Review: Celebrity: Dominick Dunne

2008 Australian doco from directors Kirsty de Garis and Timothy Jolley probably works best for those more intimately familiar with the career of Dominick Dunne than I am. I’ve heard of him, could pick him out of a line-up (you’ll know him by sight if not name), but wasn’t really aware of what his occupation was. I had the impression that he was one of those red carpet reporters, but although this film sets me straight on that error, it doesn’t really make it clear just how he fell into his numerous professions. It doesn’t go into enough detail as to how Dunne went from soldier to film producer, to fiction writer, to Vanity Fair writer covering mostly celebrity trials (OJ, Phil Spector, etc.). The latter transition is somewhat easy to understand- his beloved daughter Dominique was murdered and he attended the trial, but how does a celebrity-schmoozing, failed producer end up a writer? The transition isn’t adequately explained, and these missing details prevented me from really getting into this often fascinating portrait of a deeply, deeply troubled and unhappy man.

Dunne gives much of himself for the filmmakers here. He doesn’t paint himself as a saint, he’s a selfish, depressing SOB from start to finish, and even son Griffin (the talking corpse from “An American Werewolf in London”) seems to have a somewhat emotionally ‘distant’ relationship with him. But he’s a damn good talker, has a lot of fascinating stories to tell, and makes for an interesting subject to spend 90 or so minutes with.

But just beneath the surface of ‘star fucking’ is a man who has slowly come to realise that he has completely neglected his family, screwed up relationships, and there’s a deep sadness within him.

One question: Why is this True Hollywood Story being told by a couple of Aussies? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?...Bueller?

Rating: B-