Film Reviews

Hollywoodland

• Rating:
• Director: Allen Coulter
• Starring: Adrien Brody
• Details: US / 126mins (16).

"It's a dirt cheap kid's show and no one is ever going to see it." Television is fast becoming a phenomenon, but '50s actor George Reeves (Affleck) is reluctant to take on the role of Superman as he sees himself as a bona fide movie star. Although he had a small part in Gone With The Wind, Reeves' film career has stalled and he is forced to don the cape to make ends meet; but when he allegedly commits suicide, his mother, refusing to believe her son would take his own life, employs private detective Louis Simo (Brody) to investigate. Hollywoodland is a slick, noir-tinged drama that is part fact (Reeves) and part fiction (Simo) and due praise must be given to writer Paul Bernbaum and Allen Coulter, directing his first feature, for delivering such a rich movie that's equally sad and funny and full of characters instead of caricatures. A lot of buzz has surrounded Affleck's performance. True, he does a job that's by far and away his best to date (which isn't really saying anything), giving us a real insight into Reeves who felt he "looked like a damn fool" wearing the costume. Affleck looks like a man transformed and makes us really feel for the actor, especially when his small role in From Here To Eternity, his foray into film after Superman is cancelled, ends up on the editing room floor. One gesture from a producer after his performance gets guffaws from the audience at a preview – not for his acting prowess, but just because he was Superman and Superman was all he was allowed to be. The real kudos, however, must go to Adrien Brody, who embodies the seedy private detective with a self-assured but subtle confidence. Diane Lane also shines and does more than the role asks for as Reeves' sugar momma Toni Mannix, the wife of MGM head Eddie (Hoskins).

Review by Gavin Burke