hollywoodland

The death of George Reeves shocked a nation. Reeves, universally known as Superman on the
phenomenally popular TV show “The Adventures of Superman” in the 1950s was literally revered
by children who believed he was the comic book Man of Steel come to life. His death by a gunshot
wound has been a mystery to this day with conspiracy theorists and fans debating if it really was
the commonly accepted suicide reported or something more sinister.

“Hollywoodland” tries to tackle the mystery, but it is not wholly successful. On the plus side, the film
is extremely well produced with a beautiful color palette that creates a noir-style 1950s. The
cinematography is akin to “Mulholland Falls” and “L.A. Confidential,” both set in the 1950s as well.

Adrien Brody plays a private detective who is hired to look into Reeves’ death. At the same time,
he’s trying to balance his too-young girlfriend and his ex-wife and son, so there are some domestic
issues for the guy that get thrown in the mix. As he follows the clues of the case, the film jumps to
extended flashbacks while Reeves was alive. Here, Ben Affleck redeems his career, finally in a role
that is not self-aggrandizing or outright stupid. At times, he appears to really channel Reeves.
Sometimes, it’s creepy.

Where “Hollywoodland” falters is in its exhaustive running time and often lagging story. More than
once, my eyelids grew heavy or I felt antsy in my seat. Most disappointing was watching the film for
so long only to discover that the writers and director do not commit to any theory on Reeves’ death.
Brody’s character goes through all the machinations, while taking detours to deal with his own life,
which really has no bearing on the overall story and serves to distract, and he ultimately comes to
the commonly held conclusion that it was suicide...or was it?

It seems the filmmakers can’t decide, so the viewer is strung along in a compelling conspiracy mode
only to have a big “No Sale” tab ring up on the register in the final moments. The writers try to tie
the lack of a solution to what Brody’s character has learned from the experience and it’s artistic but
not all that satisfying.

Where the film excels is in showing how powerful early television was to 1950s children, who had no
reason or sophisticated knowledge of the media to suspect Reeves wasn’t the Man of Steel.
“Hollywoodland” captures that era of entertainment very well.

If you’re going to tell the story of a mystery and you’re setting up the idea that what was written
down on the police report isn’t accurate, have the decency to pick a solution to the mystery. Don’t
take me all the way to the exit and say, “Well, actually I don’t know.” It’s like waiting for hours for
Geraldo Rivera to open Al Capone’s secret hideout only to find a few whiskey bottles.