Shattered Glass (2003)

The true story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was found he had fabricated over half of his articles.

Director:

Billy Ray

Writers:

Buzz Bissinger (article), Billy Ray

Stars:

Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloë Sevigny

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hayden Christensen	...	Stephen Glass
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Charles 'Chuck' Lane
Chloë Sevigny	...	Caitlin Avey
Rosario Dawson	...	Andy Fox
Melanie Lynskey	...	Amy Brand
Hank Azaria	...	Michael Kelly
Steve Zahn	...	Adam Penenberg
Mark Blum	...	Lewis Estridge
Simone-Élise Girard	...	Catarina Bannier
Chad Donella	...	David Bach
Jamie Elman	...	Aaron Bluth
Luke Kirby	...	Rob Gruen
Cas Anvar	...	Kambiz Foroohar
Linda Smith	...	Gloria (as Linda E. Smith)
Ted Kotcheff	...	Marty Peretz

Storyline

This film tells the true story of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass (Christensen), who rose to meteoric heights as a young writer in his 20s, becoming a staff writer at "The New Republic" for three years (1995-1998), where 27 of his 41 published stories were either partially or completely made up. Looking for a short cut to fame, Glass concocted sources, quotes and even entire stories, but his deception did not go unnoticed forever, and eventually, his world came crumbling down...

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Plot Keywords:

writer | journalist | washington d.c. | stephen glass | the new republic | 

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Taglines:

Read between the lies.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual references and brief drug use

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 2003 (Greece)

Also Known As:

A hazugsággyáros

Filming Locations:

Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£46,921 (UK) (14 May 2004)

Gross:

£46,921 (UK) (14 May 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Cruise/Wagner Productions, Baumgarten Merims Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, Greg Kinnear was to play Chuck Lane.

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Goofs

In the confrontation scene between Forbes Digital Tool and Glass, Kambiz Foroohar asks Glass: "Don't you find it strange that a supposedly major software company put its site on AOL where only AOL members can see it?" The members.AOL.com websites could be seen by anyone on the Internet.

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Quotes

[after completely debunking Stephen Glass's New Republic article]
Adam Penenberg: But there is one thing in this story that checks out.
Kambiz Foroohar: What's that?
Adam Penenberg: There does appear to be a state in the union named Nevada.

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Connections

Referenced in Gossip Girl: Shattered Bass (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Wild Thing"
(1965)
Written by Chip Taylor
Performed by X. (as X)
Used by permission of EMI Blackwood Music Inc.
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Walking On, Walking On Broken Glass.

A young D.C. journalist (new "Star Wars" trilogy star Hayden Christensen) for The New Republic political magazine falsifies data and produces fraudulent stories. Slowly but surely his would-be meteoric rise turns into a dizzying downfall. "Boys Don't Cry" alums Peter Saarsgard and Chloe Sevigny are out of this world as Christensen's editor and supportive co-worker. Based on a true story, the picture has a tense documentary feel to it that makes it highly engrossing and fascinating early. The production does begin to tire late though as Christensen's crazed personality starts to come shining through with dementedly over-the-top results. Still a well-paced and intelligent take on American journalism and the pressures associated with the field. Worth a legitimate chance. 4 stars out of 5.