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

When Stephen Glass and Mike Kelly talked about Glass's predicament, and Kelly asked Glass if he ever cooked a story when he was the New Republic's editor-in-chief, the scene occurred at Kelly's current place of work. In the DVD commentary, director Billy Ray said although such a conversation did occur between both Glass and Kelly, it was not at Kelly's place of work, but in fact at Mike Kelly's house. Ray went on to say that Glass's real life girlfriend was present during the actual discussion, but she was not even depicted in the film version of the discussion.

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Quotes

Chuck Lane: You're fired, Steve.
Stephen Glass: What?
Chuck Lane: You're fired, Steve. You've lost your job.
Stephen Glass: But you can't do that.

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Connections

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

"New Sensation"
(1987)
Written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence
Performed by INXS
Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) obo Chardonnay Investments and XL Publishing Pty, Ltd. (APRA)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Group
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Brilliant

I had been recommended Shattered Glass a half-dozen times by a friend. He said, after watching it - it's not a great movie, but it is really, really good. I'll disagree. Shattered Glass is a great movie.

It's not a great film (aye, there's the rub), but it is a great movie. It's entertainment, pure and simple, but it's also entertainment with depth. In that respect, it's a little like Spider Man 2.

In Shattered Glass, you'll find steady direction, sure-handed editing, an interestingly designed narrative, characters that are drawn well-enough but not so well that they overpower the story's forward movement, etc. You'll also find excellent performances.

Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Zahn, Rosario Dawson - they're all excellent (which they've all proved in other movies as well). Hayden Christensen, though, who was so wooden in Star Wars Episode 2, is amazing. His portrayal of Glass, though not perfect, is revelatory; he can actually act. Given time and the aid of excellent directors, Christensen will really blossom. Shattered Glass is, simply put, a solidly made movie about a journalist without the requisite integrity.

But why isn't this a great film and only top-notch entertainment? Well, it really comes down to the simple fact that Shattered Glass only scratches a surface that, in light of Jayson Blair and those of that ilk, deserves a little more attention. Of course, though, this is a film about a single event. It's not about compulsive lying or, really, lack of journalistic integrity. It touches on those subjects without delving into them. That is my only complaint. As a movie about a lying journalist, though, it's fast-paced, thrilling, and entertaining, and I think everyone will enjoy it.