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CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND Send This Review to a Friend
The credited stars are Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, but strong as their contributions are, the real star of "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is screenwriter Charlie Kaufman for his wild and wacky adaptation of Chuck Barris's book. This is a banner year for Kaufman, who also wrote the intriguing "Adaptation," which is a superior film. But this flick is certainly entertaining enough for those who like their movies off the beaten path.
Clooney does double duty here as both actor and making his debut as a director. His work in front of the camera is firmly in keeping with what we have come to know as his screen charisma, here provided as C.I.A. man Jim Byrd. His major contribution behind the camera is nailing the outrageousness of the story that Kaufman spins.
Sam Rockwell captures the outlandish self-characterization of Barris, a man who on the one hand was regaling America with such television hits as "The Newlywed Game" and "The Gong Show," hardly paragons of taste, and meanwhile, going off on jaunts as a C.I.A. hit man. True or false? Real or imagined? It doesn't really matter for story purposes, as the colorful, unconventional autobiography makes a good yarn. The bizarre situation involves the handling of Barris by Byrd, and Clooney is good at conveying the hold he develops over his operative.
In the tale that Kaufman pursues with inventiveness in his loose, uninhibited form of narrative, other highlights are the performance by Julia Roberts as Patricia, a spy, and Drew Barrymore, as Penny. Roberts goes to town, getting a chance to flaunt sexual wiles and duplicity in a very showy role far removed from the parts she usually plays. Barrymore is beautiful and inviting as Penny, not the proverbial bad penny, but a very appealing Penny, who while a free spirit, is a woman who loves Barris, flaws an all, and would be very good for him if he had enough sense to treat her properly and commit to her.
There's considerable humor mixed with the requisite action, as when Barris uses trips by winners of his show "The Dating Game" to facilitate assassination assignments. The supporting cast is large, including Rutger Hauer and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the film hops around a good deal, which helps keep it lively and at times surprising. A Miramax release.
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