I wanted to watch as I did watch "the Gong Show" with Chuck Barris in the end of the 1970s. Thus the fine directing of George Clooney and good appearances of Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and Sam Rockwell (who steals the show) as well as Mr. Clooney itself, I kinda was left confused whether this story of a double life between producer/host and secret agent is believable. In my case, it is rather a tale in which even the CIA denies any involvement. Which makes me confused in a sense if I believe him or not about this twisted story...You be the judge. My verdict: watch it for curiosity, especially if you want to know a little bit of the man behind the "Dating Game", the "Newlyweds Game" and of course "The Gong Show"... Fridge not included...

I always love the work of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, to the point that I can't watch his stuff subjectively. Especially not after Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich. Fortunately, I didn't know that he wrote Confessions of a Dangerous Mind until the credits, giving me the chance to watch it for what it is. I'm not kissing any butts here that I haven't already, but it didn't happen while I was watching. It had his feel to it, George Clooney did a great job, though he's not known for directing, and Sam Rockwell accurately portrayed the young, ambitious Chuck Barris. And that character journey plays out quite well.You may not expect to see a movie about a game show host. You may not expect to see one who happens to be a CIA hit man. You MAY expect that these separate the story into two different movies running on the same screen. That's not the case. The two sides of Chuck Barris' life play into each other and play with him. It's definitely a look at how a double life can destroy someone.Tonally, this movie is lying on a city street, getting peed on by Kaufman with his weird, signature vibes. Remember now, children, that in the absence of UTIs, urine is cleaner than the skin on your movie-going face. You may not believe me about how sanitary it is, but Charlie urinating on a movie is the best thing that can happen to it. Kaufman's style is this: it's weird, but it works. It may not make sense at all times, but does. Chuck Barris is one of the most interesting characters I've seen in movies recently and his change is believable, as is his relationship with Penny, that's not tacked on or overly present, but makes sense and adds only what it needs to. Often, the life-story dynamic in movies leaves us with little narrative and feels direction-less, but his life tells a story with a beginning, an ending, and a clearly defined objective and plot.This movie was well-acted and beautifully shot. It discusses what happens when someone has too much on their plate, particularly when that plate is broken in a pile of corpses and insanely good characters.

"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" tells the ostensibly true story of game show creator Chuck Barris and his involvement with the CIA in the 1960's & 70's. According to his own unsubstantiated claims, he operated for years as a hit-man while creating popular game shows like the 'The Dating Game' and 'The Gong Show'.The screenplay was written by Charlie Kaufman and it certainly won't disappoint fans of his work. That being said, Kaufman wasn't particularly happy with George Clooney's treatment of his script. Thinking back on it, there are one or two scenes that seem atypical for Kaufman but, overall, the movie does bear his distinctive stamp.George Clooney's first time direction showed considerable skill, particularly when faced with bringing to life Kaufman's unorthodox script. Visually, the film is consistently attractive. Musically, it's pretty appealing, too. Rosemary Clooney's rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business" over the closing credits was particularly inspired.When it comes to the cast, Sam Rockwell easily outshone everyone else. This role should have made him an instant star. Instead, we've had to content ourselves with entertaining supporting roles in the likes of "Iron Man 2" and "Seven Psychopaths" (aside from "Moon", which I didn't particularly care for). Apart from Rockwell, Clooney performed admirably in support and Drew Barrymore fared better than I expected. Julia Roberts is here too but, like Tom Cruise, I find it hard to see her as anything other than Julia Roberts, movie star. That being said, her glamorous persona actually worked to her benefit in this role.All in all, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" comes off well if not quite flawlessly. Quibbles aside, Sam Rockwell's standout performance does justice to a script that vividly brings to life the 'unauthorized autobiography' of Chuck Barris.

The main interest I would hold in this film would be that Drew Barrymore was one of the stars, and since I am always eager to get my hands on anything she touches, which in my opinion turns to gold, I finally got around to seeing this movie about a man who detests himself and deems himself unaccomplished despite hosting "The Newlywed Show", "The Gong Show" and "The Dating Game", and claiming to be a CIA operative in his book, "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Chuck Barris."When George Clooney explains that one does not feel sorry for someone who feels sorry for themselves, but instead feels sorry for someone who doesn't feel sorry for themselves and instead tries to push themselves along, he was speaking a gross understatement. Whether or not Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) was or was not a hit-man, I don't know or care. I found it impossible to care for the boring, self-serious characters in this film, especially Chuck Barris. There were some amusing parts to this film, such as when Chuck Barris tricks Patricia (Julia Roberts) into poisoning herself, and Penny (Drew Barrymore) is dancing around the office, and Chuck Barris telling Penny that he was a hit-man after they got married and her reaction. I feel this movie should have been much shorter and much lighter, and Drew Barrymore's excellent and different-from-what she usually plays role the only source of lightness in this film. 3/10