Weapons of Mass Distraction (TV 1997)

Two media moguls get into a nasty power struggle for the ownership of a pro football team which takes a drastic effect on their personal and professional lives.

Director:

Stephen Surjik

Writer:

Larry Gelbart

Stars:

Gabriel Byrne, Ben Kingsley, Mimi Rogers

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriel Byrne	...	Lionel Powers
Ben Kingsley	...	Julian Messenger
Mimi Rogers	...	Ariel Powers (aka Alexi)
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Alan Blanchard
Illeana Douglas	...	Rita Pascoe
Paul Mazursky	...	Dr. Jonathon Cummings
Chris Mulkey	...	Jerry Pascoe
R. Lee Ermey	...	Billy Paxton
Caroline Aaron	...	Robin Zimmer
Jason Lee	...	Phillip Messenger
Christina Pickles	...	Mrs. Frieda Messinger
Tom Wright	...	Marvel Sears
Randall Arney	...	Sen. Quentin Sayles
Ben Bode	...	Peter Messenger
L. Scott Caldwell	...	Sen. Condon

Storyline

Two media moguls vie for ownership of a pro football team, at first they play by their own rules of fair game but then it gets dirty. In an attempt to out do one another each one makes it more personal as their own greed and ambition takes their toll on their families, companies and employees.

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Plot Keywords:

media | homosexual | satire | burglary | plastic surgeon | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexuality, and depiction of a suicide

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

A tömegpusztítás fegyverei

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Lionel Powers: You're a freak.
Ariel Powers: And you're mine, my sweet, extended darling.

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Soundtracks

"MORE"
(REPRISE)
Written by Norman Newell, Riziero Ortolani, Nino Olivero and Marcello Ciorciolino
Performed by Patrick Tuzzolino
Courtesy of Skywriter Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

A prime example of satire gone awry.

Weapons of Mass Distraction proves to be an inconsequential mess of loose plot points and unanswered questions. In what was initially supposed to be a satire, it only gets lost in it's web of lurid, superfluous, irrelevant occurrences.

Two billionares rival over ownership of a famous American football team. That's what we understand from the blurb. Unfortunately, the references to that are just so vague that it is somewhat of a sub-plot. There really is no plot. It goes nowhere!

On one end of the spectrum we have Robert Altman's fine satire "The Player", focusing on big business and movies. On the other end of the spectrum we have this.

Combine this: helicopter accident, closet gay businessman, jewish holocaust surviver, appendage enlargement, trans-gender wife and adulterous cable repairman newly fired. That's precisely what the film is!

It's awful. One out of ten.