| 8th September 2006 10:53 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Friday, September 8, 2006
MOVIE REVIEW
'Hollywoodland'
Life and death of George Reeves, TV's Superman, fuels drama
By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service
As "Hollywoodland" shows, the life and death of George Reeves offers far more drama than any of the "Superman" TV shows he shot in the 1950s.
A former boxer and sometime-musician, Reeves grew up in Pasadena, Calif., and eventually went under contract to the Hollywood studios. But fame was hard to come by. Only a small role in "Gone With the Wind" is worth mentioning. And then service in World War II broke his stride before he ever found it. He returned to the dawn of television, and the role for which he'll always be remembered, as "Superman."
As played quite wonderfully by Ben Affleck, Reeves is a frustrated, teeth-clenched and ultimately doomed fellow who believes he deserves more out of life than a cape. For a time, he finds it with women, especially the attractive Toni Mannix, a worldly and world-weary woman, superbly played by Diane Lane, who never delivers a bad or superficial performance. But even that romance comes fraught with danger for Reeves: Toni is the wife of Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), a tough boss at MGM who could make or break his career.
As "Hollywoodland" opens, Reeves has been found dead in his home, apparently a victim of suicide. But then a struggling and classically cynical detective, Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), is hired by Reeves' angry mother, who believes her son was murdered. We investigate the Reeves case from Simo's point of view.
Possible suspects begin to line up: Toni could have done it (or ordered it) out of jealousy; Reeves was seeing another, younger woman. She's Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), who also had a motive because of a lover's spat. Or Mannix could have ordered it, either out of jealousy or to protect the studio's reputation. Or, indeed, it could have been suicide. After all, Reeves' typecast career was careening into invitations to enter wrestling matches.
Like a latter-day "Rashomon," "Hollywoodland" provides various theories, not one definitive answer. If you like a neat, clean, wrapped-up conclusion, "Hollywoodland" might be frustrating. But if you welcome the chance to make up your own mind, then you'll enjoy this stylish turn from novice director Allen Coulter.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| 8th September 2006 10:55 AM |
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| glencar |
Geez, me picking my nose has more drama than any "Superman" episode. That show was boring. This movie looks bad. Affleck should retire. |
| 8th September 2006 10:58 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
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