Shattered Glass (2003)

The story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was discovered he fabricated over half of his articles from the publication The New Republic magazine.

Director:

Billy Ray

Writers:

Buzz Bissinger (article) (as H.G. Bissinger), Billy Ray

Stars:

Hayden Christensen, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Zahn

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 11 wins & 27 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 E. Smith	...	Gloria
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:

fabricated facts | journalistic fraud | writer | magazine | journalist | 

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Taglines:

The story that shocked a Nation

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson previously worked together in Kids (1995).

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Goofs

When Chuck tells Stephen they have to go investigate where the location actually took place, Stephen's constant denial and inability to maintain eye contact with Chuck would be clues that Stephen did in fact fabricate his stories.

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Quotes

Chuck Lane: We need to take a drive to Bethesda.
Stephen Glass: What for?
Chuck Lane: I want to meet Joe Hiert.
Stephen Glass: I already told you, nobody knows where he is.
Chuck Lane: Well, maybe if we go to the hotel where he met with Restil and Sims, someone will remember him and have some clue how to find him.
Stephen Glass: [speaking at the same time] Chuck, there were hundreds of people there, okay?
Chuck Lane: These Forbes guys want to come down on you.
Stephen Glass: [speaking at the same time] This is ridiculous.
Chuck Lane: They are highly suspicious about some of the material in that article. You know that.
Stephen Glass: Yeah.
[...]

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Blitzkrieg Bop
Written by Joey Ramone (as Jeffrey Hyman), Johnny Ramone (as John Cummings), Dee Dee Ramone (as Douglas Colvin) and Tommy Ramone (as Thomas Erdelyi)
Performed by Ramones
Published by WB Music Corp. obo Itself and Taco Tunes, Inc. (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Sire Records
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Some Things Are Too Hard to Mend Once Broken

After reading the synopsis, I thought it would be a TV movie type detective-like drama where they Glass's case is investigated. Also the fact that Hayden Christensen was playing the title role was a discouraging factor as I didn't like him in any of his other films that I have so far seen (especially of the Star Wars franchise). But, 'Shattered Glass', based on an article written by Buzz Bissinger, springs quite a surprise. Through Billy Ray's solid writing, he tells an engaging story of a young reporter, Stephen Glass who was recognized as a top reporter until his 'fall from grace'. 'Shattered Glass' can be seen as a character study or a psychological thriller. Perhaps it could have been an interesting perspective to see what mental conflicts Glass was going through while 'fibbing'. However, here we mostly see him as an outsider and as an outsider we discover that Glass is both insecure (and vulnerable) but at the same time very confident and manipulative. But this also leaves us questioning who Glass really is and that's what helps build up the tension. Is he really, as Chloë Sevigny's Caitlin initially says, an exhausted young reporter or a pathological liar? Christensen is a pleasant surprise as he does a brilliant job in bringing out the layers of Glass's personality. One knows what he did is despicable but yet manages to sympathize after seeing his weakness. The supporting cast that includes a scene-stealing Peter Sarsgaard, a vibrant Chloë Sevigny, an exceptional Hank Azaria and an excellent Steve Zahn. While 'Shattered Glass' raises a lot questions and issues, it eventually reminds the viewer of something very relevant, especially in today's world, that a life with dignity is always preferable to a lie based on lies. An outstanding and brutally honest movie.

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shattered Glass

Filming Locations:

Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$77,540, 2 November 2003

Gross USA:

$2,220,008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,944,752

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1