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Visitors Review

Legend45 2012-05-25 08:59:10

Weird Film about a weird guy.

Definitely worth seeing for the impressive handling of the changingtimes and entertaining lead performances. Barrymore has surelynever been more endearing and Rockwell gives a bravura turn asBarris: were he given the opportunity to play a lead who is possiblymarginally easier to relate to, he could yet prove to be the actingfind of the last few years. But all in all, this is possibly an overlychallenging outing for the average filmgoer: there's certainly nooneto sympathise with, Barris' lifestyle and amoral approach willprobably be lost on most and when the end credits finally appear,you're basically left wondering why on earth you watched a film thathas left you with a frown embedded in your skull.

2012-05-25 01:13:01

BANG-A-GONG

Zany, delightful, and strangely compelling comedy purporting the host of TV's "The Gong Show" was a hit man for the CIA. Director George Clooney has a deep apprecitation for TV's pop culture and a wide span grip on this unyielding but doubtful true story, from the autobiography of Chuck Barris who had the audacity to confess to the world that while host of "The Gong Show", he was a CIA assassin. Vintage takes on "The Newlywed Game" and "The Dating Game" sharply define muted sexual psychedlia that was '60s network television. Yet the question remains - was he or wasn't he a hit man for the CIA? Come on, Chuck! Must we say so? We've always loved you! Go ahead and have your little delusion. It's just a little guilt you're dealing with. We forgive you for "The Gong Show Movie"!

DannyBoy-17 2012-05-23 15:56:08

When good movies go bad...

I still don't get it: maybe it's some kind of psychological problem, buthere I just saw Chicago which is getting the Golden Globe for Best Musicaland now Confessions of A Dangerous Mind, winning rave reviews, and they bothsucked. Not a single person walking out of the theaters for either seemedto be enjoying it: so what's this weird divide going on? The pluses: Sam Rockwell does a great job swimming in the role of thesleazy, occasionally brilliant, mostly dull Chuck Barris. Drew Barrymorealso does a fantastic job portraying a trendy hipster who slowly allowsherself to be in a committed relationship, only to get burned. (The ENDINGthus does not make any sense at all.) The minuses: what's it supposed tobe? Both the title and the trailer (4 different songs) left you wonderingwhat genre we were looking at. This certainly isn't a comedy, and it's notan action movie. It may be a drama, but it's too deliberately surreal to bethat either. I think mainly it's amateur hour. I liked most of Adaptation, but even that movie ended up having a veryodd last 15 minutes. The best things I've seen so far: The Two Towers, 25thHour, the Pianist, Antwone Fisher, and About Schmidt. From now on, I'mgoing to really try to stop listening to the critics, and that means no moreEnglish dramas, no "The Hours," no post-modern musicals or spymovie/psycho-drama/neo-noir black comedy bull. IT'S TIME TO HAVE FUN. *.5

2012-05-22 23:05:55

it wouldve been perfect if theyd shown eunice singing "feelings"

i liked "the gong show" 30 years back, but the spoofs of it were always sophomoric and obvious (save for a brilliant moment when eunice on "the carol burnett show" appeared). but the ultimate goof on it is chuck barris's autobiography, wherein he "reveals" his alternative life as a cia hit man. this movie takes you along on a hallucinogenic ride, and if you are willing to enjoy it, you will. first-time director (and costar) george clooney, as well as julia roberts do great work, but the drew barrymore character just seems to drag the story down. and sam rockwell as barris gives what *shoulda* been a star making performance. if its ten minutes too long (it is), its still a grand concept.

ritchieml 2012-05-18 04:01:23

Story keeps you engrossed but ........

I'm not sure what to say about this movie. I guess the one good thing Icould say is I liked it better than "The Hours"; but in my book that's notsaying much. Intriguing story in that it revolves around what is professedto be a factual account of Chuck Barris' life (according toChuck).

2012-05-17 15:54:02

excellent

Chuck Barris says in his book of this name that, while creating the Dating Game and hosting the Gong Show in the 1960s and 1970s, he was also a CIA assasin. He ran around Europe, his story goes, killing commie agents, going from East to West Berlin, playing all kinds of nasty games that would make Suzie the 1969 prom queen blush.This is what Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind is about, and George Cloney directed this, using Sam Rockwell to play Barris. What makes the movie work is that it dramatizes tells Barris' story as if it were true. The film does not concern itself about what is real and what is fiction. By showing it as Barris tells it, it becomes plauseable. And Cloney directs as an artist preforming a labor of love, not a star who "now gets behind the camara." His choice of Sam Rockwell, a brilliant charactor actor, is a brilliant move. By not chosing a big name, Cloney let's you focus on the story and not on the star playing Barris. He also makes great choices, such as grounding this firmly in time and place. It is not an action moive, but smart film for smart people interested in a very specific era and mileu.Rockwell really does not look like Barris, but plays himself in the situations Barris describes, and this allows the story to drive the film. Rockwell is a Barris we can buy because he tells the tale so well. Cloney, Julia Robert's and Drew Barrymoore are also here, but just happen to be big name actors in a great little project. If any of the three wanted a star vehicle, this is not it. But that is great; keeping Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind a small film only adds to the mistique.If you belive it, it is amazing. If you can't, so what: it is still a great story.As far as A I am concerned, Chuck Barris the spy killer, why that is the stupidist, most redicu.............well?

wes-connors 2012-05-17 17:55:38

When the "F Word" was "Whoopee!"

Bearded and nude, tight-bodied talk-show producer Chuck Barris (SamRockwell) appears to be having a nervous breakdown. We flashback to hispre-teen efforts to get his lollipop sucked. "It tastes likestrawberry," Mr. Barris promises a pubescent girl. While composingFreddy Cannon hit "Palisades Park" and doing more girls, Barris gets ajob in television production. He produces twin hit game shows "TheNewlywed Game" and "The Dating Game" which give audiences a sexual winkin the late sixties. The shows are titillating but genuinely funny, andBarris is a millionaire wunderkind.But, that is not all we have in store for Barris. As outlined in his"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" autobiography, the songwriter cumgame show producer is considered an ideal assassin by the United States"Central Intelligence Agency" (CIA). And, since this film promises tobe, like it says on the DVD, "In the cool, witty style of 'Ocean'sEleven'," Barris is recruited by handsome director George Clooney (asJim Byrd) to kill dozens of people for the CIA. He also meets "truelove" Drew Barrymore (as Penny) and plays "spy vs. spy" with comelyJulia Roberts (as Patricia "Olivia" Watson).Barris reaches a creative peak with "The Gong Show" but continues tokill people as "an assassination enthusiast." The "TV producer by day,CIA operative by night" is able to coordinate chaperoning contestants'prize-winning trips with his night job (killing people). Finally, thepressure gets to Barris, who is criticized in be media for "loweringthe bar" in television entertainment. Which brings us neatly to Barris'present dilemma... This film takes Barris' distraction (the CIA story)too seriously, thus misses a mark; but, Mr. Rockwell is excellent andMr. Clooney found a directorial "voice" in his next film.******* Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (5/02) George Clooney ~ SamRockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts

vvanpo 2012-05-17 06:21:52

Quintessential 1970's Man

The Gong Show was one of my favorite TV shows of the 1970's. Admittedlythis reveals my age and tastes more than I may like but even then while Iwas watching it, I thought it defined that superficial decade. Idistinctlyremember thinking that when 1980 rolled around, I would stop watching theshow. A lot of people agreed and Barris' shows along with Barris vanishedfrom the wasteland.In trying to crawl from under rock bottom, Mr. Barris wrote his"unauthorized autobiography" in which he makes his fantastic claim that heled a double life as an assassin for the CIA. 20 years later, GeorgeClooney, in his directorial debut, takes the book at straight-faced value,to create a funny movie.Starring as Chuck Barris, Sam Rockwell is fantastic. He makes me believethat even an amoral cynic who thinks with his penis wants to reach for thestars. He certainly does a better job than Chuck Barris himself did inTheGong Show Movie (1980). Julia Roberts is great as the femme fatale. Andlook for Brad Pitt and Matt Damon is an amusing cameo sequence.A lot of old men with unrequited dreams would nod knowingly over Mr.Barris'last idea for a game show. And today's "reality" programmers wouldprobablygo for it.

Sjoerd 2012-05-15 00:29:44

Clooney, Jack of all trades?

The Barris story, his regular work and his CIA related affairs, werenew to me, so I had no idea beforehand what to expect. I just sat andwatched. First of all, the film, listed in my local TV guide under'comedy' isn't a comedy, at least not to my standards. True, it hassome authentic scenes from several of Barris' TV shows that are veryfunny, but that's about it, comedy-wise. It leans heavily towards thedrama and biography flavour. I was pleasantly surprised to learn thiswas Clooney's director's debut, and he hasn't failed to impress me. Heturned a fragment of America's TV history into an utterly enjoyable andinteresting film. The (excellent and quite name-laden) cast in thisfilm clearly believed in this project and gave it their best. There's athriller aspect to the film, but it never distracts from the moreinteresting personal developments in Barris' life. His struggle, beingstretched between his secret life and the empty but successful TV lifeclearly keeps you seated. I won't give away the story details, eitheryou already know the Barris story and don't need any, or you don't, inwhich case you're better off without. Let's stick to what's important:Clooney definitely proved to me he can direct as well as act, and thisfilm deserves a place in your collection. Go see it! A tip: try to spotthe cameos. Funny!

2012-05-14 09:48:31

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

This is one of those movies that defies decription. A solid, remarkable debut as director for Mr. Clooney. His portrayal of a tight-lipped CIA operative is near perfect and Sam Rockwell in the lead role is nothing short of revelatory.Fun cameos by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. Julia Roberts was dry but convincing as a she spy. Nice light touch by Drew Barrymore as happy go lucky Penny.

Thomas Jolliffe 2012-05-13 10:39:12

Fantastic debut for Clooney and great performance by Rockwell!

This is a very good film and a brilliantly assured debut behind thecamera from George Clooney. Having worked with some quality directors,in particular Steven Soderbergh. He seems to have learnt about theelements of film making well. I can see a career behind and in front ofthe camera for George.The film is a biopic of Chuck Barris who allegedly, aside form being agame show producer, was a CIA assassin, killing 33 people. The filmsonly problem is that it at times seems showy and perhaps exaggerated,but really that doesn't demean it too much. Clooney is very assuredbehind the camera, and gets all the elements right, from the pacing, tocapturing the elements of humour and drama correctly and effectively.The film is funny and intriguing and the reason it works so well is thegreat script for one, and for another the interesting adult life ofBarris.The cast are fantastic. Sam Rockwell was exceptional, I believe that hedid enough here to warrant an Oscar nomination. He was engrossing,showing the varied sides of Barris's personality from his charm to hisdescent into near madness and also his moments of contemplation as tohis lifes direction. He really draws the audience in, in a verychallenging role. Rockwell has the acting chops to be a member of theHollywood elite along with Clooney. Drew Barrymore is great, andcharming. George Clooney also gives a great performance in front of thecamera too, is this guy talented or what? There is also a good cameofrom Julia Roberts as another CIA operative. Truthfully though thenumber one reason that I went to see this was the triumphant return tothe big screen of Rutger Hauer. Sadly Rutger has spent much of the lastdecade in B-movie hell which is tragic. He is a fantastic actor, hisproblem is that even though he has been in cult hits such as BladeRunner and the Hithcer, he has not had a big box office hit. BladeRunner was initially ignored and overlooked, but had it been bettertreated and more widely received, he had certainly done enough to beconsidered for an Oscar nomination, he was fantastic. You don't losethat sort of acting talent, and Hauer is given a brief part but a goodcharacter. He shows he has still got the class and even though he islooking quite old I think he still has something to offer.Overall this is a top film, well worth watching and a shockingly gooddebut from Clooney who in the last few years has received the praiseand respect he deserves. The film is engrossing, it really draws you inand keeps your attention. Rockwell will soon be huge, and in thefuture, given the right role, may be thanking the Acadamy. ****

darrell-garrison 2012-05-13 01:58:13

Weird fun!

(7 out of 10) "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is difficult to pin down,since we are left on our own to sort out truth from fiction. CertainlyChuck Barris was NOT a CIA agent, but as Jim Lange points out in the movie,Chuck would disappear for a week or two at a time; where WAShe?? So since we don't know what is true, we can then only be entertained atface value. And 'Confessions' IS entertaining. This should be SamRockwell's breakout role. He fills Barris' shoes as well as Jim Carrey didAndy Kaufman's. Sam Rockwell is one of those actors who's willing to takerisks and a variety of roles. Julia Roberts is MUCH better here in a small role than in 'Ocean's 11'. In 'Oceans' she was sleep-walking the performance, and just having fun. In'Confessions' she takes a better bite in a juicy part. Drew Barrymore continues to surprise me. I sometimes think she's a bitlightweight, but then she steals a scene with great acting, like when shecatches Barris fooling around. She's adorable and a good casting choice inthis. George Clooney...where to start? Well, he has a pivotal part as a CIAguy, but because it's so one-dimensional, many folks could have done it. Sohe's fine, I suppose. But what the movie comes down to is writing and directing. George looksas if he had Steven Soderberg peeking over his shoulder the whole time. It's an excellent first-time directing job, but the problem is... where doesClooney go from here? He's pulled out so many camera, color and directingtricks, that one would hope he calms down with his next picture. And I getthe feeling he really likes directing. So George, good job, but don'trepeat yourself! Charlie Kaufman has written a great script, as usual. Not as audacious as'Being John Malkovich', and not as personal and excellent as 'Adaptation'. We have typical Kaufman flashbacks and flashforwards. But considering thesource-- a 20 year-old Chuck Barris fantasy, for Gawd's sake!, Kaufman pullsit off with aplomb, keeping us interested in these strange folks from startto finish. The movie is truly laugh-out-loud funny in parts. The Dating Gamebachelors killed me! It was fun to see the old game show folks. I haven't seen Jaye P. Morganor Gene Gene the Dancing Machine in years. This is somewhat of a vanity project for Clooney, but he's made itworthwhile, and everybody really tried to make a top-notch film. Unfortunately, because we never care ENOUGH about Chuck (we like him a lot,though), the movie will not stay with us like great films do.

2012-05-11 04:41:13

Almost worse than the Gong Show movie itself!

This movie is so bad it's difficult to know where to begin. For starters everybody mumbles so it's not easy to understand but if you turn on the closed caption feature on your tv it gets even worse.It's disjointed as though it's trying to be hip or cool or imaginative or maybe everybody just gobbled too many downers during production - especially when the writing & editing were going on. Then there's the feel of the thing, the aura of the era - the make-believe NBC studios of the 1950s & 1960s with the cute coy pages about to break into song & dance. Hunh, is that what early TV was like?Or the extruded plastic perfect bimbos who fall all over our hero even though they seem to regard him (correctly) as some sort of reptile. Still they invariably fall immediately into bed with him. Right. Am I missing something?. All that 21st century faux "hipster" cool. Sure.It only gets worse. Much much worse. Time much better spent elsewhere. Anywhere.

morceau 2012-05-10 21:43:44

Gong! is Wrong!

I was entertained from start to finish. Maybe Clooney is trying a fewtricks as a first time director, but it never seemed heavy-handed. Thereviewer on the title page (George Parker) says the movie comes across asamish-mash of sorts, lacking direction. Wasn't this a big point of thefilm,that Barris' life was indeed a "muddled mess" as the reviewer says? Itseems to me they started watching with a chip on their shoulder that neverleft...... a Clooney hater from the start perhaps? Parker (our title pagereviewer) says the movie "leaves us knowing less about the autobiographerthan when it starts". Nothing could be further from the truth. Watch ityourself, and decide for yourself. Please don't let this title pagereviewmake up your mind for you..... Parker's review seemed to be just an excuseto write "Gong!". As far as his review goes..... GONG!

kyrill_87 2012-05-04 03:26:26

My view on the movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

I found this a very entertaining movie. Because there were a lot ofscene's which were interesting. The characters of Sam Rockwell , DrewBarrymore and Julia Roberts and Clooney were very well developed. Thestory was amazing just like the acting and all the camera tricks. Thereason i didn't vote a 9 for this movie instead of 7 is that it is veryslow starting and it gets boring after a while in my opinion. But thereare some good plots in this movie. If you want a fun and interestingmovie to watch with some friends or you girl friend I guarantee youwill like this movie. All what with all it is a great movie and areally nice Directing Debut by George Clooney. And I never saw SamRockwell before in a movie but I liked him a lot.

2012-05-03 11:32:12

Funny Black Comedy

This movie is based on the "true" memoirs of Gong Show and Dating Game creator Chuck Barris. Seems While Chuck was busy producing game shows and writing the pop song Palicades Park he was also a trained assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency. There are stand out performances by Sam Rockwell as Barris, George Clooney as his handler Jim Byrd, Julia Roberts as Chucks female assassin counterpart and nemesis, Rutger Hauer as a burnt out Euro assassin who comiserates with Chuck and Drew Barrymore as his goofey, air headed loyal hippy girlfriend. This movie is an incredible mixture or funny as hell comedy wrapped around a really dark and not so funny subject. THe extras are funny. Clooney points out several little inside joke scenes that I didn't get the first time around. His sense of humor along with Rockwells makes this movie an all time classic and shows Clooneys very adapt skill at directing.

moritzbonn-1 2012-05-03 20:23:41

Well, I don't like Cloney as an actor, but...

...this movie rocks !!! you will feel surprised from the first secondon. The story seems to be absurd for a few whiles during the film, butall in all it doesn't matter and just keep in mind: It's basically atrue story. The movie consists of good and very amazing and inspiringscenes. You won't feel bored from the beginning. This is what I like somuch according to this one. Every part is somehow different. Of cause,everything is connected to Chuck Barris and his relationship towardsother characters but the mixture of showbiz and CIA is so enormouslyextraordinary that it's really honorable that Cloney managed tocombines it as it is seen in this movie. It's really sad that CODMdoesn't face the respect it deserves. I am sure if the director's namewasn't Cloney most critics would appreciate it much more but who caresabout that. I really like it and recommend it to anyone who is interested in goodand interesting film-making

madnessx69 2012-05-03 05:28:04

A very charming movie that alot of people misunderstood

I've read alot people reviews here and on TV, newspapers, where ever. Andone consistincy in all the reviewers complaints has been that the movienever decides whether the assassin story is true or not. First off, a movieis allowed to remain ambiguous; Not all the answers need to beprovided/spelled out. However, although it's true to an extent, the moviedrops continuous hints for the audience. In my opinion, it's all in hismind. Why?? George Clooneys character is never seen by anyone but Barris.Clooneys character knows things about Barris that no one could know, unlessof course they were in his mind. Anyways, it's a theory and it holds morewater than half of the other ones I've heard.....

Framescourer 2012-04-26 22:38:24

Clooney tries the big statement (a la Soderbergh Solaris) but there's not enough to chew on

Sam Rockwell gives a colourful characterisation of Chuck Barris, the TVExec whose claim to be a part time CIA hit-man provides the 'Dangerous'of the title's Mind. Clooney sees the cranks up the obvious humour inthis situation that Barris sees as simply extraordinary.Unfortunately the film falls a bit flat. Largely this is because of thesubject matter. Where Barris seems to have had success in large enoughquotation marks to be developed on its own, it must necessarily giveway to the European excursions of Commie-slaying. As a result thewell-produced sequences of the various game shows that Barris producedcannot be developed beyond statements, funny though they are. This bitof the film cannot compete with Robert Redford's excellent Quiz Show.For it's part, the episodes as a hit-man, though stylishly dispatchedare inconsequential (and the final murderous double cross doesn't makesense to this pedant viewer, sorry to say). We have to rely on thequirks of the characters and the sassy construction of the picture. Alot of that is in place with great performances from Clooney's chums. As a director he shows a great deal of command floating fun and pathoson a pool of surrealism which has interest in its own right. But thepacing fluctuates a little abruptly. Hey, he's just a rookie.It's not worth the effort, but you won't regret having sat through itwith plenty to admire and laugh at. 5/10

Mariannah 2012-04-26 06:50:29

An Industry High Five

Chuck Barris made television shows that never presumed to appeal to anythingmore than the common man. They were unsophisticated, a little mean andpretty stupid, but people liked them for their unpretentiousness, and forthe opportunity to laugh without thinking. Perhaps not high art, but it waswhat it said it was. By contrast, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" aspiresto be a moody conversation piece, appealing to "inquiring minds", but it hascompletely the wrong feel. This subject matter does not make for a probinginsight into the human existence, but script-writer Charlie Kaufman hasdecided it does. The result is a boring, thoroughly pretentious biographythat gives far more credit than is due to all involved.Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) was the creator of low-brow entertainment like"The Dating Game" and "The Gong Show", resoundingly held accountable for thedecline of modern civilization. He claims he was also a CIA agent, takingout contract killings while on "Dating Game" holidays. I don't buy it for asecond, and I find it surprising that this film opts to ignore the questionof the validity of this story.This film reeks of pretension, right down to Kaufman's dark, supposedlyavant-garde script that does an awful lot of musing but can't seem to hold acoherent storyline. In the DVD special features, first-time director Clooneyand his cast rave about Sam Rockwell, but Rockwell just seems to alternatebetween dead-pan narration and crude parody. Clooney's decision to place hiscelebrity friends in cameos isn't as clever as Clooney seems to think. OnlyBarrymore, in an unconventional role, is really worth watching.This film has been the toast of tinsel town, mostly because it attempts totake a flimsy, dismissible story, and make it an incoherent ramble thatHollywood and art-students love to love. But it doesn't exactly make forgreat viewing as much as it does for Hollywood back-slapping andglad-handing.