Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Director: George Clooney

George Clooney directs a script by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation). It’s an adaptation of a memoir about the guy who hosted the Gong Show saying he used to be a CIA hitman.

Chuck Barris is the guy who hosted the Gong Show. He also created The Dating Game and the Newlywed Game. He is played by Sam Rockwell, who was Guy in Galaxy Quest. He does a great job being Chuck Barris. I only know him from those bad tuxes he would wear on the Gong Show and when he does those scenes, he could be him. Of course that is only a brief moment of the movie.

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It starts out pretty disjointed. I actually forgot it was written by Charlie Kaufman, but for him it was pretty straightforward movie. I think George Clooney did a good job directing. There were some cool ways he did scenes, like once Barris was talking on the phone with a tv executive guy. Instead of the screen splitting to show him on one side and the tv guy on the other, the room that Barris was in kinda faded away so you could only see his face. In the background was the tv guy at his desk. Drew Barrymore, who was his girlfriend, was dancing around while he made this phone call and she goes dancing through the tv guy’s office in the middle of the phone call. I’m sure I described that all stupid, but it was pretty neat to watch.

Back to being disjointed, like I am being in this review. ;) It started out that way and then finally got a rhythm when it showed him being recruited to be an independent consultant to the CIA. The movie never really tells you if that was true or not. It could have all been in his mind or real. Don’t know!

After the slow start, it was entertaining movie. There were great cameos that I don’t want to spoil. Julia Roberts plays an assassin contact and her role is very funny. My favorite part though was when the FCC guy tells the Dating Game people about keeping their lewd comments to themselves or be fined. Apparently the Dating Game was too tacky to air and they had to reshoot the first few episodes before they aired. The FCC guy is way over the top and hilarious. That scene needs to be seen.

Grade: B

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