Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22605 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-03-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

Synopsis
Hollywoodland explores Reeves' life and tragic end from the perspective of Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a private investigator hired by Reeves' mother shortly after his death. Cutting back and forth between scenes of Reeves’ life and Simo's detective work, the film draws parallels between two men kept from appreciating the present by dreams of future grandeur. Ben Affleck returns to form as Reeves, a man whose hindering celebrity status may have reminded the actor of his own: despite breaking onto the scene with an Academy Award for writing Good Will Hunting in 1997, Affleck's career was at one point overshadowed by a romance as familiar to the public as Superman's cape. With close attention to detail, first-time director Allen Coulter creates two distinct worlds specific to their time, Simo's noir-ish and seedy L.A. forming a bleak contrast to the glamorous, formal Tinseltown Reeves so longed to be embraced by. An accomplished act for a first time director, Hollywoodland offers viewers a believable look into Hollywood's most glamorous bygone era. Strong performances and stylish filmmaking help fuel a mystery without a solution.

Customer Reviews

reading the hollywood sign
This ia a terrific piece of filmaking. The muted pallette of Johnathan Freeman's photography and the, near Herrmann like, emotional subtlety of Marcello Zarvos' music combine to produce the kind of brooding, slow burn that the best of Hollywood is still capable of laying before us. Essentially a tryptich of three characters caught in a well spun web of intrigue born of the love of power and the power of love. Allen Coulter not only captures the 'feel' of fifties hollywood but offers the same kind of adult fare we were offered then, I mean intelligent and essentially fond portraits of complicated individuals. For a man to live with, not only the ignomy of being a tv star but also to be saddled with the daming role of Superman allows for an intimate series of speculations about the nature of fame and death. Diane Lane is terrific as the beautiful but cloying 'older' woman who is quite clearly in love, an acting task often underated, to depict the way in which we can love, while Ben Affleck carries offf the difficult task of rendering an inflated ego coupled with an out of kilter charm perfectly, all teeth and hurt superficiality. But it is Brody's Simo (see more?) who is perfect as the deluded private eye whose desire to solve the case while wearing the kind of shirts that I have searched every thrift store in the world for, is what sews together this deft script. What this film understands is that it was, in fact, not the 60s that were last century's turbulent decade but the 50s, and in many ways this is the drama of the piece, a decade getting used to itself. A treat for both the eye and the mind. Why aren't they making more little gems like this?

Very impressive cautionary tale
*Contains Spoilers!*

Hollywoodland is about corruption. It's about spiritual corruption and the (painful) rediscovery of what is most important in life.

Following the suicide of failed television actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck in a SUPERB performance), a 'wannabe famous' private eye, Simo - played brilliantly by Adrien Brody - takes the case on behalf of the seemingly bereft mother of Reeves who is convinced her son was murdered. As Simo plays up to the papers, exploiting Reeves' death for his own gain, relationships with his estranged wife and son just get in the way of what he really wants to do: be famous and make money.

Hollywoodland pulls some nifty tricks in plotting. The mother is anything but grieving and is as equally fame seeking as Simo who is left reeling by this stealing of his limelight. The discovery of bullet holes carefully hidden in Reeves' apartment indicates foul play and Simo is soon embroiled in the tragic story of Reeves that mirrors his own crash course of a life.

The film is a slow burn, but fascinating to watch (all the performances are exceptional) and the gradual descent from vanity investigation into a very painful realisation at the film's climax is both despairingly bleak and yet tinged with learning. The film doesn't have a happy ending, only a hopeful finale that maybe some healing can take place between characters.

An excellent film.

Thoughtful
Hollywoodland was a thoughtful and sometimes moving film. It featured great performances from a cast of talented performers. In many ways, this was a proper grown-up film for anyone who's had a dream and seen it slip away. I agree with the other reviewers that it's very slow moving at times, but I would say it's worth a watch, especially if you're a fan of the actors involved.