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DVD Examines Mysterious Demise of TV Superman

by Kam Williams

Hollywoodland DVD Review

When George Reeves shot himself in the head on June 16, 1959, no rumors of foul play surfaced since there wasn't any evidence of an intrusion. Plus, all of his houseguests told the police essentially the same story, namely, that the 45 year-old actor had been alone upstairs at the time of the incident.

And the cops were inclined to close the case quickly, too, given the existence of a plausible explanation for Reeves' wanting to take his own life.

For, it was common knowledge that his career had been on a downward spiral ever since the cancellation the previous year of his Superman TV-series. But time has a way of giving credence to cockamamie conspiracies, thus, we now have Hollywoodland, a crime drama which successfully reweaves the demise of George Reeves into a riveting whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie. This flashback-laden flick is actually so convincing that it leaves you believing that there might really have been a murder to solve afterall. The film stars Ben Affleck in his best outing in ages as the ill-fated, fading icon, though the show is stolen by Adrien Brody as Louis Simo, the private eye hired by Reeves' grieving mom (Lois Smith) who was convinced her son would never have done himself in.

Simo finds no shortage of suspects, starting with MGM exec Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins) who was miffed that George had been having an affair with his wife, Toni (Diane Lane). She, in turn, had a motive of her own, since she had been recently been dumped by her hunky boy-toy in favor of a blonde bombshell (Robin Tunney).

Worthwhile for the escape to a bygone era alone, but when you factor in an absorbing pulp fiction plotline, you've got all you can ask of a cinematic experience.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for sex, expletives and violence.
Running time: 126 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios
Home Video DVD Extras: Director's commentary, deleted scenes, plus "Behind the Scenes" and a couple of other featurettes.

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