Hollywoodland

views updated

Hollywoodland ★★½ 2006 (R)

Low-rent detective Louis Simo (Brody) is hired by the mother (Smith) of actor George Reeves (Affleck) to investigate his suspicious death. In 1959, middle-aged Reeves allegedly shot himself in his bedroom—probably because of his failing career and his frustration at being typecast as TV's Superman. But Louis isn't so sure; George had dumped his longtime lover, fading beauty Toni Mannix (Lane), for young starlet Leonore (Tunney). Maybe Toni's protective tough hubby Eddie (Hoskins), an MGM exec, arranged something. Louis' poking around doesn't sit well with those in power and if he's not careful he may end up like Reeves. The self-aware Lane is the cast standout, though Affleck is comfortably capable while Brody is overly twitchy. 126m/C DVD, HD DVD . US Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Lois Smith, Robin Tunney, Jeffrey DeMunn, Brad William Henke, Dash Mihok, Molly Parker, Kathleen Robertson, Joe Spano; D: Allen Coulter; W: Paul Bernbaum; C: Jonathan Freeman; M: Marcelo Zarvos.

More From encyclopedia.com