Hollywoodland (2006)

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writer (WGA):

Paul Bernbaum (written by)

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Living in Holly wood can make you famous. Dying in Hollywood can make you a legend.

Plot:

A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, TV's Superman.

Plot Keywords:

Los Angeles California | Ethnic Slur | Film Industry | Racial Issues | Actor

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. June 1

8:20 AM

MAX

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Louis Simo
Diane Lane	...	Toni Mannix
Ben Affleck	...	George Reeves
Bob Hoskins	...	Eddie Mannix
Robin Tunney	...	Leonore Lemmon
Kathleen Robertson	...	Carol Van Ronkel
Lois Smith	...	Helen Bessolo
Phillip MacKenzie	...	Bill Bliss
Larry Cedar	...	Chester Sinclair
Eric Kaldor	...	Barbell Man (as Eric Kolder)
Caroline Dhavernas	...	Kit Holliday
Kevin Hare	...	Robert Condon
Molly Parker	...	Laurie Simo
Zach Mills	...	Evan Simo
Neil Crone	...	Chuck

Also Known As:

Truth, Justice, and the American Way (USA) (working title)
Untitled George Reeves Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content.

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Germany:12 | South Korea:15 | Ireland:16 | Canada:14A | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-13 | USA:R (certificate #42223) | France:Unrated | Peru:14 | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring St., Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Back Lot Pictures

Trivia:

Joaquin Phoenix auditioned for the role of Louis Simo, but Adrien Brody got it. This is the second time the two have auditioned for the same role. In The Village (2004), both men auditioned for the role of Lucius Hunt, with Phoenix getting the role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the Spring of 1951, when George and Nati see Rita Hayworth in the club, she is obviously pregnant. However, Rita's last child, daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan was born December 28, 1949, from her third husband, Prince Ali Khan.

Quotes:

George Reeves: I will be on television in a month... Wearing brown and gray underpants.

Movie Connections:

Features From Here to Eternity (1953)

Soundtrack:

From Here to Eternity

Good actors let down by poor execution

1959. Los Angeles. Someone's just blown their brains out with a Luger. Or have they? Shady detective gets onto it. The guy was Superman. Or rather, he was George Reeves, who played Superman. Played here by Ben Affleck. Movie studios are at a crossroads in history.

First up, Ben Affleck is good. For someone who maybe wants to get out of comedy (as Reeves wanted to get out of playing the TV Superman), this is a shot for him to be taken seriously. He's surrounded by first rate performances from the likes of Diane Lane, superb as the older-woman seductress. Bob Hoskins, as the studio boss, has a gravitas and conviction that frees him from the more flippant or lowlife characters he has played. Then there's Adrien Brody as a sleazy detective turned honest guy. It's difficult to see how this picture could go wrong. But it does.

With beautiful 50s sets it took me a long time to decide why they somehow failed to convince. There is none of the mysteriousness of L.A. Confidential or the similarly themed Black Dahlia. Hollywoodland has neither a classic noir nor a detective genre feel. The camera-work and editing has a modern, snappy feel to it that is out of synch with the subject matter. It's not clear who is at the centre of the story - are we to focus on Brody or get seriously into the Reeves character? The film interleaves Reeves' life with the detective's investigation and, although there is a common thread between the two men, it is not strong enough to make up for a lack of dramatic tension. Then there's the title: it suggests something far too grand for a microcosm about one actor. Although there are a few broadsides against a corrupt Hollywood system, they lack subtlety and are themes that have been covered more fully many times over.

Diane Lane is mesmerising, first as a gorgeous vamp and then as the frustrated older woman. The recreation of scenes from the first (very low budget) Superman shoots are fascinating and if there had been more of them it might have been a way to flesh out Reeves' character. There is too much emphasis on who is sleeping with who they shouldn't. If the resolution was going to be based on this fine, but it seems the wrong formula for this film. With the exception of Lane, what character development there is comes too late and with insufficient force to justify two hours of meandering.

Hollywoodland wants to take on some big ideas, but brilliant acting is let down by weak direction and execution. At the end of two hours, we are still left asking what was the point. It made me want to put my iPod on and just listen to a fifties crooner such as Julie London - and pretend I was watching something constructed by someone who knew what they were doing.