Hollywoodland (2006)

The fact-based mystery of Hollywoodland takes place in 1959, when the death of Adventures of Superman TV star George Reeves cast a pall over the waning days of golden-age Hollywood. As written by Paul Bernbaum, this intriguing whodunit effectively evokes the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves' death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves' career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective into the possible causes of Reeves' death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream. Building upon a distinguished career in TV including episodes of HBO's The Sopranos, Rome and Six Feet Under, director Allen Coulter finds a satisfying balance between the tragic overtones of the Reeves case and the time-honored elements of the gumshoe genre, with Adrien Brody doing fine work as private eye Louis Simo, a fictional composite character who is our conduit to the desperate yearnings of Reeves' final months.

In a critically acclaimed performance, Ben Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood "fixer" and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo's investigation progresses. Reeves' subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo's own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Great Visual Experience and Story

The story was very good and the HD visuals were great. Of course this is a Combo format so it plays on both HD and any other DVD player. June 16, 2008

IT'S ONLY ME , BUT:

NOT ONE OF THE YEARS BEST. A INVSTIGATION INTO ACTOR GEORGE REEVES DEATH BY A REPORTER. JM June 1, 2008

The Darkened Screen

I found this Hollywood semi-biopic absorbing from beginning to end. It recalled that bygone era when entering a movie theater was more than making a stop at the outrageously priced popcorn concession on the way into a tacky multiplex cubicle. Movie theaters themselves, whether they purported to be dimly-lit frescoed Egyptian temples or dusk-enshrouded palaces with glittering stars implanted in the ceilings, provided magical settings for the flickering images that transported audiences wherever the movie producers chose to take them. The Film Stars who twinkled in the Hollywood firmament had the glamor of distance, and the Big Studio Moghuls had teams of publicity men to make sure that the dark side of the silver screen was never even glimpsed. Of course, too often real life intruded into reel life and the screen was ruptured by lurid headlines.

"Hollywoodland," ably acted by Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, and Bob Hoskins, as well as a solid supporting cast, captures the period at the end of the Big Studio era admirably. From the faux elegance of the nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the dusty vaults of Western Costume, the movie recalls both sides of the Hollywood dream. Adrien Brody plays the seedy wannabe private eye with a sensitivity that makes us identify with him, even though we see through his pretensions. Ben Affleck parallels Brody's character in his portrayal of the wannabe Star of the first magnitude, whose image is occluded by his small-screen Superman persona; Diane Lane is stylish as the aging Hollywood matron who becomes the woman scorned; and Bob Hoskins is positively sinister in the role of the studio exec.

The film offers no pat answers to the mystery of whether George Reeves killed himself or was murdered, but it offers some tantalizing possibilities that the viewer will ponder after the screen has gone dark. May 25, 2008

Super enough to hold your attention

Hollywoodland is a nice period piece with interesting performances by Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins, and Diane Lane.

Based on actual events, the movie tells the story of George Reeves' death. (Reeves was the television actor who portrayed Superman in the 1950s television series.) According to what I know of the real-life story, the movie is fairly accurate in its depiction of events and relationships.

Reeves (played well by Affleck) is a small-time actor looking for work. He meets and strikes up an affair with Toni Mannix (a beautiful and tragic Lane), wife of Ed Mannix (Hoskins), a VP at MGM. Toni turns George into her "kept man," buying him a house, expensive gifts, etc. Reeves lands the part of Superman, but he takes it only because he wants some money of his own. (He feels that the series will never get picked up, and that no one will ever see it.) What he soon discovers, however, is that he has been pigeon-holed into the small-screen character, and that attempts to secure other work, particularly in film, are futile. A depressed Reeves eventually breaks it off with Mannix, taking up with Lenore Lemmon. Shortly thereafter, Reeves is discovered in his bedroom, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Louis Simo (Brody) is an invented character, a private investigator hired by Reeves' estranged mother to look into his death. Simo is dealing with his own frustrations - separation from his wife, and ailing relationship with his son, problems with his mistress, moral justification for his line of work, and money trouble. Set against the backdrop of his query into the Reeves case, these issues sharpen and lead to a determination for him to discover what actually happened to a fellow "Superman."

Performances were uniformly solid, with Affleck deftly capturing Reeves' descent into hopelessness. Lane is gorgeous and giddy as a woman who discovers a young lover, and harrowed and haunted as a woman spurned and bereaved (or guilty?). Hoskins does well, too, as the understanding (and potentially violent) husband in an open marriage. Brody is the true centerpiece of the film, however, drawing all of the material together and reflecting it back at the viewer through the lens of his current troubles.

The feel of the film is authentic. I loved the sets, props, and costumes, with Lane in particular serving as a showcase for such. Production values were high on this film.

What I enjoyed most about this movie, though, was that the ending was left ambiguous. The filmmakers do not give us an answer about how they think Reeves met his end. (Sifting through the details of Reeves' life, Simo imagines several different scenarios for the star's demise.) Rather, they let us see the myriad of possibilities, understanding that what happened on that June night in 1959 will most likely remain one of Hollywood's unsolved mysteries. May 11, 2008

Very under rated movie

This is a very under rated movie. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this. I thought Ben Affleck played the part of George Reeve very well. April 21, 2008

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