i must have seen a different film!!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Who is writing these reviews... New York elitists who are trying to get a gig as a reviewers? I've seen shorter reviews for "Gone with the wind". This piece of crap is not worth a paragraph, but I'll let the Trivia section do the talking: "David O. Russell was offered the film to direct but turned it down, deciding "that it was just not about anything but a guy who liked to f*ck girls and say that he shot people in the head".And that's it folk in a nutshell. He stated the obvious in 3 lines. Don't waste your time on this dog of dogs.

'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' is an 'autobiographical' (and notice I put 'autobiographical' in quotes!) account of Chuck Barris – the American entertainment guru of his day (and possibly a distant grandfather of our own Simon Cowell, in my opinion), best known for such televisual greats as 'The Gong Show' and the 'Newlyweds Show.' The reason this film's authenticity is called into question is because it's based on Chuck Barris' own autobiography – and his account of things is sometimes a little open to interpretation.The film definitely tells some true aspects of his life. It shows how he became the brains behind (and sometimes in front of) various primetime gameshows of yesteryear. However, his private life was apparently even crazier than his public life. He was also a hit-man for the CIA. Possibly. Anyway, however unlikely this little sideline was it still makes for a damn entertaining film.George Clooney is the director (and extended cameo throughout the film) who brings this wild tale to life. And, if this is an example of his style behind the camera, I think he should do more. The film is deliciously artistic and almost every shot is lovely crafted, utilising some decent little camera tricks to propel the story. Sometimes it may try a little too hard, but, in all, it's a very impressive piece.As mentioned, Clooney himself appears in front of the cameras well here and there, but it's Sam Rockwell who carries the film as Barris himself. Rockwell throws himself into every scene, doing everything he can to bring the complicated character to life. You may not like the character he portrays, but, even if the whole 'hired killer' side of the story his fake (in real life, as it's played as very real on screen) Barris must have been one hell of an interesting character to know, let alone try and get inside his head.With Rockwell stealing every scene, it's sometimes difficult to notice all the other characters trying to catch up with him, but the main exception is Drew Barrymore. You could look at her as 'just the love interest' but, in her own way, she's almost as damaged as Barris himself. There's probably a film that could be made out of her life story too, but she's a tragic figure in her own right – it's just a shame they don't give us more explanations as to her motivation.Whereas some of Barris' tales we'll probably never know the validity for (the CIA does totally deny ever contacting him about anything!) some of the 'facts' are blatant lies – check Wikipedia for examples of this! However, whether the whole story or just part of it is true, nearly true or completely false, it really doesn't matter. It's got fantastic performances, amazing direction and it's a deeply dark and enjoyable tale either way.Also, it's not just Clooney himself who makes an appearance – watch out for some of his mates silently popping up here and there.

I like how the story rolls out smoothly with the pace stable at the right speed. The opening is also successful in igniting curiosity to stay and keep watching. The movie also presents some very good photography especially the coloration and light usage. Sam Rockwell did quite okay in this movie. He can nab the outgoing nature of the character nicely, something that he also exhibited in his character in the later Charlie's Angels. The thing that nags a bit for me is that Sam Rockwell hasn't gotten any more spotlight after this and Charlie's Angels. I also like the fact that there are great names acting for this movie like Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts. They gave out great supporting character role in this movie. I also like the fact that there are nice cameos by equally famous faces like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)Like the better known George Clooney directed film, Good Night, and Good Luck, this one is about the early days of television. But the similarity ends there. Filmed in color, with a second story about the CIA, and sometimes inventive filming moving from one space to another freely, or showing fantasies that get confused with the truth. Confessions almost feels like a crazy dream. And a good one, an interesting tour of a man's off-kilter mind finding escapes in brilliant flashes of success. And the writing is by the great Charlie Kaufman, which is reason enough to get involved.The period is great (1960s and 70s), laced with the Cold War and peripheral drug use, and lots of bright colors. "The Dating Game" gets started on hippy-esquire t.v. sets and then suddenly we see a gruesome assassination, making for a wild ride. And there is a star-studded cast, with Julia Roberts prominent and Brad Pitt and Matt Damon definitely not prominent (but their two seconds making maybe the best single moment in the movie). The intrigue compounds when our leading man, a very non-fictional Chuck Barris, becomes a target himself.The lead, Sam Rockwell, has the problem for me of not creating a sympathetic character, so when things go wrong, and even when things go right, he seems like a jerk, and I couldn't quite get absorbed in it. Instead, everything just "happens." But such things! Could they be true? The movie is based on Barris's autobiography of the same name, and yet the CIA denies Barris had anything to do with them. Good stuff for a surreal, bouncy movie, anyway. No strait jacket required.