This is an interesting crime drama in that it presents various scenarios for its main crime, doesn't confirm positively any one of them, yet still finds closure for its overall story. It does this by paralleling the tales of its lead character and its lead subject.
Louis Simo (Adrien Brody, THE PIANIST) is a two-bit private eye, who mainly works cheating spouse cases. He gets a tip that Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith, THE MINORITY REPORT) wants to hire someone to look deeper into the death of her son — SUPERMAN actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck, GOOD WILL HUNTING). The police are ruling it a suicide, but rumors point to foul play.
As Simo investigates the crime, we get flashbacks into Reeves life. Before he hit it big, he started an affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane, UNFAITHFUL), the wife of Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins, MONA LISA), the general manager of MGM. Because Eddie has his own flings, the affair is not an issue… or was it. When Reeves lands the role of Superman, his agent Art Weissman (Jeffrey DeMunn, THE GREEN MILE) tells him to just take the paycheck, because no one will ever see it. But that wasn't the case — Reeves became type cast as the superhero, which in those days was a joke. As Reeves struggles for legitimacy, he grows apart from Toni and falls for the sexy younger woman Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney, TV's PRISON BREAK). This devastates Toni.
As Simo uncovers these facts as well as other strange secrets, he goes to the papers to make a public splash about his investigation. This ruffles the feathers of Eddie Mannix, who sends out his handler Howard Strickling (Joe Spano, PRIMAL FEAR) to fix the situation. As Simo gets deeper into the case, his personal life starts to unravel. His young son Evan (Zach Mills, THE SANTA CLAUSE 3), who is very upset over the death of his hero Reeves, starts acting out and Simo doesn't know what to do.
Reeves and Simo's stories parallel each other in that both men were/are looking for fame and, more so, legitimacy. Simo's relationship with his son is troubled since he moved out of the house. Reeves' death leads to the fall of both of the boy's heroes. It's Simo's resurrection that supplies the closure.
Director Allen Coulter (TV's THE SOPRANOS) and writer Paul Bernbaum do a great job of balancing the drama of Reeves' story with the thriller elements of Simo's tale. Bernbaum wonderfully uses Simo's investigation to naturally bring out the numerous theories and speculations about Reeves' death — was the shot to the head self inflicted, an accident or murder? I also liked how everyone in the story was looking for some kind of fame. It's this seedy underbelly as well as the 1950s Hollywood setting that gives the film a classic film noir feel.
As for the actors, they're all working in top form. Presented with his best role thus far, Affleck is committed and sadly charming as the eager actor who is depressed by the way his career turned out. Affleck has a cocky swagger that I really liked. He's a private eye, but he's part actor too. Lane is also wonderful as Toni Mannix, the older woman who finds her boy toy. Hoskins, as always, is a treat as the gruff and intimidating studio head.
In skillfully mixing drama with suspense, HOLLYWOODLAND tells both the story of Reeves' life as well as the mystery surrounding his death. It's a melancholy tribute to all actors who gain fame, but not the respect they truly desire. In taking on the role, Affleck gets a chance to silence his critics and gain the respect that has eluded him for his career.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
