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"HOLLYWOODLAND" (2006) (Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Extreme Heavy Extreme Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Mild None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Extreme Heavy Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Drama: A private eye investigates the death of the TV actor who played Superman, trying to figure out whether it was a suicide or murder. PLOT: It's June 1959 and the actor who played Superman on TV -- George Reeves (BEN AFFLECK) -- has been found dead in his Hollywood Hills home from a gunshot wound to the head. His fiancée, Leonore Lemmon (ROBIN TUNNEY), claims he was depressed about being typecast in the role, and the cops seem to believe that suicidal account. Yet, his mother -- Helen Bessolo (LOIS SMITH) -- doesn't think her son would do such a thing, and her statements draw the attention of private eye Louis Simo (ADRIEN BRODY) who's recently been hired by Chester Sinclair (LARRY CEDAR) to catch his adulterous wife in the act. But Louis -- who's divorced from his wife Laurie (MOLLY PARKER) and doesn't see as much of his young son Evan (ZACH MILLS) as he'd like -- is far more interested in this high-profile case. His investigation soon leads to the discovery that George was having an affair with Toni Mannix (DIANE LANE), the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (BOB HOSKINS). As we see both George and Louis' stories simultaneously unfold, the detective encounters all sorts of unexpected interference as he tries to figure out whether the actor was murdered or took his own life as everyone else believes. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Older teens might be intrigued (particularly if they're interested in Hollywood of old and/or are fans of anyone in the cast. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For language, some violence and sexual content. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ADRIEN BRODY plays a private detective and divorced father who's investigating George's death. He drinks, uses strong profanity, has sex with his secretary, and tries to get to the bottom of the case while encountering all sorts of unexpected interference. BEN AFFLECK plays an actor who's grown tired of being typecast as TV's Superman character. He smokes and drinks a lot, has a fling with Toni and then Leonore, and uses strong profanity. DIANE LANE plays the older woman who becomes George's lover despite being married to Eddie. She smokes, drinks, and uses strong profanity. BOB HOSKINS plays Toni's studio mogul husband who seems to be aware that she's having a fling with George. He drinks, smokes, uses strong profanity, and isn't happy with Louis' investigation and the implications it carries. ROBIN TUNNEY plays George's fiancée who drinks, smokes, uses strong profanity and may or may not have killed George. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Profanity consists of at least 14 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue (some of it explicit) is present, as are several sexual encounters (partially seen or heard intercourse - with movement and sounds - and suggested oral sex). A man jokingly imitates having sex with a woman (both are clothed), a photo shows a man nuzzling another man's neck, and a man's bare butt is partially seen. Violence includes several imagined views of what led to a man's death (including being shot in the head purposefully and accidentally), while we see that a man killed his adulterous wife (other tense family material - of several types - is also present). Some fighting or struggling occurs in other scenes. Some of that has bloody results (sometimes a lot), and those scenes and other moments of peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while a great deal of drinking and smoking occurs. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there is some handheld camerawork in the film that shows varying amounts of movement, including some home movie footage late in the film that's quite bouncy. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see liquor bottles on the table in the house where George was living. We see a flashback to George, another man, and others drinking in a club or restaurant. George has a drink in the morning, and Toni says she doesn't mind anyone doing that before breakfast, but does when they don't offer her one (so he pours one for her). Toni and Eddie have drinks with George, and Eddie orders his wife another one. Many people drink at a gathering. George and Toni have drinks. There's talk of an actress in the past being a heroin addict. A woman makes the comment that when you're drunk, everything's funny (when Louis questions her about George's death). A comment is made about something being like a longshoreman on a bender (intoxicated). Miscellaneous people drink in George's home. Leonore tells Louis that George (now dead) knocked back the booze and was "pretty good in the sack." George drinks with his agent and Toni. George and Toni drink, as do various other people. George drinks. George has a drink in the morning. Louis has a drink. Leonore calls Louis to say (about George) that she "didn't screw his head on backwards," that she's drunk and a "little horny." Louis appears to be intoxicated when he goes to see his son. George has a drink. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a party, as do Leonore and George. Eddie and another man drink. Miscellaneous people drink in George's house on the night of his death. BLOOD/GORE We see blood splatter on a wall and under George's head as he lies dead (and nude -- although nothing explicit is seen). We see George's body in the morgue and there are some slight, post-mortem changes in the color of the skin, as well as visible stitches on the chest from the autopsy. We also then see the bullet hole wound in his head. After George's death, we see the murder/suicide scene that shows blood splattered on the wall and soaked into the mattress. Upset with George, Leonore grabs his luger, shoots twice into the floor, and then struggles with him after he grabs her. The gun then fires, blood splatters out and George is dead (this is an imagined scene of what might have happened). When Louis finds Leonore in George's room, she says, "I had to take a leak, what's your excuse?" We see George standing at a urinal and hear him relieving himself. We see dried blood on Louis's head after a thug attacks him. Louis gets a call from a client, goes to a house and finds the man under arrest for murdering his wife (we see blood and then the dead woman on the floor -- hearing she was shot several times, including in the vagina). A photo shows a dead woman lying face down on the floor. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Louis fakes paying for an honor system newspaper and leaves with a paper without paying. Some guy makes a disparaging remark about Jewish people. A morgue worker accepts a bribe from Louis to see George's body. Louis steals George's watch as part of his investigation. Toni cheats on Eddie by having a long-running affair with George (that Eddie seems to know about). Eddie uses the term "fag" about an actor photographed fooling around with another man, while he also uses the terms "spic" and "wop" about Louis. Eddie or someone else sends people to beat up Louis as a way to convince him to drop his investigation. Louis gets a call from a client, goes to a house and finds the man under arrest for murdering his wife (we see blood and then the dead woman on the floor -- hearing she was shot several times, including in the vagina). Upset that George has met and fallen for Leonore, Toni says, "You f*ck some whore" and then asks, "Does she blow smoke rings with her c*nt?" Then sarcastically referring to herself and speaking for him, she adds, "The hag I had to screw." Louis sneaks into Toni's house, hoping to ask her a few questions about George and his death. Newspaper articles show that Eddie's earlier wife died in a car crash, while there's another photo of a dead woman lying face down on the floor, both suggesting how the movie studios handle their problems. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Upset with George, Leonore grabs his luger, shoots twice into the floor, and then struggles with him after he grabs her. The gun then fires, blood splatters out and George is dead (this is an imagined scene of what might have happened). We see some fake guns in an outdoor live show featuring George dressed as Superman and defeating some actor villains with fake fighting (punches, etc.). A young boy then addresses George, pointing what's presumably a real gun at him, asking if he can shoot him (thinking he's really Superman and thus impervious to bullets). The boy's finger is on the trigger, but George calmly manages to convince the boy it wouldn't be a good idea. The scene is then cut with the sound of a car honking in another, which might startle some viewers considering the tense scene that precedes that. A man punches Louis in the latter's dark house and then kicks him several times on the floor (as a warning to drop the case he's investigating). The thug then hits Louis with some sort of chain (we later see dried blood on his head). We see an imagined view of some guy rushing up to George and shooting him in the head (the act is only partially seen). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns: Carried and/or used to threaten or result in the death of one character (by suicide or murder). See "Violence" for details. We see some fake guns in an outdoor live show featuring George dressed as Superman and defeating some actor villains with fake fighting (punches, etc.). A young boy then addresses George, pointing what's presumably a real gun at him, asking if he can shoot him (thinking he's really Superman and thus impervious to bullets). The boy's finger is on the trigger, but George calmly manages to convince the boy it wouldn't be a good idea. Toni gives a pistol to George as a gift. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You think I'm going to let you f*ck with that?" "Whatever the f*ck they want," "F*ck you," "Woe is f*cking me," "Get the f*ck out of my house," "F*cked up," "G*ddman, make room for f*cking daddy," "Prove one f*cking thing," "This sh*t you won't touch," "Sh*t-hole," "Bullsh*t," "Sh*tty," "Don't bullsh*t me," "You never gave a sh*t," "Complete pr*ck," "Greedy slut," "Whore," "Horny," "Superman wants to get laid," "Does she blow smoke rings with her c*nt?" "The hag I had to screw," "How the hell should I know?" "He's nuts," "Queer," "My ass drops like a double bag," "Bitch," "He's a catfish, go clean the mud out of your whiskers," "I look like a damn fool," "Use your noggin," "Fags," "Spic," "Wop," "Balls," "Sap," "That's for suckers," "G*ddman you" and "Why don't you just join the G*ddamn circus?" We hear that Louis's young son burned his superman costume on the couch with lighter fluid (we see the burn mark on it). We see George burning his Superman suit on the grill (and squirting lighter fluid on that). JUMP SCENES A young boy addresses George, pointing what's presumably a real gun at him, asking if he can shoot him (thinking he's really Superman and thus impervious to bullets). The boy's finger is on the trigger, but George calmly manages to convince the boy it wouldn't be a good idea. The scene is then cut with the sound of a car honking in another, which might startle some viewers considering the tense scene that precedes that. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 14 "f" words (2 used sexually as are the terms "laid," "screw," "nail" and "balling"), 11 "s" words, 3 slang terms using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 2 using female ones ("c*nt" and "sn*tch"), 3 hells, 2 asses, 1 damn, 1 S.O.B., 15 uses of "G-damn," 2 of "Christ" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "Jesus," "Jesus Christ" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY We see blood splatter on a wall and under George's head as he lies dead (and nude -- although nothing explicit is seen). We hear a woman's sexual sounds and moaning coming from inside a room (it's Louis and his secretary). When the door's opened, we see Louis standing in the background of the shot, zipping up his pants. We see some period-style pinup posters on the wall featuring women in bras and small shorts with their butts pushed out in cheesecake type poses. A man (Sinclair) tells Louis (who he's hiring) that he believes his (the man's wife) is having "illicit carnal relations." After George jokingly says he didn't realize he spread so much joy, Toni flirtatiously replies, "Who knows what you might be spreading" (a possible sexual connotation). Toni shows some cleavage. George and Toni passionately kiss. We then next see them in bed under the covers the next morning. We then later see her in just a small towel and Toni makes a comment about "before my ass drops like a double bag" (referring to getting older). George says it looks fine now and she thanks him for noticing. After more small talk, she opens up the towel in the front and presses her body up against his after opening his robe (we don't see any nudity). While seated with her husband and George, Toni puts her hand on the latter's clothed crotch under the table, causing him to react with surprise. While rehearsing for the Superman show, George jokingly asks, "Would you like to see the real man of steel?" He then drops his pants (his dress shirt covers most everything), grabs his female costar and jokingly does some mock thrusting on her on a desk (causing her and others to laugh). Later, Toni acts a bit jealous about this actress, telling George that the woman is a lesbian. He asks if that's true, she says no, but then says she is now as far as he's concerned. We see Louis's girlfriend walk up in a dress shirt that shows partial views of her panties and bra. She then gets into bed with him (he's shirtless) but they just talk. He later gets up and may be nude in front of her (we see his bare torso -- front and back). Louis half-jokes that he all he got was crabs from years in the military (when stating that he was back just six days and ended up getting stabbed). Eddie is upset with an actor after the latter had his photograph taken while he was fooling around with another man in the backseat of a car (the photo is taken from the outside and shows one nuzzling the neck of the other). In an imagined view of what happened to George on the night of his death, we see him enter his room and disrobe, with us seeing a partial and brief view of his bare butt. Leonore tells Louis that George (now dead) knocked back the booze and was "pretty good in the sack." After Louis tells Leonore that he's going to nail her (meaning prove she killed George), she says he couldn't nail her (said as a double entendre) with roses and a trip to Vegas. *About George playing Superman, Toni playfully tells him, "I'd f*ck you in a second." About being in his Superman costume, George half-jokingly asks, "You can't see my penis, can you?" When a thug tells Louis to let it go (the case he's investigating), Louis sarcastically replies with (what sounded like), "Like you mother's sn*tch? She won't let me." Louis tells his girlfriend/secretary, "You're balling this Chad kid" and that she doesn't have the guts to tell him. Louis arrives at a murder scene where his client has just killed his (the client's) wife, calling her a whore and referring to the rampant fornication of his wife. We then hear he shot her several times, including in the vagina. Toni tells George to kiss her, they do so passionately, we hear the sound of her undoing his belt and she then goes down out of the shot, suggesting she's performing oral sex on him (we also see his facial reaction to this). Leonore calls Louis to say (about George) that she "didn't screw his head on backwards," that she's drunk and a "little horny." After a comment is made about having a big heart, Leonore suggestively says (upon first meeting George), "I bet you've got a big one too." She then goes back to her female friend and states, "Superman wants to get laid." We then later see her on top of him and she says, "G*ddman, make room for f*cking daddy" as they have sex with movement and sounds, but no nudity beyond his open shirt. She also says that she thinks he's getting "the hang of this" and "Let's do it again." Upset that George has met and fallen for Leonore, Toni says, "You f*ck some whore" and then asks, "Does she blow smoke rings with her c*nt?" Then sarcastically referring to herself and speaking for him, she adds, "The hag I had to screw." We see another view (the same one) of George's bare butt as he disrobes in his place. Some home movie footage shows a man playfully going at a woman's clothed butt with the camera. SMOKING George smokes around 10 times, Toni smokes more than 5 times, Louis, Eddie and Leonore each smoke several times, and a great deal of people smoke (cigarettes and some cigars) in many different scenes. Another detective gives Louis an unlit cigar. We see George standing at a urinal and hear him relieving himself. TENSE FAMILY SCENES A man (Sinclair) tells Louis (who he's hiring) that he believes his (the man's wife) is having "illicit carnal relations." We learn that Louis is divorced from his wife and doesn't see his son as much as he'd like. Louis meets George's mother who doesn't think her son's death was a suicide. Toni cheats on Eddie by having a long-running affair with George (that Eddie seems to know about). While mad at his boy when the latter won't listen to him, Louis grabs his etch-a-sketch and heaves it across the room, scaring the boy. We see a scar on Louis's torso that he says is from his father, but then says he ended up being stabbed at a union protest where he was helping his dad (not seen). He does add, however, that his father didn't apologize about the injury. Louis arrives at a murder scene where his client has just killed his (the client's) wife, calling her a whore and referring to the rampant fornication of his wife. We then hear he shot her several times, including in the vagina. Louis appears to be intoxicated when he goes to see his son. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The historical accuracy of what's presented and/or any artistic license taken with the true story. Performers being typecast as one character or character type. Suicide. We see that Louis's son is quite upset upon hearing that Superman (George) has committed suicide (and we hear that other kids are similarly affected). A studio detective's comment that they're paid to keep things out of the paper. One man drinking with George in a club or restaurant worries that others will think they're "queer." The comment that nobody asks to be happy later (in regards to living life to its fullest). George's agent telling him that an actor can't always act and sometimes has to work. VIOLENCE We see that either George committed suicide via a gunshot to the head, or was murdered by the same. While mad at his boy when the latter won't listen to him, Louis grabs his etch-a-sketch and heaves it across the room, scaring the boy. While suspended by cables above the TV set, George ends up falling (when the person holding him up accidentally lets go) and lands quite hard on the floor, but walks away (albeit in pain). Upset with George, Leonore grabs his luger, shoots twice into the floor, and then struggles with him after he grabs her. The gun then fires, blood splatters out and George is dead (this is an imagined scene of what might have happened). A man punches Louis in the latter's dark house and then kicks him several times on the floor (as a warning to drop the case he's investigating). The thug then hits Louis with some sort of chain (we later see dried blood on his head). Mad at him, Louis grabs another detective's gun and then pins that man to a car by the throat. He then punches that man in the gut. Louis gets a call from a client, goes to a house and finds the man under arrest for murdering his wife (we see blood and then the dead woman on the floor -- hearing she was shot several times, including in the vagina). We see an imagined view of some guy rushing up to George and shooting him in the head (the act is only partially seen). Newspaper articles show that Eddie's earlier wife died in a car crash, while there's another photo of a dead woman lying face down on the floor, both suggesting how the movie studios handle their problems. One of Eddie's goons punches Louis in the gut, pins him to a pool table and presses a cue stick over his neck. We see another imagined flashback view of George's death, with Louis then imagining seeing the flashes of gunfire through the window from outside the house. Reviewed August 7, 2006 / Posted September 8, 2006

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