Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

R

Released Jan 17, 2003

1h 53m

Biography

Comedy

Drama

List

80%

165 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Game show television producer Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) is at the height of his career. His creation, "The Dating Game," is one of the network's top shows and he has just been given the post of hosting his latest brainchild, "The Gong Show." But what the public and industry big-wigs are unaware of is that Chuck Barris, game show pioneer, is also a covert assassin. He works for the C.I.A. and claims to have killed 33 people.

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Critics Consensus

Rockwell is spot-on as Barris, and Clooney directs with entertaining style and flair.

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Fachrul Ulum F

Menurtku sih lumayan bagus ya guys, kaya drama cia dengan epic acting yang menarik. Pautut ditonton

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/28/24

Full Review

Tim M

Featuring a captivating performance from Sam Rockwell and just a bit askew, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a solid directorial debut for George Clooney.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

Full Review

Torin F

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND leverages high caliber writing, directing and acting to tell the psychologically-complex tale behind major changes in American (trash) TV content. I see Barris' assassin claims as a self-created allegory for the damage his life and work have inflicted on others. The film's open-ended approach and commitment to intelligent, psychological storytelling is admirable, but despite some entertaining twists and turns, it's a fairly dark and decidedly cautionary tale about the cost of ambition and failure to find love or connect with others.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

David W

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind combines excellent debut directing from George Clooney and a delightfully appropriate screenplay for the subject. Engagement is enhanced through the audience experiencing a story being told that may or may not be true. Sam Rockwell excels as Chuck Barris. I would definitely watch this again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

Full Review

Donald C

A fascinating, weirdly entertaining and ultimately profound look at the life of Chuck Barris, one of the strangest phenomenas of the entertainment world in the late 1960s and early 70s.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/13/23

Full Review

Shioka O

Like Barris's life, this film has ups and downs, I felt editing is quite uneven. but it's not that boring. Entertaining and good casting.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/17/22

Full Review

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George Clooney

Director

Sam Rockwell

Chuck Barris

Drew Barrymore

Penny

George Clooney

CIA Agent Jim Byrd

Julia Roberts

Patricia

Rutger Hauer

Keeler

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

The film does not offer any explanations. Instead, it intrigues more.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 3, 2019

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Though the real-life Barris has yet to confirm or deny his double life as detailed in his autobiography of the same name, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is an fascinating tale about an even more fascinating guy.

Rated: A

Sep 11, 2017

Full Review

Time Out

Brimming with slightly self-conscious directorial panache, the movie zips between nearly three decades, fantasy and reality without ever really deciding how seriously it wants to take itself.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

No matter what is real and what's not in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, George Clooney shows that he has a firm grasp on directing as he steps behind the camera.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 8, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

The film itself goes back and forth between Barris’ very real showbiz career and his fictitious CIA career (20th anniversary)

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 14, 2023

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Kaufman's script, and particularly his dialogue, is pitch perfect.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 5, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Game show television producer Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) is at the height of his career. His creation, "The Dating Game," is one of the network's top shows and he has just been given the post of hosting his latest brainchild, "The Gong Show." But what the public and industry big-wigs are unaware of is that Chuck Barris, game show pioneer, is also a covert assassin. He works for the C.I.A. and claims to have killed 33 people.

Director: George Clooney
Producer: George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, Rand Ravich
Screenwriter: Chuck Barris, Charlie Kaufman
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Mad Chance, Section Eight Ltd.
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language|Violence)
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.0M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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