Review of Quiz Show (1994) by Cory B — 23 Oct 2008

A flawless account of a buried gem of American television history, however humiliating and true it may be. Probably the most important film about the media since Network (though Network IS more important).

Redford creates a masterful story, with the help of an on-point cast that features the likes of Fink-esque Turturro, Morrow, with a great accent, a delightful cock-eating Fiennes, Paymer, and Azaria. And let's not forget an amazing Martin Scorsese, here in a rare non-Scorsese movie on-screen appearance; he kind of steals the show.

Also, blink and you miss Ethan Hawke, Calista Flockhart, and Gretchen Egolf, star of the late Journeyman (jeez I miss that show), all in brief cameos. I caught them all. The story plods along at an acceptable pace, and you yearn for the payout you is coming, a staple of true-story adaptations.

You know there's no shocking twist, and you can rest easy nothing that every will tell the truth in the end. And that's what it's all about; telling the truth. It's a great tale of moral integrity.

Doing some research, I found that not ALL of it was accurate, but some creative liberties are allowed when adapted something like this. It was like 'All The President's Men,' but instead of Nixon it was NBC.

I was a huge fan of the 2000 incarnation of Twenty One with Maury Povich. It's hard to believe that NBC actually revived the show after this scandal. Anyway, an excellent film I'd recommend to ANYONE.