Shattered Glass

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Shattered Glass

Theatrical poster
Directed by Billy Ray
Produced by Tove Christensen
Marc Butan
Gaye Hirsch
Adam Merims
Craig Baumgarten
Written by Billy Ray
Buzz Bissinger
Starring Hayden Christensen
Peter Sarsgaard
Chloë Sevigny
Steve Zahn
Music by Mychael Danna
Cinematography Mandy Walker
Editing by Jeffrey Ford
Distributed by Lions Gate Films
Release date(s) August 10, 2003 (premiere)
Running time 95 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget US$6,000,000
Gross revenue $2,944,752 (Worldwide)
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Shattered Glass is a 2003 American film about the fast rise and steep fall of Stephen Glass's journalistic career at the The New Republic magazine during the mid-1990s when his serial journalistic fraud was exposed. The film is based on real events and also captures the high-pressure world of national political journalism.

The film was developed following detailed research and interviews with major players in the story. Some scenes, based on recordings, are almost verbatim.

Charles Lane worked as a paid adviser to the filmmakers.[1] Hanna Rosin also worked closely as an adviser for screenwriter/director Billy Ray [2]

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

The film opens with a "flashback" of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) at a convention celebrating Monica Lewinsky memorabilia. Glass's voice-over criticizes reporters who show off and try to get ahead. He recommends, instead, being humble and self-effacing. Glass is next shown speaking in the classroom of his former high school journalism teacher, giving advice to aspiring student journalists. The film cuts back to this scene occasionally throughout.

Back at the New Republic office, Glass is shown walking around in his socks and being friendly with co-workers. Charles "Chuck" Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) is introduced showing his support for not including photographs in the magazine. While sitting with two friends and colleagues Caitlin Avery and Amy Brand (Chloë Sevigny and Melanie Lynskey), Glass shows his lack of self-confidence but that he is well-liked by his co-workers.

The film cuts back to Glass in the classroom, talking about the process for writing an article. He uses as an example his article "Spring Breakdown" about young Republicans at a convention who get drunk and decide to hire and abuse a prostitute. Glass emphasizes that the only source for these articles is the journalist's notes. Editor Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria) questions Glass about some of the facts in this story. In particular, the fact that the hotel had a mini-bar is questioned. Kelly requests Glass's notes so that it can be fact-checked again. Glass then claims to have consulted his notes and realized that he made a mistake in his story. The mini-bar was not part of the hotel room but a rental. He offers to resign but Kelly dismisses the mistake as trivial and refuses Glass's resignation. Even so, Kelly makes a phone call to the hotel to confirm that mini-bar rentals are available.

During a staff meeting, Glass becomes the center of attention as he talks about preparing for a story by pretending to be a researcher on "human on human biting." Other writers show their jealousy, including Lane. Later, the staff listens in as Kelly defends them against their boss, Martin Peretz, who had criticized them for using too many commas in an issue. Kelly is eventually fired by Peretz and Lane is promoted to replace Kelly. Lane expresses some concern about the loyalty the staff has for Kelly. As Lane predicted, Kelly's departure is very emotional and many question the decision.

In a later staff meeting, Glass emphatically discusses his latest article about a teenage hacker who is hired by Jukt Micronics, a high-tech software company in Silicon Valley whose system the teenager was able to hack. The teenager, Ian Restil, negotiates and receives a lucrative compensation package, and he is celebrated by his peers while attending a hacker convention. After the article, "Hack Heaven" is printed, Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn) a writer at Forbes Digital Tool has difficulty corroborating nearly all of the facts in the story and questions its legitimacy to his editor. Andy Fox (Rosario Dawson), a fellow reporter, helps in disproving elements of the story, ranging from Jukt Micronics itself to whether the hacker convention mentioned ever took place. Lane alerts Glass to this, and that evening Lane receives an angry call at home about the article from "George Sims," who claims to be the owner of Jukt Micronics. In a conference call that includes Penenberg, Fox, their editor, Glass, and Lane, Penenberg raises his issues with the story, including the phone numbers Glass provided as source material and Jukt Micronics's supposed web site, which is obviously sophomoric and not representative of a sophisticated company. Glass's responses are so unconvincing that Lane begins to doubt him. Glass eventually begins to backpedal, claiming that he must have been tricked by his sources.

After the call ends, Lane demands that Glass take him to the location of the hacker convention, telling him that the Forbes reporters are very suspicious of "Hack Heaven" and that only if The New Republic can provide at least some corroboration of the story can Glass avoid being humiliated. Glass directs Lane to a building in Bethesda, Md. where he claims the convention was held. After scanning the room, Lane questions whether it could have fit the 200 people Glass claims it did; he grows even more doubtful when he is told by a security guard that the building is closed on Sundays, the day Glass claims the convention took place. Glass continues to maintain to Lane that he was there, sticking to the story even after the restaurant where he claims to have dined with Restil would have been closed at the time that Glass claims. After being pressed by Lane, Glass finally admits he never attended the conference.

Upon returning to his office, Lane debates how to punish Glass. Lane is mindful of his own tenuous standing with his staff, and of Glass's popularity among them, but is outraged at Glass's lies and incredibly sloppy reporting. He initially decides on a two-year suspension. Seemingly distraught, Glass goes to see his former editor Michael Kelly, suggesting that his punishment is actually based on his loyalty to Kelly and not Lane. Kelly tells Glass that Lane is acting within his rights and, as if beginning to see through him, asks if Glass ever "cooked" a piece while Kelly was his editor, questioning the mini-bar in the "Spring Breakdown" article.

Later that evening, Lane learns that Glass had his brother pretend to be George Sims. Furious, he heads back to The New Republic's offices, where Glass is still working at his desk. When Lane confronts Glass, he denies it. Lane orders Glass out of the office and confiscates his security access card. Then, peering at the back issues of the magazine arrayed along the wall, he begins to pull them down and read through Glass's earlier pieces. The fantastic material he sees in the articles makes it plain to Lane that much, if not all, of Glass's other work had also been cooked and that the magazine is faced with a catastrophe. At that moment, Glass re-emerges in the offices, having been let back in by an unknowing security guard. He confesses to Lane the truth about his brother posing as George Sims and attempts to apologize. Lane cuts him off and tells him that he is fired, not suspended. Glass begins to break down, suggests he may do harm to himself and begs Lane to drive him to the airport. Unfazed, Lane simply tells Glass he can sit down and collect himself but that under no circumstances will Lane drive him to the airport. Glass seems to finally realize that it is over, and he leaves quietly.

When Caitlin Avery learns Glass has been fired, she confronts Lane in the building's lobby. Lane finally explodes and tells her that most of Glass's articles have probably been fakes. She is doubtful at first, saying that Glass had assured her that he only cooked one piece, but Lane challenges her that she would never accept such a denial from someone she didn't know. He then tells her to read the other pieces in the earlier issues and see for herself. Upon his arrival at a staff meeting the next morning, Lane sees that the staff has already written an apology to their readers for Glass's shenanigans, suggesting their support of Lane's decision. They also spontaneously begin to applaud their editor, signifying their unity and determination to heal the magazine.

Later, during a meeting with Glass and his attorney, Lane begins reciting the names of magazine pieces that the New Republic has concluded contain fabricated material, and invites Glass to refute any of them. Glass sits silently as the names are being read off and the screen dissolves to Glass's visit to his high school classroom, now revealed to be empty, another figment of Glass's imagination.

[edit] Cast

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ A.O. Scott, FILM REVIEW; A Young Writer's Ambition, With Loyalty and Betrayal, New York Times, October 31, 2003
  2. ^ David Plotz, [1], Slate Magazine, September 20, 2003