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Movie Reviews, & Film Industry Commentary
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2006 –R – 126 min.
Director: Allen Coulter
Primary Cast: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Robin Tunney, Molly Parker, Lois Smith, Zack Mills
Stars *** (of 5)
Popcorn ** (of 5)
Film Type(s): Drama, Biography, Film Noir, Showbusiness
Synopsis: Ben Affleck stars as 1950’s TV star George Reeves in this Biography / Mystery based on Reeve’s Life and the investigation into his death by Gunshot wound in 1959. When Reeve’s Mother hires Detective and former studio investigator Louis Simo (Played by Oscar Winner Adrien Brody), he convinces her (and tries to convince himself) that his death was not a suicide, but a cover up. Simo investigates as many insiders refuse to cooperate and begins to believe that Reeve’s had a Sugar Momma in his relationship with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane) and that her jealous, Studio Executive husband, Eddie (Bob Hoskins) had Reeves killed. The only problem is Simo begins to doubt these as well. Based on factual accounts of the investigation into Reeve’s death.
Review: An Excellent Biography trapped within an okay Film Noir is an apt description for Hollywoodland. The Biography of George Reeves (Affleck) covers his exploits throughout the 1950’s going from out-of-work actor with an A-List Resume including a minor role in Gone With The Wind, to a Star-at-Last with his early Television “Superman” role costing him much of his pride, to his death in 1959. The Noir portion features Brody’s divorced and down on his luck Detective Simo being hired by Reeve’s Mother (Smith) because she believes his death was not a suicide as the police ruled it. The Biography portion works well in part because it hops around to highlights of Reeves life and are often seen from Simo’s vantage point, adding conspiracy theories to the story, like why was Reeve’s engaged to Starlet Lenore Lemmon (Tunney) when he was carrying on an affair with Toni Mannix (Lane), the wife of tempermental and powerful MGM Executive Eddie Mannix (Hoskins). Director Coulter tries to hard here to evolve from his TV position as a director for “The Sopranos” to the screen, being too used to Television, where multiple story lines develop over time, rather than trying to forcibly tie the lives of Simo and Reeves together, causing the former to fester rather than enhance the story. The only consolation for this is that the acting is superb and you have a definite feel for time and place. Lane and Hoskins give excellent, if muted, performances. Affleck gives and Oscar-worthy performance, probably partially channeling his experiences on Daredevil, where he played a comic book character, and Pearl Harbor, relating to how Reeve’s felt in relation to his involvement with the classic From Here to Eternity. This film should primarily be seen by fans of Affleck, Superman, and early Television stories.
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