The Films of George Clooney

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (December 21/02)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind marks George Clooney's first attempt behind the camera, and though it has a certain amount of charm going for it, the movie's lack of cohesiveness ultimately prevents it from becoming more than a flashy exercise in style. Though the film - which follows Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) through his various misadventures as a game-show host and a covert spy - is technically well made and the acting about as good as it gets, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind nevertheless fails to ever capture interest beyond the superficial. It's impossible to make a genuine connection with any of the many characters, as screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's hopelessly convoluted (and downright experimental) screenplay often sacrifices character development in favor of quirky storytelling. Not helping matters is Clooney's over-the-top directorial style, as the filmmaker throws in virtually every cinema trick that's ever been invented - which inevitably does detract from the admittedly thin narrative. Having said that, Clooney has assembled an impressive cast. The script's been floating around Hollywood for years, with everyone from Johnny Depp to Ben Stiller attached to the Barris part at one point or another, but it's impossible to picture anyone other than Rockwell in the role. He's always been a scene-stealer (particularly in Galaxy Quest), but here he comes into his own and proves he can carry a picture. As Barris' love interest Penny, Drew Barrymore gives an impressively complex performance that rarely relies on her cuteness to get by. Even Clooney himself, cast in a really small role as Barris' CIA handler, manages to turn this paper-thin character into someone we're intrigued by - it's just a shame that Kaufman's script doesn't allow for anything more than superficial development of side characters. Julia Roberts, as an enigmatic assassin named Patricia, is certainly the most obvious victim of that aspect of the screenplay. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind could've been a lot worse, but given the sort of talent that's behind and in front of the camera, it should've been a lot better. Clooney does hold a certain amount of promise as a director, provided he's willing to reign in his overeager sense of style. And here's hoping that the movie finally turns Sam Rockwell into a star.

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Good Night, and Good Luck

Leatherheads (December 21/08)

Agreeable yet uneven, Leatherheads follows '20s-era football player Dodge Connelly (George Clooney) as he attempts to legitimize the sport by bringing in a hotshot college superstar (John Krasinski's Carter Rutherford). Complications ensue as Carter's heroic wartime antics are called into question by a tenacious female reporter (Renee Zellweger's Lexie Littleton), though it's her relationship with both men that inevitably threatens to tear the team apart. Director Clooney - working from a screenplay by Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly - has infused Leatherheads with an unapologetically kooky atmosphere that proves effective at evoking the screwball efforts of the '30s and '40s, with the inclusion of several overtly ridiculous interludes (ie Dodge and Lexie knock out a pair of cops and steal their uniforms) reflecting the filmmaker's obvious desire to ape the feel and tone of an old-school comedy. And although Clooney and his various costars ably capture the broad acting style of their Golden-Age brethren, there's simply no denying that the movie ultimately suffers from an inconsistent narrative that's exacerbated by the 114 minute running time and laid-back pace. It subsequently goes without saying that the whole thing begins to seriously run out of steam once it passes the one-hour mark, as Brantley and Reilly have populated the third act with a series of decidedly non-comedic elements - with the subplot surrounding Carter's war record easily establishing itself as one of the film's more obviously needless threads. That being said, Leatherheads primarily comes off as an amiable throwback to the fast-talking endeavors of yesteryear and there's little doubt that it's the uniformly likeable performances that generally keep the proceedings afloat.

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