The misleadingly titled Hollywoodland, tells the story of television’s first Superman, George Reeves, and the mystery surrounding his untimely death. Ben Affleck re-invigorates his acting career with his best role since Good Will Hunting, as the tragic Reeves. The rest of the movie can not keep pace with his performance, slowing down every time he is off screen. Since the story is told from both Reeves’ perspective before his death, and from a private eye’s perspective afterwards, the scenes without Affleck can be uninspired and at times, dull.
The Adventures of Superman in the 1950s, was a huge television sensation, which drew in children and their parents alike. George Reeves, a middling actor of the time, was able to land the lead role in the television show, with his warm on-screen persona. Off-screen, he began a romantic relationship with a studio executive’s wife, played with the proper mix of jealousy and sexuality by Diane Lane (“Must Love Dogs”), which lasted much of Reeves’ career. The awkwardness of being the unstoppable man of the steel on television - and in the hearts of boys and girls everywhere - but to be the kept man of a wealthy married woman off-screen, was clearly present in Affleck’s portrayal. Reeves’ death shocked many people, including those closest to him, which led to the police and private investigations of his death and the rumors of a Hollywood cover up. The other half of the film, has private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody, “King Kong”) investigating Reeves’ death, while dealing with his own son’s disillusionment, after having lost television’s first superhero.
The weaknesses in the film are Adrien Brody’s performance as the detective, a role he was miscast for, and the first-time feature film director’s slow pacing of the story and awkward multiple endings. Brody, while a capable performer, does not have the screen presence to carry his scenes. The audiences’ attention begins to wander as his investigation runs from dead end to dead end. Mercifully, the flashback scenes of Reeves, inter-cut throughout the movie, liven the story up enough to keep you watching. While the movie makes a strong case that suicide was not the cause of Reeves’ death, the lack of commitment to a credible alternate explanation -the audience receives several possibilities- weakens the overall impact of the film. An average film, about an otherwise fascinating piece of old Hollywood, does have a soaring performance from Ben Affleck, which deserves appreciation.
3 out of 5