Chuck Barris was the creator of "The Dating Game," "The Newlywed Game," and "The Gong Show." I remember updated versions of "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game," and I only vaguely remember "The Gong Show" (I also vaguely remember "The Gong Show Movie"), a twisted variety show he actually hosted, so I can't say I knew a hell of a lot about Chuck Barris before watching "Confession of a Dangerous Mind." But I've seen "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," and now I can say for certain that I DO know something about Chuck Barris. He's a guy with serious issues.
I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that this movie is based on Barris' autobiography, in which he claims that he was a TV producer by day, and a CIA assassin by night. Is it true? Probably not, but maybe by making that claim, he's trying to say something else. It's clear that he hates himself. When critics accuse him of creating TV shows that are responsible for the decline of western civilization, he's actually hurt by it. Could he be making up the stuff about being an assassin so that critics would be distracted by his supposedly horrendous TV shows? I dunno. Maybe he's just trying to make himself more interesting than he thinks he really is.
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is the directorial debut for actor George Clooney, and I gotta tellya, I'm impressed. He has a distinct, creative visual style, and it's a hell of a debut. I like George Clooney's work as an actor, and now I must say that I also like his work as a director. I hope he continues to direct movies, because he's damn good at it. The mood he sets visually works beautifully with what's in the screenplay, which happens to be written by Charlie Kaufman. Like with "Adaptation" (and to a lesser extent, "Being John Malkovich," both of which were written by Kaufman), Kaufman writes about self-loathing, and Chuck Barris clearly meets the qualifications. The guy really hates himself.
I really like the cast in this movie. Chuck Barris is played by Sam Rockwell (he played "Eric Knox" in "Charlie's Angels" and "Wild Bill" in "The Green Mile"), and though I don't remember Barris well enough to know if it's a dead-on impersonation, Rockwell is very, very good. He easily carries the film. George Clooney has a smaller role as the guy who gets Barris to join the CIA. His performance is low-key and not distracting at all. Drew Barrymore is perfectly cast as the only woman on earth who seems to understand Barris. She's definitely not the girl next door, but she's perfect for him, and she knows it, even if he doesn't. Drew Barrymore has never been better. Julia Roberts, like Clooney, has a smaller role. Her role is one of the more glamorous ones, but again, it's not distracting. If there was one scene stealer, I'd say it was the VERY sexy Krista Allen as the pretty woman at The Grotto. Krista Allen has been in a couple of B-movies, a couple of soap operas, and "Baywatch: Hawaii." She also had a good role in an episode of "Smallville" as a seductive teacher. In this movie, she has a scene where she talks to Chuck Barris, and she manages to mix sex (through her words) with disgust. Very cool.
By the way, I saw WAY too much of Sam Rockwell's bare naked ass in this movie. What's up with that? This movie has an amazingly hot chickie like Krista Allen, but it's Sam Rockwell we see naked??? Note to George Clooney: Next time you direct a movie with Sam Rockwell and Krista Allen, make sure that Sam Rockwell keeps his clothes on. Krista Allen should be the naked one.
Though I never saw the original versions, I liked the versions I saw of "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game." And even though I barely remember "The Gong Show," it seems like fun. Trashy fun, but fun, nevertheless. To say that Chuck Barris' shows are the decline of western civilization is a little harsh, if you ask me. I reserve that title for "The Jerry Springer Show." Did you know that Jerry Springer is running for U.S. Senate? God help us all if he's voted in!
You may be interested in some of the cameos in this movie. It looks like George Clooney called up a couple of his friends, and they showed up to the party. One of the cameos (actually, it's sorta two cameos in one) is really funny. It's a witty cameo that was cleverly put into the movie. Funny stuff.
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is a really good movie. It's a little slow at times, but I still liked it a lot. Kudos to Sam Rockwell for kicking ass in his first starring role. Kudos to George Clooney for an incredible directorial debut. Kudos to Drew Barrymore for her best performance in a movie ever. And kudos to Krista Allen for being really, really hot.
Scale of 1-10: 8