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Hollywoodland
Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki
Almost every actor fears typecasting. Some of them who are lucky to play an iconic role don't realize that this exposure might shut down opportunities for future movie roles later in life. After appearing in minor parts in dozens of films, washed-up actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck) landed a role in the 1940s as the heroic man of steel in TV's "The Adventures of Superman." The series was phenomenally succesful and elevated him to pseudo-stardom. Then, as the glamour of Tinseltown faded, he found himself embarrassed to be seen in a clownish costume on a cheesy TV show. It became hard for him to sustain his dignity. The final blow came when the show was cancelled; one fateful night he ended his life in his Hollywood Hills home, the victim of a self-inficted gunshot.
"Hollywoodland" begins with a crime scene. Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith), a grieving estranged mother feels the circumstances are somewhat suspicious even though the case was ruled a suicide. She seeks justice by hiring a weasely, down-on-his-luck P.I. named Louis Simo (Adrian Brody), who takes on this high-profile case as a way to make a quick buck from a former colleague. As Simo explores every nook and cranny of the mystery, he finds foul play that opens up three possible scenarios for his demise.
In one of them, he has a torrid affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of MGM executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hopkins), a public affair that lasts a decade and in which she lavishes expensive presents on her admirer. But much to our surprise, Eddie approves of an open marriage complete with mistresses and double dates. He would be delighted to participate in the affair as long as Reeves keeps Toni happy. They seem inseparable until Reeves breaks her heart by taking up with a money-hungry party girl (Robin Tunney), a starlet with her own issues. It all goes downhill from here, as the aging actor unconvincingly needs to perform some wrestling to stay in the spotlight.
Throughout the film, Ben Affleck is particularly effective, redeeming himself from his previous box-office disaster. He even goes to the length of applying a fake nose and sporting wicked glasses. Diane Lane plays a sensual beauty whose weariness resembles that of the Norma Desmond character in "Sunset Boulevard." But there's a slight problem. Brody is unconvincing as a dad; it's hard to accept him as a hard-boiled detective with a fractured life.
Fortunately, the film's production value are superb, such as the jazz score adding a sense of the 1950s, D.P. Jonathan Freeman creates a grainy noir look that is quite authentic. Director Alan Coulter exposes all the dirty deeds that are disguised under the shining Hollywood facade. It is an eloquent summation of the pitfalls of fame, which is the fear of losing. After all, Hollywoodland is an intrguing place to visit, but you won't wanna live there!
Directed by Allen Coulter
Written by Paul Bernbaum
Director of photography:Jonathan Freeman
Edited by Michael Berenbaum
Music by Marcelo Zarvos
Production designer: Leslie McDonald
Produced by Glenn Williamson
Released by Focus Features.
Running time: 126 minutes.
Cast: Adrien Brody (Louis Simo)
Diane Lane (Toni Mannix)
Ben Affleck (George Reeves)
Bob Hoskins (Edgar Mannix)
Lois Smith (Helen Bessolo) ,
and Robin Tunney (Leonore Lemmon).