Talk Radio (1988) 7.1
A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national. Director:Oliver Stone |
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Talk Radio (1988) 7.1
A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national. Director:Oliver Stone |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Eric Bogosian | ... | ||
| Ellen Greene | ... | ||
| Leslie Hope | ... |
Laura
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| John C. McGinley | ... | ||
| Alec Baldwin | ... | ||
| John Pankow | ... |
Dietz
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| Michael Wincott | ... | ||
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Linda Atkinson | ... |
Sheila Fleming
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| Robert Trebor | ... |
Jeffrey Fisher /
Francine
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| Zach Grenier | ... |
Sid Greenberg
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Tony Frank | ... |
Dino
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Harlan Jordan | ... | |
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Bill Johnson | ... |
Fan #1
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Kevin Howard | ... |
Fan #2
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| Anna Levine | ... |
Woman at Basketball Game /
Denise
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An acerbic radio talk show host based in Dallas starts what could be an important few days when he discovers that his controversial late night show is about to be "picked up" by a nationwide network of radio stations. However, all is not perfect for him, because on top of troubles with his love life and fears that the management of the network will try to alter the content of his show he has to cope with a neo-nazi group who have been angered by his forthright opinions. Written by Mark Thompson <mrt@oasis.icl.co.uk>
I found this fascinating when it came out. How I would feel about it now might be different, knowing Oliver Stone's beliefs and how he likes to put them on film. Back then, I didn't care. I just looked at this as a character study of a nasty and very disturbed radio talk show host who had nutty callers and was nuts himself.
I have to warn viewers - and this has nothing to do with politics - after the riveting first 30 minutes, this lead character "Barry Champlain" (Eric Bogosian) wears thin big-time. He is so obnoxious that he makes this movie uncomfortable to watch in a number of areas. This is not fun to witness, folks, but Bogosian does a super job in the lead role.
Personally, this story is so full of anger, hatred and sordidness that I wouldn't watch it again. However, if you know all this in advance and appreciate fine acting and different kind of story, it's worth checking out. Just don't expect to be uplifted!