Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

2002

Character: Brad, Bachelor #1
Release Date: 31 December 2002 (limited)
Directed By: George Clooney
Written By: Chuck Barris, Charlie Kaufman
Genre: Biography/Comedy/Crime/Drama/Thriller
Tagline: Some things are better left top secret
MPAA Rating: R
Produced by: Allied Filmmakers, Kushner-Locke Company, The Mad Chance, Miramax Films, NPV Entertainment, Section Eight, Village Roadshow Pictures
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Budget: $29,000,000 (estimated)
Filming Dates: 14 January 2002 – April 2002

Cast:
Dick Clark…Himself
Sam Rockwell…Chuck Barris
Michelle Sweeney…J. Sweeney
Drew Barrymore…Penny
Brad Pitt…Brad, Bachelor #1
Matt Damon…Matt, Bachelor #2
Jennifer Hall…Georgia
George Clooney…Jim Byrd
Sean Tucker…Barfly
Jerry Weintraub…Larry Goldberg
Maggie Gyllenhaal…Debbie
Julia Robert…Patricia Watson

Filming Locations:
California, USA
Infinite Horizon Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA (interiors and outdoor sets) (studio)
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

Synopsis:
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” is the story of a legendary showman’s double life – television producer by day, CIA assassin by night. At the height of his TV career, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.

Trivia & Facts:
David Fincher and Bryan Singer were both considered to direct. Singer initially accepted, but had to withdraw when the entire cast of X2 (2003) became available for production to begin on that film. Mike Myers, Ben Stiller, and Johnny Depp were all considered for the role of Chuck Barris.

Julia Roberts worked on the set for six days.

Both Julia Roberts and ‘Drew Barrymore’ worked for a scale salary of $250,000 as a favor to their friend, director George Clooney. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon cameoed for free.

The clip from the “The Newlywed Game” (1966) is a real clip. It was long thought to be an urban legend and at one time even the host came to believe it was not real.

A tour guide says that her favorite television show stars Rosemary Clooney, aunt of director George Clooney.

The car Chuck Barris uses in East Germany is Soviet VAZ 2102.

Most of the scenes were done in one take. The NBC lobby scene, and the Dating Game montage are done completely in one take; the actors ran around to get into position.

The movie tie-in edition of the book credited Johnny Depp as an executive producer.

The music during the target shooting practice scene is John Barry’s “Wednesday’s Child”, the main theme from The Quiller Memorandum (1966), a Cold War-era spy thriller set in West Berlin. Chuck Barris is later sent on a mission to West Berlin around the same time this movie was released in West Germany (1967).

During a montage, we see Patricia and Chuck dancing in a bedroom next to a bed where we see a man’s legs sticking up. These legs belong to director George Clooney.

From the gallery

Quotes

External Links
Official website
IMDB

SB Store (US)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (DVD)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: An Unauthorized Autobiography (Book)

SB Store (UK)
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (DVD)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (Book)