George Clooney has made some bonehead moves when it comes to his acting career.

He jumped off the successful “ER” bandwagon in favor of the tragic demise of the Batman franchise — the horrific “Batman and Robin.” He even took a stab at critical credibility with the commercial bomb “Solaris.”

Perhaps these missteps make Clooney’s latest film and directorial debut, the Chuck Barris biopic “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” so magnificent. Clooney’s monotonous stoicism is finally beneficial, aiding his role as the indifferent Jim Byrd, a shadowy CIA agent who recruits Barris as an independent operative.

Prior to Byrd’s appearance, Barris (Sam Rockwell) is the creator and producer of the tabloid game show “The Dating Game,” a show based on Barris’ desire to exploit the craziness of male-female relationships.

But after Byrd gets ahold of the naïve young producer, Barris develops a split personality — timid TV personality by day, government hitman by night.

Having only recently come into mainstream notoriety as the “Charlie’s Angels” black hat, Rockwell proves to have a range far above what his previous work suggests (in such mediocre movies as “Galaxy Quest”). Rockwell moves between his two personalities with graceful elegance, never exposing himself as just acting a part. He even manages to add emotion to a scene where he stands naked and unwaveringly still before a television.

The film itself is a mirror image of this dual personality, attempting to combine comedy and drama into one film — a dramedy. Unfortunately, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” fails, never really weaving the two genres together. Instead, the action jumps from the dramatic to the comedic with only loose strands connecting the scenes together.

In one such scene, Barris is shown techniques to kill a man with just his hands (the dramatic) before approaching Byrd, who tells him, “You’re 32 years old. Jesus Christ was dead and alive again by 33 — you better get cracking” (the comedic). Both scenes work in their own elements, but there is little to lead from the first into the second.

The film withstands the lack of cohesion within this drama-comedy and remains a worthwhile production.

Adding to the film is the feminine duo playing opposite each of Barris’ personalities.

The good, “day” woman is Penny (Drew Barrymore), a sweet hippie who wants nothing more than to enjoy life with Barris. Her first meeting with Barris sets the tone for her character — one Barrymore manages to keep throughout the film — when she walks in on a naked Barris getting a beer from her fridge (her roommate works in television with Barris). Barrymore’s character stays casually cool during this embarrassing moment, proving the actress is more than just “Never Been Kissed.”

The bad, “night” woman is Patricia (Julia Roberts), a no-nonsense fellow operative, who is tough as nails and always about business. At first annoyed with the bumbling Barris, Patricia grows to appreciate the emotionally virginal producer.

In a part too small for an actress of her caliber, Roberts seems to just phone this role in, never excelling nor faltering in her performance. She just exists in the film, seemingly there more out of a favor to pal Clooney than actually having liked the story.

The inclusion of friends like Roberts, as well as a few other old co-stars playing “Dating Game” contestants, makes it seem like Clooney doubts his technical style. He seems to think he needs to impress people with star power to cover up some massive flaw, but Clooney need not worry — his directing leaves little to be desired and even includes a few attempts at technique — excessively bright real interviews and a swell of muted yellows, blues and blacks, making the film seem aged.

After associating himself with director Steven Soderbergh, Clooney has already to begin etching out his own directing niche. While his acting may still need a bit of jump start (“The Peacemaker,” anyone?), Clooney has definitely proven himself worthy of a second stab at directing.