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Movie Overview
Cast
• Adrien Brody
• Diane Lane
• Ben Affleck
Director
• Allen Coulter
MPAA Rating
R - for language, some violence and sexual content.
Hollywoodland (2006)

REVIEWS
NEWS
INTERVIEWS
OTHER
OFCS Rating: 74% Fresh
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4/5
"every bit as ambitious, if never as flawed, as the characters it portrays."  musicOMH.com  Anton Bitel

B
"Hollywoodland uses Simo to avoid many of the formulaic traps laid for bio-pics, but seeing how incredible Affleck is and how well Coulter stages the Superman wonder years, it's a shame they didn't go the obvious route."  FilmJerk.com  Brian Orndorf

B+
"The genius of the movie is the way in which it explores possible explanations for Reeve's death before providing the audience with a bit of Reeves' silent home footage that Louis Simo carefully watches for telling subtext."  ColeSmithey.com  Cole Smithey

B
"Brody can't do much with his undeveloped character except chew-the-scenery like Dustin Hoffman usually does."  Ozus' World Movie Reviews  Dennis Schwartz

"While the surface of 'Hollywoodland' promises nostalgia and noir, patience will reveal a subcurrent which, if rather too pat, ripples outwards."  ReelTalk Movie Reviews  Donald J. Levit

3/4
"The performances are first-rate across the board. Hollywoodland endures as a fulfilling and memorable cinematic experience."  TheMovieBoy.com  Dustin Putman

3/5
"Un atractivo y bien logrado ejemplo de cine negro donde se mezclan glamour y misterio, con estupendo elenco y excelente recreación de época y atmósfera."  Uruguay Total  Enrique Buchichio

B+
"All the film's parts work together, making for an unflaggingly interesting whole."  EricDSnider.com  Eric D. Snider

1.5/4
"More closely resembles a poorly made tabloid instead of a film with just an identity problem."  eFilmCritic.com  Erik Childress

B
"Biopics are boring, but this sort of rampant dramatization is fun."  Film Blather  Eugene Novikov

3/4
"Strong ensemble performances, tight direction, and a stand out from Affleck make this an excellent revisiting of an old Hollywood case..."  Cinema Crazed  Felix Vasquez Jr.

3/4
"Stark, probing and beautifully crafted, Hollywoodland is a slow-burning mystery/thriller that intriguingly jumps along with each suspenseful frame."  Movie Eye  Frank Ochieng

C
"Imbalanced in the narrative department and oddly staid and static in execution, failing to do dramatic justice to a potentially fascinating story."  One Guy's Opinion  Frank Swietek

3/5
"A stylish film noir about the death of TV's Superman that reveals the inevitable downward arc of disappointment resulting from high expectations and belief in the hype of success and fame."  Spirituality and Practice  Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

3/4
"The pacing is slow and deliberate, but the story never ceases to intrigue."  ReelViews  James Berardinelli

"Middle-aged angst - and not the mystery of Reeves' unsolved death - lies at the heart of Hollywoodland."  SA Movie & DVD Magazine  James O'Ehley

3/4
"Transcends its clumsy title and proves itself a respectable period piece."  Palo Alto Weekly  Jeanne Aufmuth

6/10
"One half of the movie was easily more fascinating and entertaining than the other."  Window to the Movies  Jeffrey Chen

3/4
"But dreams of fame evolve. And where once it would have just been enough to be recognized, it becomes apparent only later that this is not quite enough."  Bangitout.com  Jordan Hiller

4.5/5
"Like Ben from Bennifer, George Reeves aspired to be a Great Actor, but was weighed down by audience expectations. Affleck does a terrific job with this role."  Cinerina  Karina Montgomery

4/5
"It's not a crisp as L.A. Confidential, but it does its job simultaneously glorifying the silver age of Hollywood and exposing its dirty little secrets."  7M Pictures  Kevin Carr

3.5/4
"A thoroughly involving modern noir, filled with hard-boiled dialogue and ambiguous characters - plus it proves what a great actor Affleck is!"  Montreal Film Journal  Kevin N. Laforest

B-
"...just a bunch of speculation that comes full circle. And that, it must be said, it does with a punch...Affleck's weary bravado is heart breaking."  Reeling Reviews  Laura Clifford

6/10
"Had they recognized that George Reeves was the real story--and that the dirty linen was only a small part of that story--they could have made a much better film."  rec.arts.movies.reviews  Mark R. Leeper

3/4
"The 126-minute film would have benefited from a slight trim, but I still found a lot of interest in the story's depiction of broken dreams and broken lives."  Aisle Seat  Mike McGranaghan

B-
"The brief scene with Affleck as Reeves as Superman as Kent is so true to the original that viewers old enough to remember watching it in its original broadcast will expect it to be followed by commercials for Maypo and Pepsodent. "  Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies  Nell Minow

2/4
"A polished but puny imitation of yesteryear's detective yarns."  Slant Magazine  Nick Schager

3/5
"Tentando evocar a mesma atmosfera sufocante de Los Angeles %u2013 Cidade Proibida, surge como pálida (literalmente) imitação do excepcional trabalho de Curtis Hanson."  Cinema em Cena  Pablo Villaca

"We want to understand Reeves and his life; corny sentiment around his death feels awkward and unnecessary."  Shadows on the Wall  Rich Cline

C+
"Half the film is brilliant, half disposable. If only cutting it down the middle were an acceptable solution."  Flipside Movie Emporium  Rob Vaux

B
"It is not just that people die in the film, its the way their souls get mauled while they are still alive."  Laramie Movie Scope  Robert Roten

B
"...except for a middling performance from Adrien Brody, Hollywoodland is a top-notch mystery yarn that holds your interest from start to finish."  Reeling Reviews  Robin Clifford

8/10
"A nice mix of real facts, and what could have been real facts, in a sweet look at the man of steel killed not by kryptonite, but by television."  Monsters and Critics  Ron Wilkinson

2/5
"It's not unheard of for a movie detective to be more interesting than the corpse he (or she) is investigating. This just isn't one of those times."  Filmcritic.com  Sean O'Connell

"... even though parts of the picture don't quite hold together, in the end, it sticks with you."  Salon.com  Stephanie Zacharek

8/10
"Ben Affleck exudes sleaziness, Diane Lane is slyly manipulative and Adrien Brody scores as the scummy gumshoe...it's an enigmatic and intriguing tale."  Modamag.com  Susan Granger

1/4
"Deadening, dull, sepia-drenched faux-noir period hokum of a suddenly popular variety."  Film Freak Central  Walter Chaw

2.5/4
"The back-and-forth storytelling becomes tedious but good performances keep the film from failing entirely."  Oscar Guy  Wesley Lovell

2.5/4
Read review  Big Picture Big Sound  Joe Lozito

Read review  Wolf Entertainment Guide  William Wolf
OFCS Rating: 74% Fresh
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