Chuck Barris grows up dreaming of success in show biz and winning the hearts of beautiful women, but early on, he meets with plenty of resistance from both women and the television industry, despite writing the hit tune "Palisades Park" and scoring a job with Dick Clark on American Bandstand. The 1960s proves more fortunate for Barris; he meets the love of his life, Penny, and sells ABC on the idea of The Dating Game. However, after the show has made him wealthy and successful, Barris is approached by the mysterious Jim Byrd, a CIA agent who wants to recruit Barris as a covert operative. Barris finds the notion of playing spy games intriguing and agrees, but soon discovers what Byrd and his partners really want is for Barris to assassinate uncooperative figures around the world. Soon, Barris finds that his life has been all but taken over by Byrd and another CIA agent, the mysterious and sexy Patricia. As he hops the globe killing people in the name of American security (using his status as a Dating Game chaperone as a cover), Barris learns that the KGB has discovered his not-so-little secret and that his own life is in great danger.
This film was a little too "out there" for my taste. It was based on Barris' autobiography which he claims is completely true. However, I think Barris' imagination got the best of him while he was writing his life story and he embellished some (or most) things. Some of the scenes are so over the top that they're laughable and it was difficult for me to watch since I had a hard time believing any of it happened. Even as a work of fiction (which I'm convinced it is), it was too scattered and lacked a central, driving plot that pulled everything together. It was just a hodgepodge of outrageous claims and goofy acting.
Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney
The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.
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