: What the hell was that?
Review: This movie is slightly disturbing and only slightly entertaining, but a great story is told. Clooney is the best out of the box actor turned director I've seen in almost ten years. There is no doubt he will direct more and I will be first in line. Clooney's style is very creative and fresh compared to today's computer eye candy movie. You can almost see the directors he's worked with in the past sort of come together. Then we have Sam Rockwell. This man was powerful and driving in the role of Burris. He stole the movie and ran with it. Sam Rockwell is a name and face to be remembered folks, I clearly underestimated him. This movie is a must watch for anyone who loves film or wants to see a different side of Clooney.
Rating:
Summary: Clooney's first makes an extraordinary film.
Review: For Clooney's debut direction, I would say that Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was very impressive and worth seeing. For his first time, I'd say he picked a difficult project. But it definitely did not show. It was like George had been doing this for years. His acting is always superb, but put that with phenomenal directing as well, and what you've got is an all-around good movie. An excellent casting for Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) results in a film that will make you laugh and also keep you on the edge of your seat. The movie is based on Barris' autobiography, about television producing, sex, and CIA assassinating jobs. Barris is a sex-crazed man who stumbled upon the up and coming television business. When his first pilot is cancelled, he is really down on his luck and out of work too. Luckily, a CIA agent (George Clooney) recruits him to be a top secret assassin who travels all around the world to kill people that America 'doesn't like'. The story gets more complex and interesting and most definitely keeps your interest. Assuming that the story is not completely true (but hey, who knows) it makes for a good lot of entertainment, with laughs and suspense. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, however I can see that this movie is not for everyone, but check it out and see, you never know!
Rating:
Summary: WEIRD AND PRETENTIOUS
Review: The conceit of CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (Miramax) is that Gong Show host Chuck Barris was also a CIA assassin. George Clooney directs this bizarro bio with a heavy hand; there are no nuances except for the uncanny Sam Rockwell as Barris. Clooney's commentary, filled with allusions to classic films, is much funnier than he intends.
Rating:
Summary: Best Of 2003
Review: This movie is by far one of the best movie of 2003. Sam Rockwell is brillant as Chcik Barris, and George Cloony proves to be one hell of a director with his own oringinalty. A great story and a hell of a cast make this a movie you can't miss
Rating: 
Summary: This movie should get the gong
Review: This adaptation of an "unauthorized biography" of the man who single-handedly numbed more brains in the 1970s than anyone else is barely worth the time to watch it. The only positive thing I can say is that is (if you're a child of the early 60's and 70's) it brings back memories (The Unknown Comic? Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine?).
Rating:
Summary: The Con is On
Review: Although Chuck Barris didn't give birth to reality television, he helped raise it to its modern form. Don't hold that against him. Confessions, like most reality television, is a con. It's a fun con and an interesting con (hence the pun of the title from Barris' book and the film CONfessions of a Dangerous Mind)but nothing to be taken too seriously. For those who don't know Barris was a creative wunderkind for reality television. He turned real life into a game show with programs like The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show. Confessions posits that Barris not only did all of that he also was a hitman for the CIA on the side. Again, keep in mind that Barris used to twist reality into a game and vice versa. His "unauthorized" autobiography did much the same thing for that genre. The film obliges and takes Barris' claim at face value. What we get here is George Clooney as a CIA operative who recruits Barris. In the process, Barris becomes a cold blooded killer in the name for democracy while making whoopie on the television world. Barris isn't very good with committment and, as a result, he "dates" his girlfriend Penny on and off throughout the turbulent 60's and 70's. He also manages to move from producer/creator/auteur to celebrity host when he creates The Gong Show. Barris' double life, the stress of television and his own ability to deal with the criticism of his role in "dumbing down and humilating" American culture bring about his downfall. COnfessions is always interesting, visually stunning and possibly one of the best, off-beat scripts that Charlie Kaufman has written (and that's saying something). Kaufman uses Barris as a microcosm of the conflict in the world. His internal conflicts reflect the conflicts of the time. Kaufman also manages to make Barris' situation move from the absurd to the funny and then serious without blining an eye. George Clooney's direction is sharp, witty and innovative. Clooney has a real flair as a director and his director of photography always keeps the film visually innovative and interesting. You'll notice subtle (and not so subtle)shifts in the look of the film as we progress from one world to another. In many respects, the schzoid look of the film reflects Barris' inner world as well. Interestingly, Clooney also chooses to interview various people from Barris' life and intercuts it with the action. These sequences range from funny (Jaye P. Morgan) to interesting (Jim Lange's comments) and act as something of a reality check for the film. Sam Rockwell captures the manic energy that Barris generated on stage as well as the quieter, private moments of the man. His performance should have made him a star. Clooney nicely underplays his CIA contact. Drew Barrymore captures the free spirited Penny quite well and provides an interesting contrast to Rockwell and Clooney. The film is stocked with cameos from Clooney's friends (watch for Brad Pitt, Rutger Hauer and others in tiny roles/cameos). The transfer is stunning with no analog artifacts. There are minimal compression artifacts but given the way the film is shot, that's not a big surprise. The sound mix and transfer is stunning as well. Clooney and his sound editors use the soundtrack as a springboard into other aspects of Barris' life. The extras vary from a documentary on Barris to the audition of star Sam Rockwell. A bizarre, fascinating and totally unexpected mainstream film from Hollywood and Clooney, Confessions offers much promise for the star and director. Well worth viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Man Oh Man...Where to begin?
Review: Well, Clooney dropped the ball with this one. The film is a mess. Could have been great...The pacing is all over the place. What am I saying?...There is no pacing! Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell give excellent performances. The only reason to see the movie is for them. What the hell is Julia Roberts doing in this? It takes you right out of the film. The editor should get a spanking. This movie should have moved. It should have felt frantic and manic like Barris himself. The only scenes that really work are the ones between Rockwell and Barrymore. Not a very strong debut from Clooney and for all the camera, costume and set flash it means nothing because at the end of the day we don't like this guy, we don't care about the world that he is in because we never really get to experience it...I mean we don't really even get a sense how much the show effected television...We only get that stuff by V.O. dialogue and the interviews...This should have been better like People V.S. Larry Flynt or something...What is the point of this film?
I like the real Barris...Not the film Barris. If that makes any sense. This film was a real dissapointment. I now know why it didn't do better at the box office.
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