Hollywoodland

Struggling actor George Reeves found nationwide fame after accepting the role of TV’s Superman on what he assumed would be a seldom-watched children’s serial. It turned out to be a role he would live in the shadow of for the rest of his shortly lived life. Adrien Brody stars as private eye Louis Simo, hired by Reeves’ mother to find out the truth about the actor’s death, which occurs under mysterious circumstances. His story is paralleled alongside Reeves’ own story, in which the actor is played in flashbacks by Ben Affleck. Initially it seems like first-time movie director Allen Coulter has interlocked two completely different films together, as the Reeves and Simo storylines never actually meet, but this turns out to work quite well. Brody is very good and Affleck is excellent, but for some reason the investigative half of the picture is never as interesting as Reeves’s own rise and fall within the industry. The choice to include Brody’s character is curious as Simo doesn’t really achieve anything for all his efforts. Nevertheless, it is an interesting angle with which to approach the subject, and ultimately a well made movie in every respect.

Directed by Allen Coulter.
Written by Paul Bernbaum.
Starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Robin Tunney and Bob Hoskins.

Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content. 126 min.

***½ so says The Fish