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September 15, 2006 > Arts & Entertainment > Bloated Hollywoodland fails to inspire

Bloated Hollywoodland fails to inspire

By Matthew McKee | For the Thresher

Hopefully the winter season of Oscar-worthy pictures comes soon, because films like the tedious Hollywoodland fail to satiate the demanding moviegoer. Released last weekend, Director Allen Coulter tries to make the movie more than a celebrity murder mystery by adding depth to a stock plot, but the film never gains momentum. Hollywoodland shows potential, but the movie is crippled by its ponderous pace.

Adrien Brody (The Pianist) plays Louis Simo, a struggling private detective. Simo senses opportunity when the mother of a deceased actor tells him that she believes someone murdered her son. The police have concluded that the actor, George Reeves (Good Will Hunting’s Ben Affleck), committed suicide, but Simo jumps at a hunch that foul play was involved, hoping to become famous himself. As the plot thickens, Simo becomes more and more obsessed with the case, to the detriment of his personal life.

The movie is based on the true story of Reeves, who played the role of Superman in a popular kids show of the ’50s and spent the rest of his career trying to live it down. A moderately talented actor and aspiring director, he could not stand letting the Superman gig be the apex of his career. His sudden death shocked the movie world into disbelief and horror.

Bouncing between the purportedly complicated lives of Simo and Reeves, Hollywoodland has enough with which it can occupy itself with, but it often drags its feet in pathos. Director Allen Coulter and writer Paul Bernbaum have had most of their experience in television shows, where character development is by necessity more difficult. Perhaps Coulter, a first-time film director, felt liberated in the cinema and wanted to spend more time on the complexities of character that must be overlooked on TV. However, the movie’s pace is just simply too slow.

Coulter could have easily cut entire scenes. Hollywoodland successfully explores every aspect of its characters’ lives but stumbles over a clumsy mixture of film noir, romance, tragedy, and mystery. Some scenes show the ugly underbelly of the film business in Godfather-like style as the mystery is unraveled; others tell of Simo’s badly managed family life; others show Reeves’ relationships and still others detail greedy grabs at fame by many characters involved. Coulter and Bernbaum deserve praise for their ambition but a black mark for Hollywoodland’s clumsy execution.

Brody’s performance as detective Simo is unspectacular. Noteworthy, however, is Ben Affleck’s portrayal of George Reeves. Affleck has a bad reputation for flops—like the underwhelming Daredevil and the dismal Gigli. His career had to pick up sometime, and Affleck shines in Hollywoodland. He slips right into character with the right amount of hope and despair. Hollywood quickly forgot about the real George Reeves, but Affleck’s performance should not be overlooked as readily.

Hollywoodland has some strengths, but the swollen plot and poor pacing make this movie a tough sell. Wait until the film is released on DVD so that you can fast-forward — and save a little money on popcorn.

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