DVD Release Date:  February 6, 2007
Theatrical Release Date:  September 8, 2006
Rating:  R (for language, some violence and sexual content)
Genre:  Drama
Run Time:  126 min.
Director:  Allen Coulter
Actors:  Ben Affleck, Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, Robin Tunney, Lois Smith

Steeped in film noir atmospherics, and with star power to burn, "Hollywoodland" is about the man in “man of steel,” the guy who puts on the cape but can’t fly. It’s about an actor, not a character – a look at the seamy side of the glamorous stars and the studio executives who could make or break them. It’s a seedy story of the lives of the rich and famous.

"Superman Returns" revived the superhero’s franchise this past summer, but this fall’s "Hollywoodland" gives us a much more serious side to the Superman story. Unfortunately, this tale of the rise and fall of actor George Reeves – cast as TV’s Superman, but subsequently unable to shake free from the audience’s association of him with that role – delivers the same mixed results as Bryan Singer’s over-hyped vision of the superhero.

The film opens with the death of Reeves (Ben Affleck) from a gunshot wound. “Superman’s suicide” would prove to be a rude awakening for the nation’s youth, forced to reconcile their hopeful idealism with grim reality. But for private investigator Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), it’s an opportunity. Working a tip from a friendly law-enforcement official, Simo plants stories in the press suggesting that Reeves’ death may have been a homicide, then struggles to piece together a coherent theory of Reeves’ demise before the skeptical press corps catches on to Simo’s questionable motives.

Enlisting Reeves’ mother (Lois Smith) to reopen the case on Reeves’ death, Simo looks to the other women in Reeves’ life, including a studio executive’s wife (Diane Lane) and Reeves’ fiancée (Robin Tunney), as possible suspects in his death. The pressure of his investigation gives Simo a temporary focus and purpose that distracts from his failed marriage and growing distance from his son, but the more Simo learns about Reeves, the more he discovers parallels between his own life and that of the Hollywood star.

Director Allen Coulter brings a visual elegance to the production, but the story, leaning heavily on Simo’s character, isn’t pretty. Reeves’ most famous character notwithstanding, there’s little that’s “super” on display here. It’s vanity, lust and covetousness all wrapped up in a dreary package. No one learns anything from their personal failures or acknowledges the pain they cause others. Simo justifies his behavior as a way to “make a buck” – a working man’s credo that might carry more weight were his actions reputable or his income more devoted to his alienated wife and child.