Hollywoodland

Another weekend brings another set of somewhat new films. And this week, I went to see Adrien Brody try to solve the age old mystery of what really happened to George Reeves, the man who played Superman in the late 60s. This film was called Hollywoodland.

In short the film surrounded two characters, Louis Simo (Brody) and George Reeves (Ben Affleck.) The film is cut into two time lines, one surrounding the post-death of Reeves, the other focusing on his life before his death. Simo is a hired detective, who is tipped off to the suspicion that Reeves had been murdered instead of suicide which everyone is lead to believe. Through the cut and jump storytelling, we relive Reeve’s life before his death, and learn intricate details of his affairs and dealings before his death. And in the end, we are presented with what is still consistent today: an undefined answer to a still lasting mystery.

After seeing some of Brody’s work, I wasn’t sure what to expect here. He’s the kind actor that you’d love see break out of his usual roles. He’s sort of the goofy tall guy just trying to get by, and that’s what I felt in this film. He plays a man hurt by a past oppressive father figure, and a haunting history with alcohol. Like his home life when a child, he begins to falter as a father. But something just wasn’t there, leaving me to wonder why he was cast; it also left me wondering if anyone else would have made the role any better.

Ben Affleck plays the role of Reeves, a man devastated by a bad string of work. Though he began a role model for young Americans all across the country, he aspired to be more. He never got it though, and fell down each rung of the ladder as time went on. He turned to his closest friends for support, but never found what he was looking for. At times, I thought that his portrayal and interpretation of the character was spot on. Other times, I wondered if George Reeves was really that strange of a man. I couldn’t tell if it was bad acting, or good acting on an eccentric man.

But both of these actors couldn’t bring anything new to the table. Throughout the film, I was wondering what new twist was around the corner. I was hoping for something interesting to watch, some performance that was to pull me out of my seat and thrust me into 1960s Hollywood. Unfortunately, this film plays out like a season finale of Law and Order. It was nothing more than a two hour television special. It was plain, which isn’t bad, but isn’t good either.

Visually, I just wasn’t impressed. As said, it was like a television show, with bigger named actors. I never lived in the 60s, so it’s hard for me to comment on the set designs, and the shooting locations. It seemed to me, however, that there was always something lacking, something that the actors just couldn’t cover up.

Direction was solid, but still raised questions. I wondered why the abuse was an important factor. I wanted to know why Brody’s family even played a role in this film. They seemed to exist to give the film more depth, but in the end, just added an extra 30 pages to the screenplay. I guess some will like it, some won’t. I was the latter.

You won’t miss anything by not going, but if you’re bored, it cures 2 hours. 6 of 10.