Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

An adaptation of the cult memoir of game show impresario Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), in which he purports to have been a C.I.A. hitman.

Director:

George Clooney

Writers:

Chuck Barris (book), Charlie Kaufman (screenplay)

Stars:

Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney

7 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Clark	...	Self
Sam Rockwell	...	Chuck Barris
Michelle Sweeney	...	J. Sweeney
Drew Barrymore	...	Penny
Chelsea Ceci	...	Tuvia, Age 8
Michael Cera	...	Chuck Age 8 and 11 (as Michael Céra)
Aimee Rose Ambroziak	...	Chuck's Date #1
Isabelle Blais	...	Chuck's Date #2
Melissa Carter	...	Chuck's Date #3
Jennifer Hall	...	Georgia
Ilona Elkin	...	Georgia's Girlfriend
Sean Tucker	...	Barfly
Jaye P. Morgan	...	Self
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Debbie
David Julian Hirsh	...	Freddie Cannon (as David Hirsh)

Storyline

Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off-screen. This is the story of a legendary showman's double life - television producer by day, C.I.A. assassin by night. At the height of his television career, Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) was recruited by the C.I.A. and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris claimed.

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Plot Keywords:

secret agent | hitman | broken nose | playboy mansion | kgb | 

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Taglines:

When you lead two different lives, it's easy to forget what side you're on.

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual content and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was said in a gossip magazine in 2001, that Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts did not get along at all.

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Goofs

When Barris and Byrd are in Mexico City (according to a caption), a Saguaro cactus in in the background. This type of cactus can only be found in the Sonoran Desert in the states of Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico and is rarely found growing at elevations over 4,000 feet. Mexico City is hundreds of miles southeast of there and at a 7,500 foot elevation.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dick Clark: I wouldn't want to live his life because he hasn't been happy all of his life. All I think is if you can find work, stay healthy, find somebody to share it with, you're the ultimate success. He's had some of the pieces of the puzzle, but not all of them.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The American/Going the Distance/Machete (2010)

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Soundtracks

Jumpin' at the Woodside
Written by Count Basie
Performed by The Gong Band

User Reviews

Where Genius is Born of Insanity, Even when forced.

Let me start by saying my respect for Clooney as a producer and now a director continue to go up. Backing this one was also Steven Soderbergh... and as a result you get stellar (for scale only) performances by Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore. Also watch for Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in fleeting, non-speaking cameo roles.

The film (and book) explore the double life of Chuck Barris who was once described as lowering the bar on television for ever. The double life however, is the life of a CIA contract assassin.

The premise is hard to buy into. But then again, so was the man. True or not, the film and story raise Barris up to the level of Andy Kauffman. In a Tyler Durdensque manner this Beautiful Mind takes you thru Barris' theoretical hell or coming to terms with his own personality foibles.

Rockwell is spot on in his portrayal both on and off the small screen as Barris. The reproduction of Gong Show Antics are spooky to say the least. The film is inter-cut with appearances from actual colleagues from Barris' past (such as J.P. Morgan, Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, and others) in an almost Harry-Met-Sally style of nostalgic interview.

Clooney's use of live scene cuts to transition fluidly from thought to thought or scene to scene are reminiscent of The Graduate's Poolside swan-dive directly into Mrs. Robinson's bed. This is a film that has a touch of "Fight Club", "Forrest Gump", and "La Femme Nikita"... all tied together by the man that brought up Rip Taylor's $1.98 Beauty Show.

The film presents more questions than it answers. Matter of fact the only question the film really answers is whether or not someone really answered the weirdest place they ever had whoopie.

I saw this on Starz thanks to the marvel that is Tivo. The DVD is now definitely on my wish list.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Germany Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 January 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Filming Locations:

White Stallion Ranch, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$87,199, 5 January 2003

Gross USA:

$16,007,718

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,013,805

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax, Mad Chance, Section Eight

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1