Directed by:
Billy RayScreenplay:
Billy RayCinematography:
Mandy WalkerComposer:
Mychael DannaCast:
Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson, Melanie Lynskey, Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn, Luke Kirby, Chad Donella, Jamie Elman (more)Plots(1)
SHATTERED GLASS recounts the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, the real-life journalist who ruined his career by writing fictional articles for The New Republic magazine. The film, set in scandal-frenzied Washington D.C. at the end of the Clinton era, portrays Glass (Hayden Christensen) as a mild-mannered, precocious, and charismatic journalist whose successes quickly accrue. Glass is a darling to the magazine's staff and to the sources who feed his stories. But when Christopher Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), replaces editor Michael Kelly, Glass finds his work under much greater scrutiny. Glass's writing, in fact, has been fishy all along, and he is finally found out by an Internet-based media reporter (Steve Zahn) who does his own fact-checking, introducing the trope of what a good journalist can do. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
The script just dusts off a real scandal that stirred the stagnant waters of American journalism a few years ago. The curious editor of an online newspaper was inspired to follow in the footsteps of a successful journalist from a prestigious magazine who had made a name for himself with a series of witty and captivating articles from an attractive environment and extract more material from his exposure. To his surprise, he discovered that his colleague from the industry had apparently "pulled the story out of thin air." Subsequent investigations revealed manipulation of facts and blatant lies in dozens of other cases, shaking the trust in the entire journalistic community. However, the film is not an analytical probe into the current state of affairs in American journalism, nor does it generally contemplate the question of journalistic ethics. It simply seeks to maximize the specific case and tell the story of an ambitious liar and manipulator who hides the pathological traits of his character behind the facade of a cheerful guy. A decent but not exceptional television film was created about the fact that it is good to trust, but from time to time it is also necessary to verify. Overall impression: 65%.
()