Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland (Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, Bob Hoskins) – George Reeves was an ordinary actor with dreams of being the next Clark Gable.  Yes, he had a role in Gone With the Wind but was otherwise unsung and, perhaps, unappreciated.  Rarely working, he auditioned for a seemingly cheesy TV show about a comic book hero known as Superman.  He was a “kept” man, if you believe the story, by the wife of a major studio head.  She was stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience, desperately in search of love and happy to find it with the failed actor who she could dominate and use.  That is the story of Hollywoodland, not compelling enough on its own until you turn it into a murder mystery. Reeves got typecast as the superhero and sealed his fate.  A role in From Here to Eternity was laughed at by preview audiences and contributed to the depression that led to his death.  When the show got cancelled after six seasons, he was thrilled and dumped the paramour; then his career died with unmet dreams.  Did he kill himself or was he murdered by the scorned woman, her husband, or his new lover?  To make this a story we care about, Hollywoodland gives us a protagonist who is a down-on-his-luck private investigator played by Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist).  The “feel” of the movie is film noir reminiscent of Chinatown or The Postman Only Rings Twice.”  Brody’s character has his own personal troubles with a failed marriage and a son who idolizes Superman and not his father.  Presumably, that provides Brody’s motivation to get the bottom of Reeves’ death.  Brody broods and beams, roughhouses and gets beaten up, and sees the possibilities but not the solution.  Diane Lane beautifully captures the role of the aging wife in the loveless marriage while Hoskins plays the mogul with stereotypical bravado.  That leaves us with Affleck as Reeves.  And therein rests the problem.  He looks enough like Reeves, particularly as Clark Kent, but the similarities end there.  As a viewer, you can’t suspend disbelief enough; you just see Affleck acting as Reeves.  You never ever see Reeves himself; you see Ben playing George.  It’s just true that Affleck is not a good actor.  He seems likable enough, but he hasn’t been convincing in any role except Matt Damon’s best friend in Good Will Hunting, a role he co-wrote for himself with Damon and for which they received a writing Oscar.  The movie itself is good and the acting is excellent except Affleck, but it is not a complete film.  It’s a mood piece that masquerades as a murder mystery.