Chuck Barris gave the world some of television’s most classic game show staples and probably deserves credit for starting the now prevalent trend of people humiliating themselves in front of a camera for their shot at fifteen minutes of fame. In the process he became something of a media whore, reveling in the success The Dating Game, The Gong Show, and The Newlywed Game brought him, and the romantic avenues it opened up for him. He may also have been a spy for the CIA. Maybe. Probably not, but Confessions of a Dangerous Mind takes its plot from an extensive collection of interviews with Barris as well as some of his personal memoirs, and exactly how much of his purported spy career, as detailed therein, actually happened is up for debate. The CIA has gone on record saying Barris’s claims are hogwash, but then, isn’t that what they say about all former spies? Even if the more reasonable explanation is that the extraordinary amount of pressure Barris must have been under for his career caused him to hallucinate or have a break with reality and truly believed he was a spy or if he just lied, George Clooney’s debut as a director is an entertaining film with a great cast led by Sam Rockwell with Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, and Clooney himself.
Down on his luck loser Chuck Barris (Rockwell) was on the verge of poverty when he struck it big with his TV pilot pitch for The Dating Game. Except the network didn’t warm to his idea until a few months after the fact, and by that time Chuck had had his first run in with the mysterious Jim Byrd (Clooney) who recruits him into a life of espionage. For weeks at a time Chuck would drop off the face of the earth only to turn up again looking anxious and disheveled, but who would know? Most of Chuck’s relationships are either employees kept at a distance or one-night stand floozies; his only consistent social tether is his on-again off-again lady friend Penny (Barrymore) who wants Chuck’s love but is constantly let down by Chuck’s long denied libido finally having a fame-fueled collection of women to pursue, among them a fellow spy (Roberts). As Chuck’s life as a spy becomes increasingly complicated, it begins to boil over into his life as a producer and when rumors of a mole in the CIA ranks reach him, a sense of paranoia pervades his every move.
Sam Rockwell makes Confessions both a comedic and dramatic success. His ability to portray the rollercoaster of emotions Chuck Barris experiences in the course of his careers makes him oddly sympathetic despite being a man of questionable moral integrity. Rockwell has since proven he can lead in any kind of role, but it wasn’t until Confessions of a Dangerous Mind that he had the opportunity to make that apparent to mainstream audiences in one swift act. Just as Chuck Barris made every show ooze his persona, Rockwell has done so here and it makes for a unceasingly enjoyable cinematic experience.
Supporting Rockwell from every side is a cast of household names in many of the main roles as well as a remarkable number of cameos with plenty of familiar faces. Clooney and Barrymore deserve the most credit for giving the film a badly needed sense of grounding and emotional resonance, respectively, and they do just enough to flesh out their characters beyond simple spy or paramour stereotypes. Julia Roberts does well with what she’s given, but her role is intentionally nebulous and so it’s more of an exercise in playing the pulp fiction femme fatale than it is an actual character. In terms of cameos, you’ll spot Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Dick Clark, Michael Cera, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jerry Weintraub, Rachelle Lefevre, Rutger Hauer, James Urbaniak, Akiva Goldsman, and others in bit parts here and there.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
There’s a lot to be found in the extras section, starting with a great audio commentary with Clooney and Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, and climaxing with a great profile piece on Chuck Barris featuring interviews with many of his contemporaries. Also included is Rockwell’s screen test, a basic behind-the-scenes featurette, a deleted scene reel, and archive footage of performances from The Gong Show.
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is on sale November 1, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy, Drama. Directed by George Clooney. Written by Chuck Barris (novel), Charlie Kaufman (screenplay). Starring Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Sam Rockwell.
