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| HOLLYWOODLAND |
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| INFO |
RELEASE DATE: 2/6/2007
DIRECTOR: Allen Coulter
WRITERS: Paul Bernbaum
ACTORS: Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins
STUDIO: Focus Features
RATED: R
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| SYNOPSIS |
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Based on actual events surrounding the untimely death of one of
Hollywoods first superhero superstars actor George Reeves famous for
his portrayal of Superman in the 1950s TV Series 'The New Adventures of
Superman". Though after years of being disillusioned by his
own career became depressed despite his fame and fortune,
and in 1959 was found dead in the bedroom of his home from an
overly apparent self inflicted gun shot wound, but as
Reeves' long-time affair with Toni Mannix, wife of MGM president, Eddie
Mannix is brought to a detectives' attention, the detective begins
to think that what the police quickly ruled a suicide could
very well be murder.
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| MOVIE REVIEWS |
Review Date: 9/3/2006
Author: Matt
Following the huge success of the summer film SUPERMAN RETURNS... ... ... ... ... HA HA, JUST KIDDING!!! (Sorry but I have been waiting to bask in that nose dive for sometime now) Anyhow, moving on. A movie about SUPERMAN or in reference to SUPERMAN wouldn't seem like the greatest of ideas right now in time, seeing as this summer our almighty caped "Man of Steel" was pillaged by a crew of pirates at the box office, but with the feature film biopic HOLLYWOODLAND, I seriously don't think it would matter if BRIAN SINGER would have changed the red and blue costume to a pink tutu and had good ol' Supes riding a magic flying unicorn in his film. HOLLYWOODLAND would still easily stand on its own as a story that has been worth telling in a feature film for nearly 50 years.
HOLLYWOODLAND opens June 16, 1959 at the house of actor GEORGE REEVES (BEN AFFLECK). Police and news media flock the driveway, as REEVES fiancé LEONORE LEMMON (ROBIN TUNNEY) sits nervously smoking with her two friends/ free loaders near her side. We soon see why she is so distraught as REEVES lay dead with a gun wound to his head on his bed. The police quickly rule the death a suicide and close the books on the case without question. From there the film goes brilliantly backwards and ahead in time simultaneously, as we begin to see GEORGE REEVES and the beginning of his affair with TONI MANNIX (DIANE LANE) the wife of then MGM President EDDIE MANNIX (BOB HOSKINS). As well, we are introduced to private investigator LOUIS SIMO (ADRIEN BRODY) who is tipped off to the REEVES case by a fellow investigator. Desperate for any "big case" or at least some decent money, SIMO contacts REEVES grieving Mother, to find out why she believes her sons death could not have been a suicide as the police had found, and of course, just how much she was willing to pay to find the"truth" about her son's death.
This leads SIMO on a wild goose chase of collecting information from a closed dead celebrities case, to spinning media attention back towards the case, and all the while trying to deal with his own son from whom he estranged himself. During this we begin to learn more about REEVES and his past, from his first ever acting role in the classic film GONE WITH THE WIND to his later work on a low budget serial show, THE ADVENTURES OF SIR GALAHAD. Though seemingly already disillusioned by Hollywood, GEORGE still wants his "big shot" and his newly found "sugar mamma" TONI definitely doesn't shy away from the fact she could be of help to that particular situation.
Digging deeper into the life and friends of GEORGE REEVES constantly wields new information that completely "U-turns" LOUIS SIMO every time he thinks he has information that would prove otherwise, which begins (slowly at first and in pitfalls towards the end) to wear away at the cool and calm demeanor of the investigator. Conflicts between REEVES and MANNIX begin to arise when REEVES feels he is stuck in the role of SUPERMAN, even though it has once again made him a star, and REEVES withdraws from his once hot and heavy affair with TONI MANNIX when he meets a young vivacious LEONORE LEMMON whom he quickly becomes engaged.
Everyone seems suspect and no one seems to be telling the truth. By the end LOUIS SIMO must come to terms with the facts and realities of the situation before he loses his son, his mind or even his life, as his questioning into the MGM Presidents involvement in REEVES death invokes the studio to act up on the situation whether they had any ties to the tragedy or not.
Bottom Line: HOLLYWOODLAND, in this reviewers opinion, does an excellent job of not assuming the facts surrounding this tragic event and instead offers the viewer different viewpoints to see all sides of the event as could have occurred leaving the viewer ultimately to decide what could have happened that heart breaking night. The cast of the film leaves nothing to be desired, as ADRIEN BRODY does an amazing job every time he is on screen; he effortlessly transitions throughout the film and shows brilliance with deconstructing a character. DIANE LANE, beautiful as always, lights up the screen with her portrayal of the manipulative tart, TONI MANNIX. BOB HOSKINS shoots his stern controlling EDDIE MANNIX right off the screen to the point when he talks you feel like you should probably sit up and listen to not get in trouble. Last but not least, in the role of GEORGE REEVES, is the critics whipping boy, BEN AFFLECK. I don't know why people have such a distaste for this man, but as a KEVIN SMITH fanatic, I love just about everything he has done (OK, PEARL HARBOR sucked, I said specifically "just about"!). AFFLECK's portrayal of GEORGE REEVES is in no way spot on - exact - JAMIE FOX to RAY CHARLES - right on the money in any shape or form, but the way he carries himself and puts across the dialogue, he in no way feels out of the character or era. This is what I like about BEN AFFLECK. He doesn't think (from what I can tell) so highly of himself that he doesn't know that trying a straight up impersonation probably wouldn't have worked for him, but I don't think with a film and a topic like this it would fly very well for any actor (JAMIE FOX included). What he did do was stay within confines of the character and of the era, and at no point did it seem as though it was the "dude who liked to bang chicks in some very uncomfortable place" hanging out at a 50's Hollywood party.
M@'s REMARK
Well written, well acted. If you went to see SNAKES ON A PLANE you won't like this movie, but for everybody else definitely check it out!
Rating: 9
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