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Volume CXXXII, Number 14 |
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Confessions of a dangerous film critic
MONICA GUZMAN
COLUMNIST
First it was Nicolas Cage with the underground hit Sonny. Then came Denzel Washington with Antwone Fisher. Now George wants in on the fun.
The man I thought was only good for cutting people up on NBC never stops surprising me. A Golden Globe win wasn't enough for this Hollywood star. George Clooney is reaching the top faster than most who came before him: he is now a director.
Working off a screenplay by the incomparable Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich), a surprising acting performance by a relatively new face (Sam Rockwell), and some extremely original storyboarding and scene design, Clooney has helped create Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, a sneaky film that takes pleasure in breaking all the rules.
The first is honesty. The film is based on an autobiography that is shrouded in controversy. Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), the infamous television producer, creator of The Dating Game, and game show host from the pastel poodle skirt era, claims to have been recruited by a covert branch of the C.I.A. and sent on missions around the world as his night job. A likely story.
The second broken rule is a bit more subtle than the first: familiarity. After all, we've got a lead actor we don't even know. He's someone we can't place in a previous context, which makes us rather uneasy because, well, he's actually pretty good. Sam Rockwell is an actor, not a movie star (although that will soon change).
When Julia Roberts played Erin Brokovich, we saw Julia Roberts. When Halle Berry played Jinx, we saw Halle Berry (although perhaps with a little more drool hanging out the corner of the mouth, (right guys?). But when Sam Rockwell plays Chuck Barris, we only see Chuck Barris. We have no other choice. There goes familiarity.
Rockwell's performance is so good because it keeps you intrigued. You can see it in his eyes; the man's got secrets. Maybe there are things he's not telling, not even in his own autobiography. So you study Rockwell's words and actions, trying to decipher it all, but to no avail. The questions linger.
Next rule out is a blockbuster must: convention. What is convention for filmmakers?It is never having to worry about upsetting your audience. It's a typical Hollywood montra, a little security in an insecure industry, but not here. Clooney prefers to take his chances and play around with your mind.
When you expect to see a scene straight from the front, or the side, you see it skewed from the top or the bottom. When you expect a traditional cut from one scene to the next, you get a fused transition, a creative continuum of times and locations.
In one scene guaranteed to make you lean forward in your seat, Chuck's apartment fuses with an ABC executive's office at the turn of a hallway as Chuck calls him on the phone.
Chuck walks between the two locations as he talks, while his girlfriend Penny (Drew Barrymore) dances flittingly between them. When he hangs up, the hallway is back. Suddenly you find yourself thinking, hey, didn't they notice that?
As with all great biopics, Confessions takes you more deeply into the character than into his story. Here was a tricksy fellow. Chuck was secretive, conniving, and confused. He lied to get his day job and to keep his night job.
He's in denial about his childhood, his goals, his ability to cope. Ultimately, he and his fellow assassins, including his boss Jim Byrd (George Clooney) and part-time lover Patricia (Julia Roberts), are in mortal danger when a mole is discovered working in the C.I.A. branch.
Like Chuck, this film does not want your trust. It doesn't deserve it. Actually, it would prefer the opposite. Question convention. Question yourself. That's right, fellow moviegoers. You've got to be on your toes for this one.
Another broken rule? Drew Barrymore in a serious role not pertaining to a chick flick, a horror movie, or a dumb comedy. In a decision more surprising than placing a non-star in the lead role, Clooney et al. have cast little Drew as Penny, Chuck's true match. Penny is a free-floating spirit who tames Chuck's flighty promiscuity and teaches him what love is. She's the one person he can trust, his one source of stability. Whew! That's a pretty heavy load for her to bear. But lo and behold, she comes through wonderfully.
Much will come out of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: George Clooney's directorial career, greater roles for Sam Rockwell, and mature parts for Drew Barrymore. But the film's greatest contribution is the cinematic assertion that rules are meant to be broken. Chuck's mind is more than simply deceitful; it is truly dangerous. Enter at your own risk. For more reviews, visit www.cinnamoninformatics.com/fantazmya.
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