Hollywoodland

2006

Action / Biography / Crime / Drama / History / Mystery / Romance / Thriller

18
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 68% · 182 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 48% · 50K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.5/10 10 36661 36.7K

Plot summary

When Hollywood superstar George Reeves dies in his home, private detective Louis Simo is hired to investigate his death and gets caught in a web of lies involving a big studio executive's wife.

Director

Top cast

Ben Affleck as George Reeves
Diane Lane as Toni Mannix
Robin Tunney as Leonore Lemmon
Adrien Brody as Louis Simo
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
1.13 GB
1280*694
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
2 hr 6 min
Seeds 8
2.33 GB
1920*1040
English 5.1
NR
23.976 fps
2 hr 6 min
Seeds 23

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by he88 7 / 10

So Mixed On This One

I'm a boomer so I was pretty young when the actor who played Superman died. Like the kid in the movie I too was disappointed tha Superman could be killed. I don't think I went half nut job like the kid did, but I was angry. After all I really believed wearing the obit and you'd have all his powers.On one hand this is filled with really great acting. So well crafted that it was a joy to watch. N the other hand it was frustrating by the end. I fear if I say more I'd spoil the show. It's a real roller coaster of a show.
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Reviewed by JoshuaMHetu 6 / 10

Affleck Shines But the Movie Fails to Entertain

First things first, Ben Affleck is not only amazing as George Reeves but he's by far the best part of "Hollywoodland." Oozing a dark charisma as the doomed TV actor, Affleck creates a surprisingly compelling character. He even makes a convincing Superman, ironic given his casting as Batman in the DCEU.

But despite Affleck's stand-out performance the overall film is dragged down by otherwise shallow characters and a weak, unengaging story. The film tells the tale of a private detective (Adrien Brody) as he investigates the mysterious death of "Superman" star George Reeves. The film starts out strong with a promising premise, and by far the most interesting element of the plot involves the flashbacks to Reeves' rise as a TV star and his ultimate death by gunshot. But the majority of the plot, which focuses not on Reeves but on Brody's private detective, is too slow and lacks dramatic tension. Many if not most scenes involve overly long, bland conversations that don't do enough to further the plot. Reeves aside, the main characters are largely undeveloped and not interesting.

"Hollywoodland" could've been great had the producers decided to do one of two things: A) Cut out the investigation storyline set in the present day and focus the movie almost entirely on Reeves, or B) Make the movie a thriller like "Rashomon" or "JFK" that told alternative versions of Reeves' life and death from different points of view. But as is, in spite of Affleck's performance and a handful of good scenes "Hollywoodland" just doesn't work. 6/10.

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