Review of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) by Seth C — 11 Jan 2008

"Good Night, and Good Luck" was the first movie of George Clooney's I saw (that he directed, I mean) and I wasn't a fan of its excessively dry, emotionless tone, even though he is clearly a talent behind the camera. So I wasn't expecting much going into Clooney's directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. I have since concluded that I am an idiot. I'm not sure if it's the low expectations that helped, but I absolutely LOVED this movie. Given the subject matter (real-life TV producer Chuck Barris's claims that he was once an assassin for the CIA, which has neither been proven nor disproven) Clooney gives the movie an appropriately surreal tone, going back and forth between humor, suspense, and the bizarre.

Sam Rockwell gives his best performance as Barris, a sex-obsessed, self-loathing man whose exploits as a CIA operative (if we are to believe what's happening in the movie) eventually drive him to depression and madness (the criticism he gets for his TV shows doesn't help matters much). Hell, even Drew Barrymore manages to give a decent performance as Barris' patient, long-suffering girlfriend. And even more surprising is Julia Roberts, who through some form of voodoo magic or something manages not to suck.

Clooney's direction is wonderful, especially for a first-timer. On a visual level, it's wonderful to look at. And Charlie Kaufman's screenplay is mostly straightforward (for a Charlie Kaufman script, anyway) but it's quick-paced and always entertaining.

So go see it. At the very least, any director who's able to make me not want to strangle Julia Roberts must have something going for him.