Product Details

• Actors: Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, Bob Hoskins, Kevin Hare
• Directors: Allen Coulter
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: February 6, 2007
• Run Time: 127 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KWZ7JC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,521 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The fact-based mystery of Hollywoodland takes place in 1959, when the death of Adventures of Superman TV star George Reeves cast a pall over the waning days of golden-age Hollywood. As written by Paul Bernbaum, this intriguing whodunit effectively evokes the tainted atmosphere that surrounded Reeves' death (officially ruled a suicide but never conclusively solved), and speculates on circumstances to suggest that Reeves may have been murdered. In combining the melancholy course of Reeves' career with the investigation of a down-and-out private detective into the possible causes of Reeves' death, the film evolves into an engrossing study of parallels between lives on either side of the Hollywood dream. Building upon a distinguished career in TV including episodes of HBO's The Sopranos, Rome and Six Feet Under, director Allen Coulter finds a satisfying balance between the tragic overtones of the Reeves case and the time-honored elements of the gumshoe genre, with Adrien Brody doing fine work as private eye Louis Simo, a fictional composite character who is our conduit to the desperate yearnings of Reeves' final months.

In a critically acclaimed performance, Ben Affleck plays Reeves in moody flashbacks, caught between Superman stardom and financial dependence on his lover Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the somewhat predatory wife of Hollywood "fixer" and MGM honcho Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), whose mob connections suggest foul play as Simo's investigation progresses. Reeves' subsequent lover (played by Robin Tunney) may also be culpable, and as Simo's own personal life unravels, his empathy for Reeves takes on added significance. In presenting its mystery as a set of plausible scenarios, Hollywoodland holds interest as a mystery that's refreshingly compassionate toward the fate of its characters. Warts and all, they're likable dreamers in a town where dreams don't always come true. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Playing Superman on TV brought aspiring film actor George Reeves stardom, but it also held him back as far as more serious acting roles went. When a 45-year-old Reeves was found dead in his home in 1959, his death was ruled a suicide, and attributed to this B-level frustration. The result of a single bullet wound, Reeves's death caused controversy in and around Hollywood, where popular theories related his death to either his starlet fianc, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), or his famously ongoing and unique relationship with Toni Mannix (a fabulous Diane Lane), the wife of mob-connected MGM head Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins). HOLLYWOODLAND explores Reeves's life and tragic end from the perspective of Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a private investigator hired by Reeves's mother shortly after his death. Cutting back and forth between scenes of Reevess life and Simo's detective work, the film draws parallels between two men kept from appreciating the present by dreams of future grandeur. Ben Affleck returns to form as Reeves, a man whose hindering celebrity status may have reminded the actor of his own: despite breaking onto the scene with an Academy Award for writing GOOD WILL HUNTING in 1997, Affleck's career was at one point overshadowed by a romance as familiar to the public as Superman's cape. With close attention to detail, first-time director Allen Coulter creates two distinct worlds specific to their time, Simo's noir-ish and seedy L.A. forming a bleak contrast to the glamorous, formal Tinseltown Reeves so longed to be embraced by. An accomplished act for a first time director, HOLLYWOODLAND offers viewers a believable look into Hollywood's most glamorous bygone era. Strong performances and stylish filmmaking help fuel a mystery without a solution.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When Films Collide--A Great Hollywood Story At Odds With An Average Detective Flick, November 2, 2006

By	K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hollywoodland (DVD)

There is a fantastic film within "Hollywoodland"! That film stars Ben Affleck and Diane Lane, both giving superlative performances. As TV Superman George Reeves, Affleck connects with a role that some say mirror his own situation. He's an appealing, handsome actor of limited range who is not generally regarded for having actual talent. And Affleck steps up to the task of inhabiting that persona--he shows the frustration, rage, and longing for respect that comes with being typecast as Superman. Diane Lane plays the wife of a studio exec who fancies Reeves and turns him into her kept "boy." Well, an older woman never looked so good! Lane just seems to get better and better as the years go by. She hits all the right notes in a performance that's wickedly sexy, desperate, charming, and funny--all rolled up into one.

This relationship, her open marriage to Bob Hoskins, his courtship with a golddigger played nicely by Robin Tunney, and the tale of Reeves' struggle in Hollywood--this is all grand entertainment. It's filmed and executed beautifully and is thoroughly fascinating.

Sadly, there is also an average film within "Hollywoodland." That film stars Adrien Brody as a two-bit private detective hired to look into Reeves' apparent suicide. Might it have been more? In addition to the investigation, we get many other glimpses into Brody's life--his strained relationship with his wife and child, his affair with a younger woman, another case that goes terribly wrong, and some backstory about how he ended up on the outskirts of the Hollywood machine. It's all fine, but nothing nearly as intriguing as the Reeves case--and nothing particularly original, either

Sadly, the two aspects never merged cohesively for me. Every time you're drawn into something interesting in Reeves' life--BOOM, the film pulls you out to see some parallel with the detective. Well, ultimately, I just had to say "who cares?" to most of those moments. Brody's relationship with his son, for example, plays prominently. Not enough time is spent with these subplots to actually develop feelings one way or the other--they just serve to shut down the main action. Now I'm not blaming Brody--his performance is fine--all the performances are fine. It's the structure of the film. It just doesn't serve the story well--however talented everyone associated with this production may be.

Part of the film was 5 stars, part was 3 stars. I'd rate the whole venture at about 3 1/2--with regret--because there is a film in here that I would have loved to see. KGHarris, 11/06.

78 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Broken Lives, September 25, 2006

By	MICHAEL ACUNA (Southern California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Hollywoodland (DVD)

"Hollywoodland" is everything that the dreadful "The Black Dahlia" isn't: interesting, beautifully acted, intelligent, respectful to it's time and place which in both cases just happens to be Southern California circa 1945-1959. Both concern a death: one perhaps a suicide and the other definitely a murder.
Directed by Alan Coulter with a genuine empathy for his characters sad, sordid lives: a brilliant Ben Affleck as TV Superman George Reeves, a committed though out-of-the-box style performance from the always interesting Adrian Brody as a down-on-his-luck Private Investigator, Louis Simo and the luminous Diane Lane as Reeves paramour and fading beauty Toni Mannix.
Coulter spends a lot of time on the back lives of these three which adds texture and resonance to their film lives and by extension the film. Of particular note is Simo's story: his son, his ex-wife (the terrific Molly Parker), his father or lack thereof. Brody is particularly thoughtful and emotionally open in his scenes with his son. Brody is so good at conveying pages of exposition and dialogue through the iris of the camera by way of his huge expressive eyes.
"Hollywoodland" is terse, compact, humane, beautifully photographed and sensitively produced and scripted. That it comes from humble beginnings only makes Coulter's achievement all the more glorious.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars When Films Collide--A Great Hollywood Story At Odds With An Average Detective Flick, December 2, 2006

By	K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There is a fantastic film within "Hollywoodland"! That film stars Ben Affleck and Diane Lane, both giving superlative performances. As TV Superman George Reeves, Affleck connects with a role that some say mirror his own situation. He's an appealing, handsome actor of limited range who is not generally regarded for having actual talent. And Affleck steps up to the task of inhabiting that persona--he shows the frustration, rage, and longing for respect that comes with being typecast as Superman. Diane Lane plays the wife of a studio exec who fancies Reeves and turns him into her kept "boy." Well, an older woman never looked so good! Lane just seems to get better and better as the years go by. She hits all the right notes in a performance that's wickedly sexy, desperate, charming, and funny--all rolled up into one.

This relationship, her open marriage to Bob Hoskins, his courtship with a golddigger played nicely by Robin Tunney, and the tale of Reeves' struggle in Hollywood--this is all grand entertainment. It's filmed and executed beautifully and is thoroughly fascinating.

Sadly, there is also an average film within "Hollywoodland." That film stars Adrien Brody as a two-bit private detective hired to look into Reeves' apparent suicide. Might it have been more? In addition to the investigation, we get many other glimpses into Brody's life--his strained relationship with his wife and child, his affair with a younger woman, another case that goes terribly wrong, and some backstory about how he ended up on the outskirts of the Hollywood machine. It's all fine, but nothing nearly as intriguing as the Reeves case--and nothing particularly original, either

Sadly, the two aspects never merged cohesively for me. Every time you're drawn into something interesting in Reeves' life--BOOM, the film pulls you out to see some parallel with the detective. Well, ultimately, I just had to say "who cares?" to most of those moments. Brody's relationship with his son, for example, plays prominently. Not enough time is spent with these subplots to actually develop feelings one way or the other--they just serve to shut down the main action. Now I'm not blaming Brody--his performance is fine--all the performances are fine. It's the structure of the film. It just doesn't serve the story well--however talented everyone associated with this production may be.

Part of the film was 5 stars, part was 3 stars. I'd rate the whole venture at about 3 1/2--with regret--because there is a film in here that I would have loved to see. KGHarris, 12/06.