Hey folks, Harry here... Early this month we ran the first review anywhere for CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, the debut directorial feature by George Clooney and yet another film from the brilliantly warped mind of Charlie Kaufman. That earlier review (linked below) seemed to really really dig the movie, but this Unknown Spy seems to wish it had been more Drama and less Black Comedy... But... Umm, that just wouldn't be Charlie Kaufman. Hmmmmm, anyways, here's the review and he warns ya before the spoilers! Ta-Ta....
Sorry, for the delay, but here it goes:
I was fortunate enough to attend a test screening of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind held last Tuesday evening in Daly City. Next to Punchdrunk Love, and Adaption (which have two of the best produced trailers in years), COADM was the film I was most eagerly looking forward to.
I tend to build up such projects like this and they never deliver... Andy Kaufman film AND Milos Foreman?? It will be perfect! It wasn't.. far from it. Chuck Barris AND Charlie Kaufman?? It will be brilliant!! Sadly, it wasn't. There are many things I didn't like about this film at all, but that being said... there were a few things that were excellent... right off the bat, Sam Rockwell is Chuck Barris, and everyone will know this actor's name from now on.
There is an older test screening review up on this site, that hopefully we can link right about here: (HAHAHA fooled ya! -Harry)
thanks...
read this if you want a synopsis, once done, come back... ok? warning, spoilers:
The cut I saw sounds like it was very similar, and for the most part, my complaints are the same, which surprises me why they haven't fixed them.
Because YES, we do see way too much of Chuck's ass. I know this sounds silly, but you cant help but noticed this through the film... long shots of Chuck's ass... and for the most part, these are very serious scenes. Yet, the audience nervously giggled, and it was one of the first things anyone mentions upon walking out. It kinda baffles me why they haven't cut some of this. These scenes mostly depict a older, mentally ill Chuck locked up in a hotel... they would have been more dramatic if they didn't make him look so damn much like Will Ferrel as Ted Kazinski in the old SNL sketches.
But that is trivial... my legit complaint of this film is that it was WAY over directed. Clooney does some really cool things as director here... lots of artistic cuts, stage like transitions and set compositions, spinning cameras, mixing scenes, muted colors, etc. But here in lies the problem, he does way too much of this, and it is EXTREMELY scattered. And the movie is constantly changing tone and style, and I found it distracting, a word which will keep popping up in this review. Clooney, for his first effort out should have played this straight, less is more. He is setting him up for exactly these type of reviews. The first half hour of the film especially. This covers Chuck's dive into television, and the mood of the film is extremely light and cartoony, ala TUCKER: A MAN AND HIS DREAMS. As we see Chuck get his first job at NBC, Clooney does a great tracking shot that shows passage of time, but then he goes on and on with more director "tricks" and it gets old fast. And I might as well address it now, before I forget, or get "gonged" by a movie executive... the cinematography in this film is odd, very odd. Much of the movie has the appearance of a hand painted black and white photo. A technique that would have been nice for flashback sequences. But instead, this coloring appears on and off through the whole film... this may change by release, but, it didn't work for me as it is used now. The tone of the film continues to change... comedy, black comedy, drama, dark drama, fluff, cartoon, drama again... etc
The acting... Sam Rockwell is what is keeping me from totally panning this film. There is actually some fun in watching him grow as Chuck during the film.
Instantly, when the film starts, you say to yourself, "sure, he kinda resembles him, but it is not Chuck." Well, somewhere about and hour into the film, when Chuck is in germany, he becomes the Chuck we know. And it is amazing, from this point on... you cannot take your eyes off the screen when Sam Rockwell is acting.. he is VERY good. Unfortunately, the rest of the actors don't dissolve into the film like this... they go from good, to adequate, to just plain distracting.
George Clooney is good as Jim Byrd, the CIA agent that recruits Barris, but I wish they had done more with him. HIs part is played mostly for humor, and his scenes evoke a "get shorty" or "bullets over broadway" feel, which is a good thing, and they way they should have played it. But, he is underused, and simply just comes off as the amusing guy with the really distracting moustache. Again, not unlike Barris ass, you will walk out discussing Byrd's moustache, this is not a good thing.
Drew Barrymore does an adequate job as Barris's longtime girlfriend. Overall, their relationship is a detour in this film, and is not remotely as interesting as EVERYTHING else going on in this film. And there is not really much more to say there, she was charming, and had a few too many scenes.
Julia Roberts should not have been in this movie. She plays another CIA operative that seduces Chuck, or does Chuck seduce her? Trust me, you really won't care. Their relationship is very Boris and Natasha, and in the film for comedic effect it seems early on, and when it does get dramatic, you really don't have any feelings for Julia's character either way to really give a shit about her fate. Julia Roberts being in this film was WAY distracting, she makes absolutely no efforts to make you belive that it was anyone but Julia sitting there on screen. You might think by reading this, I am not a Roberts fan, and I am... this part needed and unknown face playing the role. It felt like another celebrity cameo.
Celebrity cameos: the much talked about Brad Pitt, Matt Damon cameos... yes, they are on the Dating Game, it gets a huge laugh, therefore it will stay in... it's distracting.
The supporting actors: all very good.. Rutger Hauer is great, as are two character actors, who for me stole the film. I don't know their names, but one plays a FCC hardass who drills a panel of contestants before a taping of the Dating Game, a hysterical scene that people will be talking about. And another actor, who wins a trip to Helsinki on the Dating Game, and is escorted by Chuck. The interacting between Chuck and this man is the best relationship of this whole film, it is brief, funny, kinda sad, and ends up playing into the film more significantly later.
Overall, I wish the film was more of a drama, and less of a black comedy. It has the setup for a very tragic story, and could be an extremely dramatic film that could leave you emotionally wiped out. Instead, the film is so scattered, you never get a chance to totally fall into this picture... Clooney uses interviews with real people during the film.. Dick Clark, the Unknown Comic, Gene the Dancing Machines, etc... these should stay, and frankly, I wish there was more. The real Chuck Barris is used once, as the last shot of this film... I definitely liked this, but found myself wishing he was used more. The whole point of this film is too make you ponder, "was chuck really in the CIA"... I think that question should be lingering at the end. Instead, the filmmakers have such a biased slant towards comedy, that it more or less leads you to conclude, ok, this is far fetched, it obviously never happened. That is a shame. Also, and this is major spoiler, two of the main characters in this film die, and both of their deaths came off as very confusing to the audience I was with,, they should fix this.
I don't want to totally trash this film, because there is much worth seeing here. In addition to Chuck's depiction By Sam Rockwell. Clooney did one thing that totally nailed the tone of the film on the head. He uses a couple of silly "gong show songs" over a couple of dramatic montages in this film. What you are seeing on film (very sad, and dramatic) accompanied by completely silly songs, is not only capturing the whole tone of Chuck Barris's memoirs, but it works very well, and reminded me of something that PT Anderson would do. You will see many glimpses of what could have been through out this film... And they almost got it... if you want to know what would really make this film into a major hollywood hit, it is this... they should ma....
GONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"the unknown spy"
