hollywoodland

THE SYNOPSIS

Hollywood, CA; June 16, 1959. Actor George Reeves (Affleck)--best known as TV’s Superman--has been found dead at his home of a gunshot wound. Is it suicide or homicide?

For sleazy private investigator Louis Simo (Brody), it’s of little interest--until that is, he’s hired by Reeves’ distraught mother Helen Bessolo (Smith) to uncover the truth behind her son’s demise. Simo, a former LAPD officer, is a persona non grata around the department. Yet he’s got enough pull to begin digging up the dirt on the case.

Seems like the late George Reeves has been a busy, busy boy. Kicking around Hollywood for years, the Midwest-bred Reeves debuted in 1939’s Gone With The Wind and performed in various other movies and plays in small bit parts. George Reeves was better known for the partying, boozing and womanizing that was so prevalent in Hollywood.

His current squeeze was none other than Toni Mannix (Lane)--the seductive wife of MGM Executive Eddie Mannix (Hoskins)...himself a rather scary guy in a good suit. At first, Simo suspects Mannix--but it’s a dead end, because Mannix knew of the affair (and in fact, approved of it...since he had his own mistress on the side).

However, after a while Reeves decided to break up with her and get engaged to opportunistic New Yorker Leonore Lemmon (Tunney). Possibly a motive for Toni Mannix to kill Reeves? Simo’s still not sure.

As it it is, the PI has his own issues to deal with, being an ex-wife and son who are tired of being pushed away by the hard-drinking, depressive Simo. Oh--and Mannix has his boys work Simo over a little too (read: ass-whoopin’).

In the end, theories abound about Reeves’ demise. To Simo, now sobered-up and responsible, it’s just another tragic story in the land known as Hollywood...

THE CRITIQUE

Hollywood has been around for about 100 years. The glitz, glamour, allure and sinister undertones exist to this day. Perhaps the allure of yesteryear’s Hollywood events were that they did not have the instant accessibility to us like today with internet, 24-hour media channels and cameras on everything from phones to video capture devices.

What I’m trying to say is that when something horrific happened in Hollywood, we learned about it hours and even days later--and it was something lesser than the norm (a perfect example is the 1958 self-defense stabbing death of starlet Lana Turner’s wiseguy beau Johnny Stompanato by her daughter, of all people). Today, we hear about it instantaneously--the body probably still warm to the touch. Sorry to be so morbid!

Leading into a discussion of the $14,000,000 HOLLYWOODLAND, you get the gist of what I’m saying. The death of George Reeves (however it happened) is just another morbid Tinseltown tale and we’re invited into the mystery by the intrepid filmmakers. I for one was always interested in the sad case of George Reeves. Watching the old Superman TV show on re-runs when I was a wee laddie was always a fun venture.

The movie itself is an interesting hypothosis-based whodunit; written by TV scribe Paul Bernbaum. While it fails to reach the operatic grandeur of something like Curtis Hanson & James Ellroy’s brilliant L.A. Confidential (1997), HOLLYWOODLAND succeeds as a solid mystery-thriller better than it’s misaligned contemporary, The Black Dahlia--which was directed by none other than Brian De Palma himself! But that’s another review!

Originally titled Truth, Justice And The American Way (Superman’s credo), the name was changed due to Warner Bros.’ dislike of the topic material. In fact, the filmmakers had to reshoot portions of the 1950’s Reeves show because WB would not permit the use of the original footage in the movie. Don’t forget, kiddies: WB owns the rights to the character and all of its incarnations.

As helmed by veteran HBO director Allen Coulter (Rome/The Sopranos/Sex In The City), the movie does have a procedural, TV-show style to it that nevertheless works mostly because of his talented cast and equally-skilled crew--all of whom bring to life an intriguing footnote in Tinseltown lore. Now that I think about: this could’ve worked as an HBO Original Picture as well.

Leading the cast is Adrien Brody, decent here as smarmy Louis Simo. However, his thunder is stolen by a slightly unrecognizable Ben Affleck as the tragic George Reeves. Leaving his celebrity persona behind, adding some latex and gaining a few pounds, Affleck is simply terrific as a character that he can (in many ways) identify with. Looking into Affleck’s eyes, we sense Reeve’s disappointments, hopes and humanity; those of a middle-aged man trying tomake it in an ever-changing business where youth is the ticket. In a way, you feel for the character.

Aside from him, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins are equally impressive as the swinging Mannixes. The thespians mix in the right chemistry and give us some insight on Hollywood couples of yesteryear. Nice job indeed!

My favorite aspect of the movie is the appropriately sun-drenched cinematography by another TV veteran, Jonathan Freeman (most notable credit is Sci-Fi Channel’s Taken). The right dose of sunny and partially-bleached lensing invokes the Hollywood of yore.

Other tech credits & mise-en-scene (editing, score, costume design and some solid production design by up-and-comer Leslie McDonald) are solid. The movie was shot in L.A. and Canada--for those keeping score.

THE BOTTOM LINE

An intriguing, unsolved Hollywood crime, a cast of very talented actors and an old-fashioned murder-mystery movie make HOLLYWOODLAND a decent viewing experience.

As it stands, the movie skews older audiences who are familiar with the late George Reeves and his tragic demise; so the younger demographics will probably stay away--unless many are die-hard Superman fans who are in the know. Still, a “small” film that holds its own in an almost super way.

CAST: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith, Robin Tunney & Dash Mihok

CREDITS: Director: Allen Coulter; Screenwriter: Paul Bernbaum; Producer: Glenn Williamson; Director of Photography: Jonathan Freeman; Production Designer: Leslie McDonald; Editor: Michael Berenbaum; Costume Designer: Julie Weiss; Music: Marcelo Zarvos

AC/N 2006 126m English
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