Hollywoodland

last updated 8 January 2015

George Reeves was television's first casualty, said Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel. Hollywoodland 'œexamines Reeves' life and death with a noirish flair,' from the pudgy hunk's initial failure as a big-screen leading man, through his success playing Superman on the small screen, to his mysterious death in 1959. Suicide was suspected, but doubts lingered, and first-time director Allen Coulter has turned Reeves' sad tale into a movie-industry murder mystery. His 'œelegant biodrama' benefits from Ben Affleck's affecting turn as Reeves, said Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly. 'œThe Society for the Rehabilitation of Thespian Reputations would be proud' of Gigli's leading man, who is fierce and funny as a man who finds fame but still feels he's washed up. Unfortunately, Affleck isn't the star of the film, said Peter Rainer in The Christian Science Monitor. Top-billed Adrien Brody, as a detective investigating Reeves' death, seems to be aping 'œevery lowlife from every film noir ever made.' Though Hollywoodland explores various pulpy explanations of Reeves' death, it never commits. Instead, 'œthe filmmakers leave it to us to find out.' What kind of mystery is that?

Rating: R