George Clooney (OCEAN'S ELEVEN), Drew Barrymore (CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE), and Sam Rockwell (THE GREEN MILE), star in the comedy thriller that poses an irresistible question: What would happen if a wildly successful TV producer was also a top-secret CIA assassin? While a maverick creator of America's favorite game shows gains notoriety for his smash television hits, he is also drawn into a shadowy world of danger as a covert government operative! But soon his life begins to spiral out of control -- both of them! Directed by George Clooney and based on Chuck Barris' cult-classic autobiography, with a script by Charlie Kaufman (ADAPTATION), this entertaining hit delivers comedy to keep you laughing . . . and intrigue to keep you guessing!
The memoirs of game-show creator-host Chuck Barris (the man responsible for The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show) are the inspiration for this sneaky biopic, which not only covers Barris's television career, but also his exploits--unsubstantiated, but also not disproved--as a government assassin. As Barris, Sam Rockwell gives a gutsy, manic-depressive, warts-and-all performance, depicting how Barris cheated repeatedly on his longtime girlfriend Penny (Drew Barrymore), was recruited into the CIA by a stone-faced agent (George Clooney, who also makes a stylish directorial debut), created some of the most popular yet reviled TV shows of the 1970s and '80s, and had a torrid affair with a mysterious, beautiful operative (Julia Roberts). For a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is pretty straightforward, letting Barris's fevered brain speak for itself. The result manages to be lurid, comic, and oddly philosophical. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Underappreciated movie:
Everyone knows Charlie Kaufman for "Being John Malkovich." While that movie was great, this movie is right up there with it. The cast is wonderful, and the plot is so intriguing. It makes you almost believe something that is completely unbelievable, and for that, it is nothing short of brilliant. Sam Rockwell needs more starring roles; he is a great actor.
Good debut:
To my surprise, most of the critics who praised the film were correct. It's an excellent `little' film that stays within its bounds, exhibits relentless energy & creativity by director GC (whose career grows more & more admirable with each project), & provides a devastating portrait of a profoundly sad & depressed little man- not a delusional 1. CB had it all, & then gave up. Still, he's a multi-millionaire who's lived in France the last 20 years, so 1 wonders why he is so put off by... more info
charlie kauffman:
charlie kauffman done well. i really liked the ending. (Somebody get "synecdoche, new york" released in the US.)
It's a Hit! (pun intended):
I liked this film a lot, and make no mistake it IS a (ah-em) "film". It's dark, disturbing and fun all at the same time. The lead character, Chuck Berris (Sam Rockwell) - real life creator of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show - is thoroughly unlikeable and yet, I still wanted to watch. Clooney's directorial debut is a huge success in my opinion, I was drawn in within 5 minutes and couldn't stop asking myself "could this really have happened? Is this true?" Then I started asking if... more info
