Marginal pop culture figures don't typically have movies made about their lives. Andy Kaufman and Bob Crane are two notable exceptions, but at best most C-list celebrities must remain content with their own "E! Hollywood Special" once their careers fade and devolve to the point of appearing on "Celebrity Mole."
Chuck Barris, former producer of the pop culture detritus "The Dating Game," and host of "The Gong Show," would most likely have been relegated to sharing Corey Feldman's fate had he not claimed to have assassinated 33 people for the CIA in his autobiography, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." This was the hook necessary to grab people's attention, just as Bob Crane's sex addiction or Andy Kaufman's off-kilter antics provided the core for "Auto Focus" and "Man on the Moon," respectively.
George Clooney went for the bait on this hook and not only decided to produce "Confessions," but also to direct and star in this picture. Yet, despite recruiting able talent from his coterie of Hollywood friends and a batch of directorial tricks from Steven Soderbergh, his directorial debut is ultimately disappointing.
The source of this disappointment can be traced to the screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman. Best known for writing "Being John Malkovich" and the recently-released "Adaptation," he usually includes enough postmodern trippiness in his scripts to leave audiences' heads spinning for days. But the man who created himself a fictional brother to share credit for "Adaptation" writes a script that, for once, plays it straight.
Yet "Confessions" doesn't deserve a straight treatment. Barris actually may have secretly worked for the CIA and killed 33 people, but it still appears much more likely that he invented this whole story as a desperate plea for attention. To its detriment, the film essentially takes Barris at his word and presents his clandestine activities as true.
While the essential premise of the film, a game show host with a double life as an assassin, has the potential to work, its execution is flawed. "Confessions" focuses on Barris confronting the failures of his life through his existence as a spy. It would have been even more intriguing, however, to include a critique of the possibility that his double life was a sick cry for attention in a culture obsessed with celebrity.
Unfortunately, the film misses this opportunity for such a critique and never really suggests that Barris might be inventing his second life. There are definitely darkly comic moments in parts of the script, but these moments never truly subvert the film's premise. Barris always is portrayed as a loser, but as one who genuinely becomes a spy.
Despite the poor script, the directing and acting aren't especially bad, all things considered. While Clooney follows the typical course of most first-time directors and succumbs to the temptation to show off how many cinematic tricks he can perform, the film is still well shot and technically proficient.
He obviously has picked up a few things after working with Steven Soderbergh on "Out of Sight" and "Ocean's 11," including intricate cuts and also the habit of playing with color saturation. The first shot of "Confessions" shows Dick Clark talking about Barris all in a lovely shade of magenta, but Clooney mostly avoids such excess afterward and shows promise for future directorial duties.
The acting is mostly unexceptional, except for Sam Rockwell ("The Green Mile," "Charlie's Angels") as Barris, who conveys his character's frustration with his life quite well.
George Clooney puts on a fedora and a somber tone as Jim Byrd, Barris' CIA contact, but that's essentially the limit of his work in this film.
Drew Barrymore does a sufficient job as Barris's flighty girlfriend, but Drew has embodied flightiness ever since she flashed Letterman on "The Late Show."
Julia Roberts tries hard to be serious in her role as a fellow assassin and paramour of Barris, but her acting simply becomes too mannered when she works outside of her usual romantic comedy environment. Her performance becomes stilted, much as it was in "Ocean's 11."
"Confessions" could have been a good movie; it had a quirky premise and a talented screenwriter. Although a first time director, Clooney worked with Steven Soderbergh at his side as his co-producer. Sadly, the film didn't follow the example of Barris and exploit a premise to its full potential. As the godfather of today's fame-obsessed reality TV, it would have been deliciously ironic to skewer Barris for seeking celebrity in such a twisted manner. Instead, the film plays it straight and fails. Time for the gong, Mr. Farr.
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