“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
and the beginning of my cinematic love affair with Sam Rockwell.
After completing a recent hat-trick of Sam Rockwell films (See How They Run, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Moon), I thought I’d dust down the film from two decades ago in which I first fell in love with the remarkable character acting prowess of Sam Rockwell. Within my recent reviews I’ve waxed lyrical as to how I now see Sam as the character actor of his generation following the sad, early earthly departure of Philip Seymour Hoffman as well as tracing my love for his films as far back as 1999 and his stand out cameo role in The Green Mile.
This is slightly different in as much as I originally penned this review as part of a much larger article on the career of George Clooney the director (see my original article at the bottom of this paragraph) with this film being George’s cinematic debut behind the camera. But quixotically as always, I also focus heavily on George’s performance in front of the camera in the films he directs and as Sam Rockwell is the star of this particular show this presents me with the perfect opportunity to show off an older film review like so many of my earliest writings, tucked away and hidden within huge behemoth articles, and they deserve a little of the limelight all of their own.
So reproduced below is my original spoiler free article of utter adoration for a film I wrote about nearly a decade ago, as well as a hearty endorsement to give this beautiful gem a watch whenever you have a gap in your film watching schedule!
I hope you enjoy.
“I’m happy to report you fit our profile, Mr Barris”
“Jim Byrd” (George Clooney). Does he exist or is he a figment of Chuck Barris’ over eager imagination? I’m leaving this profile deliberately vague so as not to spoil or hint at Clooney’s character involvement in the film although it is established very early on, it’s just the veracity that’s missing as well as an unpredictable narrator weaving our tale. An accomplished and stylish performance from Clooney both in front of and behind the camera and based on Chuck Barriss’ own memoirs and book “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”, with a screenplay from legendary screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. This is a real joy of a film, an immediate firm favourite of mine on release in 2002 and a real tribute to George Clooney in his first directorial role. The film became an immediate favourite of mine due in part to Charlie Kaufman’s eclectic and bizarre screenplay, a central performance from Sam Rockwell that is truly wonderful and helmed in a slick, precise and fun way by Clooney. Scenes constantly dissolve and melt both into the next scene and also from one era to another. There is a constantly moving story, aided by a seemingly moving and rolling camera from Clooney as he follows the action slowly and methodically as the narrative unfolds. As you’d expect from a Charlie Kaufman screenplay, the narrative is never static and rooted in one era or setting hence the timeline is fractured and twisted, from 1981 at the film’s beginning back to 1940 but quickly into the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Great credit is also due to Clooney’s behind the scenes team of Editor (Stephen Mirrione), Cinematography (Newton Thomas Sigel) Costume Design (Renee April) and especially Alex Wurman for a wonderful original music score that spans the decades of the narrative and beautifully bubbles away under the surface of the story. Interspersed with the original music are many timeless classic tracks for the ages such as “Palisades Park” (written by Chuck Barris), “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who, “If I had a Hammer” by Peter, Paul and Mary (and brilliantly used in the film) through to “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” by Burt Bacharach and “There’s No Business Like Show business” by a certain Rosemary Clooney over the closing credits.
Chuck Barris was a TV Executive and Producer who it can be argued invented the model of Reality Television with his eponymous ideas of “The Newlywed Game”, “The Dating Game” and “The Gong Show” among many others. These original ideas have, for good or bad, entered into the television Zeitgeist and spawned numerous spin off shows that continue to this day. Always craving for that one original idea or one original television game show, this 109 minute biographical film of his life is a fun, darkly funny and exciting journey from the early 1940’s to 1981 however the majority of the film is set within the liberal and hippy tinged 1960’s and early 1970’s. With the heavy involvement of Chuck Barris himself throughout the screenplay adaptation process through to the filming itself it paints a picture of Barris in a very favourable light although not always so, and early on it is established that he leads a very different and a very dual life away from seeking that one unique and original idea for television.
The film is bookended by three very brief hotel scenes and in between is a genuine gem of a film full of intrigue and suspense as we follow a man’s ascent to the pinnacle of his career and his almighty descent on the other side. The film begins with a disclaimer:
“This film is taken from Mr Barris’ private journals, public records and hundreds of hours of taped interviews”
and from this disclaimer we dissolve into a hotel room with a naked, dishevelled and scruffy “Chuck Barris” (Sam Rockwell) narrating his life as a foretaste for his memoirs. Unhappy, desperate and paranoid it is both a portent for Barris’ descent into madness and chaos and a segue into the first of the three brief hotel scenes. “Penny” (Drew Barrymore) is outside Chuck’s hotel room, desperate to be re-united with her friend. “Jesus. How’d you find me?” asks Chuck to which Penny laughs and confirms she’d received his letter on the hotel’s letter headed paper. Clooney quickly cuts to a distinctive shot of just Chuck’s eyeball through the hotel door spyhole but Penny is driving the conversation both in terms of his shabby surroundings and that she desperately wants him to return with her to California to get married. Penny warns Chuck that she won’t hang around forever for him but that she loves him and again wants to marry him. The camera now cuts to a still naked Chuck inside his shabby room, his hair overgrown, a long beard and looking unclean and unkempt. Chuck is part way out of shot as the focus is on the shabby empty room except for a dartboard which is in the centre of the frame. Quick cuts between Chuck and Penny as they share this brief conversation ends with Chuck unable to fully vocalise an answer to Penny but instead whispers “Penny” repeatedly against the frame of the door before Penny, tired of waiting, walks away.
The second brief hotel scene starts again with Penny outside Chuck’s hotel room but quickly dissolves into the room and a scene of utter filth and degradation, of upturned furniture and destruction. Quick cuts move into a zoom on Chuck, sitting with his back to the door, still naked and markedly bloodied and bruised. All the while, Chuck narrates the letter he sent Penny
“Dear Penny, This is just a note to say I’m sorry. For all of it. You were the best part of my life and I couldn’t see it. I’m not asking for another chance. Just for your forgiveness. Love Chuck”.
As the narration ends we dissolve into quick and obscure cuts of Chuck now looking more positive and determined as he cuts his hair and shaves completely, ahead of a meeting with an old friend outside of the cocoon of his hotel room and the third and final brief scene sees a fresher faced and happier Chuck narrate a melancholic ending to the manuscript for his book as he speaks aloud
“My name is Charles Hersch Barris. I have written pop songs. I have been a TV producer. I am responsible for polluting the airwaves with mind numbing puerile entertainment. In addition, I have murdered 33 human beings”.
In addition to Sam Rockwell’s superlative performance as Chuck Barris and Director Clooney’s much smaller role as Jim Byrd, Drew Barrymore as Penny deserves huge plaudits for her performance. Aside from the television shows and the nefarious activities already alluded to, this is a genuine love story at heart and so brilliantly played by Barrymore alongside Rockwell. As with the flashbacks in the film, their relationship mirrors one of the many motifs of the film, that of light blended with dark, the good with the bad, the ultra positive matched against a horrific negative. Despite the joyous nature of the film as a whole, this blending of highs and lows is a constant throughout and very much a part of Chuck and Penny’s relationship so aptly demonstrated by their tender yet quickly explosive game of scrabble. Being a central strand of the narrative there are numerous more examples of their love story. Julia Roberts plays “Patricia Watson” an associate and friend of Chuck’s and their early lovemaking scene is a hilarious gem of a brief scene. Rutger Hauer plays “Keeler”, another associate of Chuck’s but as with Patricia Watson above, I’ll leave his role particularly vague for fear of plot spoilers. As a side note, there are numerous cameos and smaller roles throughout the film with Maggie Gyllenhaal as “Debbie” (hilarious, yet awkward lovemaking scene with Chuck!) with Matt Damon as “Matt” and Brad Pitt as, well, “Brad”, all feature. As do numerous real life people and indeed characters from Chuck Barris’ various game shows. Alongside Barris himself, Dick Clark, Gene Gene “The Dancing Machine” and “The Unknown Comic” all have brief talking heads scenes as do regulars from The Gong Show and The Dating Game, including one who telling states “Even though he’s a prick, he’s a good guy too”.
Included throughout is stock footage of the time from the actual Dating Game and Gong Show contestants through to President Regan and the Cold War which is a significant theme as we follow Chuck’s descent into paranoia and unhappiness. This film is a love story at heart and one that will charm you both as that love story as well as a life story and a story as a whole so very well told by screenwriter Kaufman and Director Clooney. The film has a continually rolling motion to it, never stopping for elongated dialogue or exposition and from the day I saw this to the umpteen repeated viewings later the film remains crystal clear, vibrant and darkly funny. As Barris admits himself, he polluted the airwaves with puerile entertainment, but entertainment that continues to pollute those same airwaves today via Britain’s Got Talent, X Factor, Take Me Out and formerly Blind Date, all spin off shows that are rooted in Chuck Barris’ early ideas for a unique game show that can be sold to national television producers.
A wonderful life story brilliantly portrayed by Sam Rockwell who has since this performance also provided stellar portrayals in Welcome to Collinwood, The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Moon and Seven Psychopaths amongst many others. Rockwell was Clooney’s first and only choice to play Chuck Barris and you can see why.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film and television articles are linked below or there’s well over 100 blog articles (with 300+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
