Chuck Barris was a controversial figure, and this movie does a decent job of portraying who he was, although not perfectly. This film takes a page from his book (literally) by acting out his claims of being a CIA assassin completely straight. And as entertaining and fascinating as this movie can be, I couldn’t help but think that the film could’ve taken this bizarre premise even further, especially with Charlie Kaufman screenwriting (he apparently wasn’t thrilled with the final result). Maybe with Spike Jonze directing it, this could’ve been pushed to the nth degree. As is though, George Clooney does just fine directing, the acting, especially from Sam Rockwell, is great, and the film is a very entertaining, twisty experience, that could’ve been a masterpiece.
Rating: 4/5
Succinct Film Reviews 