Often fans cannot see the difference between the actor and the character. We think if the character is suave, heroic and intelligent, the actor must be as well. This is a double-identity crisis, the meaning I interpreted behind Hollywoodland. Hollywood has been represented as another 'land,' another society. It's a place inhabited by superstars who are considered royalty and their personal lives are made known to the entire world. Media coverage portrays an actor in a certain light, exaggerating his every move. In effect, the actor struggles to represent his true self against the characters he has played.
Hollywoodland is more than a movie star murder mystery; it is an insightful depiction of an actor's life. George Reeves (Ben Affleck from Armageddon [1998]) had always prided himself as being in one of the greatest films in history, Gone With the Wind (1939). Since then, he struggled to find decent acting roles. Then in 1951, he reluctantly accepts the role of comic book hero Superman in a small television series. It turns into a surprising success. Eight years later, he dies from a gunshot to the head - his death is ruled suicide.
But was it really suicide? In a fictional story based on true events, private investigator Louis Simo (Adrian Brody from King Kong [2005]) delves into the secret life of George Reeves. We discover he had a long-term affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), wife of a top MGM executive and also Reeves' ultimate financial and emotional support. Simo's investigation also sheds light on the TV hero's flaws. While Reeves was making Superman a hit, he landed a role in From Here to Eternity (1952), but the audience could only identify him as Superman. His label had already been established in Hollywood.
Hollywoodland points out three possible suspects to Reeves' suspicious death: beautiful gold digger and fiancé Leonore Lemmon, MGM executive Eddie Mannix, or jealous lover Toni Mannix. In the end, we'll never know what really happened. But the story doesn't emphasize the importance of who killed George Reeves; in his eyes, he was already dead.
Reeves was unsatisfied even as the world grew fond of the hero and man of steel. When Reeves died, kids and fans of the show mourned his death. Detective Simo's son is extremely miserable over Superman's death - he even burns the cape costume he once begged his father to get him.
Affleck poignantly illustrates the late Reeves' deep regret and pain over his confined career. There were several times when Reeves tried to get out of just being Superman, but nobody would allow him to escape it. From his perspective, he led a sad and disappointing life. Largely due to Affleck's depiction of Reeves, I sympathized very much with his character. I was impressed with Affleck's surprising comeback. After such movie flops as Gigli (2003) and Surviving Christmas (2004), I didn't think Affleck would ever choose decent roles. Hopefully, his work in Hollywoodland is just the beginning of great things to come.
Kristin's Grade: A
Director: Allen Coulter
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Crime
Running Time: 126 minutes
Rated: R (for some harsh profanity, brief strong violence, brief strong sexuality, a little non-sexual partial nudity)
