Kaufman. Clooney. Absurd plot. For these reasons, Netflix recommended that I watch this movie based on other films I've previously viewed and enjoyed, and, of course, I am very susceptible to the suggestions of Netflix and the almighty queue. Apart from that hypnotizing queue (the novelty of which oughtta wear off soon, I promise), the above should have been some magical ingredients for me to enjoy this movie.
Operative words in last statement: should have been.
Sam Rockwell, aka Zaphod Beeblebrox in a certain book-to-movie that post-dates this film, plays Chuck Barris, formerly real-life host of the Gong Show and the creator of a bevy of mind-numbing game shows in the 60s and 70s such as the Dating Game and the Newlywed Game. He's somewhat of a dysfunctional, intelligent, sex addict with several ideas in his head, and the real man wrote a collection of memoirs and notes in which he suggested that he was a hired assassin for the CIA. This film operates on the premise that this suggestion is absolute truth. George Clooney plays Jim Byrd, the agent who recruits Barris to murder un-patriotic types in various countries (why else did the Dating Game come up with a gimmick to send the winning couples to exotic yet head-scratching locales)? George Clooney also directed this film. Of course, if that weren't complicated enough, Barris has a complicated relationship with the love of his life and seeming soulmate Penny (Drew Barrymore) while dallying with a femme fatale-type, Agent Patricia (Julia Roberts). In the meantime, Chuck is grappling with his double identity and the pressures of creating voyeuristic masterpieces.
I don't mean to sound sarcastic--well, ok, maybe I do--but I had very big problems with this film. Don't get me wrong: the movie was original, and the absurdist plot enticed me. First off, though, it was extremely uneven. The movie force-feeds the viewer the idea that Barris was, in fact, a CIA assassin, an idea which is hard to stomach for so many reasons, and its plot continuity relies on the acceptance of that idea. Except, the idea itself is so outlandish that the film inevitably falls into a stale pattern of new game show, new murder, and new disjointed situations that cause the movie to almost lose its conviction behind its premise. The idea becomes tired, the fate of Chuck semi-uninteresting, and the viewer is then left to wonder or guess what it was they just watched, which may be the device that Kaufman and Clooney were reaching for.
Except, the movie was further complicated by the fact that the filmmakers tried to humanize Barris by showing his life context and his on-again/off-again relationship with Penny, as motivation for him agreeing to join - and to remain - in the CIA's ranks, at least until he's had enough. Of course, that takes decades for him to decide, that working for the CIA is really kind of bad news, at which point, he is ready to settle down. I felt like the movie didn't really know what it wanted to be in the end. The tale of a man? The tale of a crazy man? The tale of a man thought to be crazy, though he really should be believed? The tale of a murderer who should be given a pass because the deeds were presumably done for the government? All of the above? None of the above? The tale of a game that lets me, the viewer, guess at which of the above is correct? I think the last is more likely, as it is never really made very clear, and even if this a "thinking" movie, where the viewer is expected to guess and interpret what was just watched for his/herself, I've given it some thought and decided that I really don't know and, frankly, don't really care.
What I do know is that Sam Rockwell gave a tour de force performance as Barris, playing both the off-kilter TV host and the man behind him with a fine balance of natural charisma and subtle comedic timing. Really, all of the actors in this ensemble were good, including George, who never smirked in this movie either! Actually, he spoke in a deadpan monotone almost the whole time, which I found a very odd choice, as it again made suspension of disbelief in the idea that Barris was an assassin almost impossible, since Clooney's Byrd was a surreal, almost dream-like manifestation of something that could be real or imagined by a psychotic individual. Drew Barrymore, as always, added something touching and genuine to Penny, a character only slightly more grounded than Barris (I guess that's why they fit together like peas and carrots). Also, I love how half the cast of Ocean's Eleven made random appearances in this movie, including Julia, who was probably the least interesting character and performance of the lot.
Also, George is a competent director. There were some very artistic visual choices, such as distilling certain scenes to black and white except for one dominant color, and the decision to include real-life figures in Barris' life such as Dick Clark and Jim Lange for the purpose of giving testimonials as to the truth or validity of Barris' claims of his role in government intrigue was inspired. In fact, if the film had really stayed committed to the idea that Barris was a double-agent posing as a game show host/producer rather than faltering while it tried to deal with all of the other layers of Barris' life that it was trying to resolve, the testimonials and visual tricks would have worked well for me. As it was, I found the first half of the movie really good because all of these tools were used effectively, and I bought the premise for that time. The second half was where I got lost and where I felt the movie started to fall apart.
Ultimately, though, I felt a little confused, a little bored, and a litlte disinterested in the whole affair by the time the final credits rolled. On the patented ratings scale, I'm feeling this is a 6.5, better than cute but worse than shaky, especially since I didn't feel all that entertained. It's somewhere between "mediocre" (6 is borderline mediocre, remember) and "good" (7 is borderline good). Also, it should be clear to you that it does not pass my test. This is not a movie I can appreciate more than once, though I do appreciate what the filmmakers tried to do. All in all, I confess that my dangerous mind didn't like this movie all that much.