I didn't see this movie when it came out because it didn't sound particurly interesting. I saw it now because I loved Clooney's second film as a director, Good Night, and Good Luck. In a way this is a test run for that film as it also deals with TV and the cold war. It's good, but nowehere near as sucessful.
Indie film star Sam Rockwell stars as Chuck Barris, creator of such television achievements as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show, which he also hosted. The movie is based on Barris's autobiography in which he claims that he also worked as an assassin for the CIA, although he always TV producing as his real job. Go figure.
Despite the fact that I find his claims rather difficult to beleive, the movie is enertaiing and occasoinly funny, particulaly an awful performance of Elvis's "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by a Gong Show contestant. Once the movie gets going, however, the spy plot is only moderatly interesting, partially because there's no suspense. We know Barris lived to write his book, so there is no suspense. I never really beleived that he was a CIA killer either, although I think the movie wants us to.
The movie is uniformally well acted, particularly by Clooney, as an overly seriously CIA agent, and by Drew Barrymore as Barris's sex buddy and then his girlfriend. This is the kind of role that Barrymore should be getting, where her cuteness is not hampered by stupid movie.
Although I was entertained, I have to say that I don't have much desire to see the film again, and I think most other people will have the same reaction. It's a fun movie to watch with friends, but you'll forget about it the next day.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)