After a number of years acting in front of the camera, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marked George Clooney’s directorial debut.

Going into the early 2000s, the Kentucky native had never planned to direct a film. Everything changed upon reading Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay. He put in the work when it came to directing and as we all know, it wasn’t a fluke. Clooney had a vision of what sort of film he wanted to make and was working from storyboards. If anything was a bit of a challenge for the first-time filmmaker, it was directing himself. Well, that and choosing a period film for one’s directorial debut. In directing the film, Clooney also pays homage to classic films like All The President’s Men or Mike Nichols films.

Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) wrote his autobiography in 1984. There’s just a question of whether it is true or not. The CIA outright denied claims of Barris being an assassin. Barris himself could never give a straight answer. Even after watching the film, I do not know if it’s true or not and the film is allegedly based on a true story. But in believing that it is a true story, this means that he would have killed nearly 3 dozen people in his life at the same time that he was creating hit game shows such as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show. Audiences were split down the middle on what to believe when they began testing the film. Anyway, Rockwell embodies the persona of Barris even if it is not a full-on impression.

There’s a point in the film when Penny asks Chuck what he is. He responds that he’s a Jew–to my knowledge, Sam Rockwell is not Jewish. Penny Pacino responds that she’s one one of those before but goes on to butcher the pronunciation of Ashkenazi. We knew how this word was pronounced in the 1960s so how is it that they butcher the word so terribly. If you need any more confusion about what is real in this film and what is not, Wikipedia does not list a single Penny Pacino as someone who Chuck Barris married and yet Chuck mentions Penny in one of the film’s bonus features on DVD. In fact, none of Barris’s real-life wives are portrayed in the film!

According to Clooney in the bonus features, nobody was working to bring Charlie Kaufman’s script to the screen. It was a script that people had fell in love with, including Barris. Barris described the script as “exciting,” “different,” and “a gem.” Clooney fell in love with Kaufman’s script and then decided to portray Jim Byrd in the film. After Bryan Singer left, Clooney stepped up and made his directorial debut. A key in making the film was by producing the film for a lower budget, which meant lower salaries for both Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts. Let it be said that Miramax (probably Harvey Weinstein) was hesitant in Clooney casting Rockwell over a bigger name actor and made Clooney cameo in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.

There are moments in the film where they utilize practical effects in camera for a number of shots. It can feel very theatrical in a way since this includes quick costume changes for actors and running behind the camera. I’m sure some of this also comes from growing up as the soon of Nick Clooney and being on TV sets. Sure, they might have been for news but they were still for TV. Anyway, this decision also adds another layer to watching the film. Plus, Clooney is able to get some fun moments from actors on camera as a result of going this route. I mean, we have Drew Barrymore running through Jerry Weintraub’s office!

No matter what is real and what’s not in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, George Clooney shows that he has a firm grasp on directing as he steps behind the camera.

DIRECTOR: George Clooney
SCREENWRITER: Charlie Kaufman
CAST: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert John Burke

Miramax released Confessions of a Dangerous Mind in theaters on December 31, 2002. Grade: 4/5

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