Shattered Glass Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)September 13th, 2003
SHATTERED GLASS
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In 1998, the median age at the revered publication The New Republic, often called the inflight magazine of Air Force One, was twenty-six. Its star reporter, Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen, "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones"), was the youngest. But Glass, who ingratiated himself with everyone he came into contact with, had an obsessive need to be the center of attention in order to overcome parental displeasure with his choice of vocation. This resulted in a severe character flaw that led to a very public downfall chronicled in writer/director Billy Ray's "Shattered Glass."
Based on the Vanity Fair article by Buzz Bissinger, "Shattered Glass" is a cautionary journalistic tale which has been repeated all too often in recent years. Director Ray (cowriter of "Hart's War") has crafted a lean, suspenseful film that plays like the inverse of "All the President's Men" on a smaller scale.
Ray has cannily structured his story about journalistic lies around a cinematic lie. We're introduced to Glass as he visits his old high school. His proud former teacher Mrs. Duke stands by as Glass humbly addresses a class of worshipful teens. Ray cuts back and forth from Glass's address to the students and the real story, and it is not until the film's wrap that the high school device is revealed as a bit of glory fantasizing from within Glass's own mind.
Seeds of doubt about Glass's character are sown early on. When coworkers overhear mentions of work for other publications ("Harper's," "George," "Rolling Stone"), he always replies that 'it's probably nothing' while sweeping evidence of such under the rug. His editor, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria, "The Birdcage"), calls him in to fact check a reference to mini bars when an irate story subject claims a hotel location does not provide them. When Glass believes he's about to be criticized, he makes the matter personal with a childishly defensive 'Are you mad at me?'
All are loyal to Glass, however, who entertains the office with his story pitches at editorial meetings. Popular editor Kelly (who recently died covering the war in Iraq as managing editor of Boston's Atlantic Monthly) is supportive of all of his staff. Editor Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny, "Boys Don't Cry") believes Glass is faultless while writer Amy Brand (Melanie Lynskey, "Sweet Home Alabama") tries to emulate him. Office administrator Gloria (Linda E. Smith) jumps to attend to his every wish. The only unknown quantity is colleague Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard, "Boys Don't Cry"), whose rigid, humorless demeanor has made him a bit of an office pariah. Office politics become high drama when Kelly makes one stand too many to owner Marty Peretz (Ted Kotcheff), who fires him and elevates Lane into the position. Lane knows he's the worst choice to gain office loyalty, but works hard at it, even when the editor of the online Forbes Digital Tool asks for source references on Glass's latest article, "Hack Heaven."
Ray places us in the position of Glass's audience, so that we discover his deceptions along with his rivals and colleagues. When Glass makes his story pitches during editorial meetings, usually to high hilarity, they're accompanied by visualizations of his words. Only later do we comprehend that these were fictional tryouts, made up ideas to be expounded upon based on the reception of their telling (in fact, Glass made up all or part of 27 of the 41 articles he wrote for The New Republic). When Tool editor Kambiz Foroohar (Cas Anvar) and his reporter Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn, "National Security") keep pressing Lane, he's slower than we are to recognize the flimsiness of what Glass presents to back himself up. Ray also allows us insights into Lane's intentions that he denies the other characters, which makes his hero sympathetic to the audience while appearing villainous to New Republic's staff.
As the man in the unenviable position of calling out the popular Glass right after replacing a beloved editor, Sarsgaard soars. He's the real star of the film, with his tightly controlled dawning realization simmering under an unfashionably grim surface. He has the ability to let us see the character think. Christensen has a difficult role as the obsequious, overtly self-effacing con artist and he doesn't quite succeed in the role. He makes Glass's manipulations too obvious so that his colleagues would appear less intelligent for having fallen for them. Sevigny's droll and tart performance doesn't fall into this trap, but Lynskey seems too much a babe in the woods. Azaria brings the highly ethical Kelly to life, his morals so inured he fails to see the shortcomings of another's.
"Shattered Glass" isn't entirely fleshed out as a psychological profile, but works well as a whodunnit, as Lane pulls apart the house of cards that Glass had constructed. It is a serious response to the con artistry of "Catch Me If You Can" with the feel of real ink in its veins.
B
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