Daily Blague

Allen Coulter's Hollywoodland is a beautiful movie. You may not think that George Reeves, the television Superman, is worth all the attention, but that's really neither here nor there. Since when was personal worthiness or importance a criterion for film subjects? It's best just to put Reeves out of your mind, to the extent that that's possible, because Ben Affleck's portrayal suggests a richer, more complex man than the one that I remember from the TV show. (Given his recent history, Mr Affleck's performance might be seen, touchingly, as somewhat autobiographical.) It is certainly the best work that this actor has ever done. He reminds us that the world is full of of strong, intelligent people who nonetheless don't have what it takes to be a star. And he goes about it with the star power of a dazzling smile. 

The ambiguity of Reeves's character - mirrored by questions about his death - is what makes Hollywoodland interesting. Diane Lane plays her first over-forty role with immense panache (and a marvelous old Hollywood accent that will have moviegoers remembering Sunset Boulevard), but hers is not only a supporting role but also that of an ultimately unsympathetic character. Adrian Brody's nervy, anti-bourgeois detective is nothing new for him. And Bob Hoskins has long since taken up residence in the zone of Can Do No Wrong. These star turns amplify the impact of a film about stardom. It's as if Diane Lane were playing the part of that immortal screen goddess (which she is), Diane Lane. But Hollywoodland would be nothing but star turns if it were not for the magic that Ben Affleck brings to his role. The last shot of him - a sidelong glance - would be right at home in the scariest Stephen King movie.

Diane Lane does look great. For an actor who started out as a beautiful child, in A Little Romance - she was thirteen or so - Ms Lane is ageing very well. I hope that she'll get lots of smart parts from now on; she's so much more than a pretty face.

Chinatown, Mommie Dearest, LA Confidential, and now Hollywoodland all make me glad that I don't live in Southern California. It is a landscape that seems to rot souls.