Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (film)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 American biographical spy film directed by George Clooney in his directorial debut and written by Charlie Kaufman. It stars Sam Rockwell as game show host and producer Chuck Barris; based on Barris' 1984 "unauthorized autobiography" of the same name, in which he makes unsubstantiated claims to have worked for the CIA, it also depicts Barris' alleged second career as an international assassin, albeit in an over-the-top, absurdist manner. Drew Barrymore, Clooney, Julia Roberts and Rutger Hauer star in supporting roles.

The film had a long development process; Columbia Pictures first planned to produce a film adaptation of the autobiography in the late 1980s, to be directed by Jim McBride, although nothing came of it. The film rights were purchased in 1997 by producer Andrew Lazar, who hired Kaufman to write a screenplay that quickly attracted a string of well-known directors, including David Fincher, Brian De Palma and Bryan Singer, and actors, including Mike Myers, Ben Stiller and Johnny Depp. When Clooney was hired to direct, he championed the casting of the then-unknown Rockwell and brought on Barris as consultant to provide additional authenticity; this led to uncredited rewrites that left Kaufman unhappy with the final result, including the removal of a drug addiction subplot. To accommodate the $30 million budget, Clooney convinced Barrymore and Roberts to lower their salaries.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on December 31, 2002, performing poorly at the box office. However, it received favorable reviews from critics, who praised its performances, in particular that of Rockwell, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.