Search - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Chuck Barris is best known to most Americans as the guy who used to host The Gong Show. He was also the creator and producer of The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and a handful of other successful game shows in the 1960s and 1970s. But was he also a hired killer working with the CIA? That's the take-it-or-leave-it premise of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the memoir of the same name by Chuck Barris. Barris (Sam Rockwell) grows up dreaming of success in show biz and winning the hearts of beautiful women, but early on, he meets with plenty of resistance from both women and the television industry, despite writing the hit tune "Palisades Park" and scoring a job with Dick Clark on American Bandstand. The 1960s proves more fortunate for Barris; he meets the love of his life, Penny (Drew Barrymore), and sells ABC on the idea of The Dating Game. However, after the show has made him wealthy and successful, Barris is approached by the mysterious Jim Byrd (George Clooney), a CIA agent who wants to recruit Barris as a covert operative. Barris finds the notion of playing spy games intriguing and agrees, but soon discovers what Byrd and his partners really want is for Barris to assassinate uncooperative figures around the world. Soon, Barris finds that his life has been all but taken over by Byrd and another CIA agent, the mysterious and sexy Patricia (Julia Roberts). As he hops the globe, killing people in the name of American security (using his status as a Dating Game chaperone as a cover), Barris learns that the KGB has discovered his not-so-little secret and that his own life is in great danger. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked the directorial debut of actor George Clooney, working from a screenplay adapted by Charlie Kaufman from Barris' book. Dick Clark, Dating Game host Jim Lange, frequent Gong Show panelist Jaye P. Morgan, and Gene Gene Patton appear as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Sam Rockwell - Chuck Barris
Drew Barrymore - Penny
George Clooney - Jim Byrd
Julia Roberts - Patricia Watson
Rutger Hauer - Keeler

2002	Best Writer (nominee)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Charles S. Kaufman
2003	Silver Bear for Best Actor (winner)	Berlin International Film Festival	Sam Rockwell
2002	Best Screenplay (winner)	National Board of Review	Charlie Kaufman
2002	Special Filmmaking Achievement (winner)	National Board of Review	George Clooney
2002	Best First Feature [Runner-up] (winner)	Toronto Film Critics Association	George Clooney
2003	Best Screenplay (winner)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Charlie Kaufman
2002	Most Promising Performer (winner)	Chicago Film Critics Association	Maggie Gyllenhaal

For a film that was somewhat passed by in the theaters, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind has been given a stellar DVD treatment that will do justice to the film for years to come, thanks to the people at Miramax. Technically, the disc looks and sounds fantastic, with it's 2.40:1 widescreen 16 x 9 enhanced image being the perfect vehicle to show off the film's off-kilter style and theatrical production design, while the lone Dolby Digital 5.1 track does more than an acceptable job with the uproarious soundtrack and exceptional sound design. The extras start with the commentary track by first-time director George Clooney and veteran cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel. As entertaining as it is informative, the conversation ranges from their various visual homage's (everything from Carnal Knowledge to The Boston Strangler) to the seemingly effortless shoot (given the setups required for the more complicated shots). Even more information from the two can be gleamed from the deleted scenes commentary, where you can really dig into the hows and whys of the filmmakers' journey, as they were faced with cutting not only brilliantly acted, but also complicated, visually rich scenes for the final film to work. Clocking in at over 30 minutes, the extra scenes are far from padding for the rest of the flick -- you get a quite good scene with Fred Savage and a very naked Sam Rockwell starting things off, with the rest highlighted by the surreal and hilarious head explosion bit (the piano shtick with the dog is priceless), along with the heavy, but technically ambitious Drew Barrymore drug overdose scene. Those inclusions alone would make the disc well worth any price, but there are still more gems to be had on this release, continuing with six behind-the-scenes vignettes that bore into the meat of the production not covered in the commentary. With most of the heavy hitters in the cast and crew putting their two cents in, the shorts range from Chuck Barris' real past to Sam Rockwell's interpretation of the role, and eventually to the well-prepared Clooney, who kept the three-ring-circus together. Add in three different lengthy screen tests with Rockwell (who shows off not only his acting chops, but dance moves too), yet another feature on Barris, plus a still gallery and a highlight reel from some of the newly filmed Gong Show acts in their entirety, and you finally have the whole disc in a nutshell. Outstanding DVDs are ones that force you to delve into their every nook and cranny, and this one is no exception. If you liked the film before, you'll admire it even more so now. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

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