A lot of people don't get this film. They think it is for real; that Clooney and Roberts are playing straight roles. They think that Barris was actually in the CIA. A more realistic title for this film would have been "Fantasies of a Sick Mind"; because it is fairly obvious to even a college psychology student that Barris had several disorders. Sam Rockwell does his level best to make us believe Barris led two lives; but he didnt. He just hated the life he was leading. He hated himself more than anyone else; possibly because he thought all he ever created for TV was drek. But he was being unfair to himself. He entertained millions for many years with at least three of his hit shows. One philosopher once said that making people laugh was more important than writing a best-selling novel. This comedy has some problems, however. It is difficult to laugh at a man who has been kicked down on the ground, which is pretty much what Barris did to himself. His CIA fantasies were an outlet for his frustrations in real life. I am sure he wanted to kill several executives at NBC for not giving his original show a shot. He wanted to kill himself at some level as well, and sabotaged his personal relationship with Penny at every turn possible because he felt he didnt deserve her. But, to his credit, he eventually overcame his morbid impulses and did the right thing. Its hard to make a comedy out of that situation, but the situation was so absurd, that it became a very good absurdist comedy; a bit like Terry Gilliam. Clooney is hilarious as a CIA hit man and Roberts was very funny as well. But what I enjoyed the most was Matt Damon's hair style on the Dating Game.
Review of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
