Shattered Glass

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This true story of a successful journalist who was found to have made up nearly all his stories was a much bigger scandal in the US than over here. After all, the revelation that reporters can sometimes be economical with the truth is not exactly earth-shattering is it? It's actually only when you watch the documentary short that goes with the DVD that you realise how far this journalists' fraud went; he was paid tens of thousands of dollars for his work when it was syndicated and he would often libel perfectly innocent people, causing great distress. Yet despite the fact that these facts are missing from the film, it is still surprisingly gripping for what seems such an innocuous topic. But that's not the reason most of us watch this film. No it's because, the central character is played by Mr Darth Vader himself. Poor Hayden Christensen took a lot of criticism for his performance in the second Star Wars film. He seemed more like a Ewok trapped in the beams of a light-sabre than the incarnation of evil. Well, he's certainly a lot better in this film. As the devious and lying reporter, Mr Christensen, performs with the sort of arrogance and wickedness, used to cover up his own adolescent inadequacies, that makes you realise what George Lucas saw in the first place. Maybe this bodes well for the final instalments.

Between STAR WARS movies, Hayden Christensen played master weasel-in-sheep's-clothing Stephen Glass, the young journalist whose star was rising high at THE NEW REPUBLIC (as well as GEORGE and ROLLING STONE, among others) in the 1990s until it was discovered that he'd made up many of the people and events portrayed in his articles. (As others in the film point out, the fact that THE NEW REPUBLIC didn't use photographs in its articles made it easier for Glass to make up characters from whole cloth.) Christensen often comes across as a whiner in his film roles even when he's playing a good guy, so in my opinion he was perfect casting as Glass, a young man so adept at manipulating, lying, and making people feel sorry for him that I felt like smacking him even before his true colors became clear to his increasingly frustrated, outraged editor Chuck Lane, played by Peter Sarsgaard in a justifiably Golden Globe-nominated performance. Sarsgaard's slow burns in his scenes with Christensen are worth the price of admission by themselves, especially in scenes where Glass (and an accomplice) pester Chuck at home when he's trying to have quality time with his wife and baby. My husband Vinnie hated Glass even more than I did, but then Vin just can't stand Christensen on general principle. :-) Kudos all around to writer/director Billy Ray and a great cast, including memorable turns by Steve Zahn and Rosario Dawson as the FORBES ONLINE reporters who initially uncover Glass's fabrications; and Chloe Sevigny, Hank Azaria, and our household fave Melanie Lynskey as the NEW REPUBLIC staffers fooled into trusting and sticking up for Glass. If you have fond memories of the ALIEN NATION TV series, don't blink or you'll miss Michele Scarabelli as the mother of a young hacker who also turns out to be a figment of Glass's journalistic imagination. Ironically, after Glass was finally fired from THE NEW REPUBLIC, he later wrote a novel, THE FABULIST, about a young reporter who fabricated his articles. It was met with disdain; critics found the book self-serving. Grade: A+

Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) is a young ace reporter for The New Republic. The magazine is heralded as the inflight magazine of Air Force One. Glass is personable and his stories are fabulously enticing. He expertly weaves his fables with panache. Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) is originally a reporter, but then gets elevated to editor. Chuck is the exact opposite of Glass. He is reserved, and stickler for the work. As a reporter, he struggles to keep up with Glass's flashier stories. As an editor, nobody trusts him. When Glass's article on computer hackers is questioned by an online publication, things spin out of control. The true story is shocking. And the movie portrays it with realism. This is probably Hayden's greatest performance. He has the boyish charm that makes all those lies believable. But he also has a twitchy quality about him. It's also believable that he made up all those lies. This is infinitely better than the Star Wars debacle. Peter Sarsgaard has that quiet intensity that is perfect for his role. The only thing I didn't like was the older lady at the end when she says that if only they had pictures.... That's not necessarily any solution. Pictures can be doctored just as easily. And pictures can distract any fact checkers. I don't know if somebody actually said that in real life. But it's one line that I'd rather cut out. I think it's too bad that Hayden Christensen will always have the Star Wars movies hanging over him. It overshadows some good work in this movie. He needs to find these types of roles that can challenge his acting skills.

As a film commentating on the state of journalism and the ethical questions inherent therein, this film doesnt say much. The film works better, and is better recieved for what it is- a great character or rather, characters story set in the world of prestige journalism. The subtitle for the film should be called, 'My Funny Charlatan', because Hayden Christensen, as Steven Glass, really demonstrates( as well as openly dictates in the film) how to be a first class schmoozer and con artist. In lots of the reviews, I hear people say how Peter Sarsgaarde, ( as Chuck Lane) is the tour de force performance, and yes he is very good as the low-key, but ultimately, driving moral force in the story. But really, the whole movie falls apart if Hayden isnt convincing, and humanized, as Steven Glass. I have to applause Hayden for his portrayel of Glass and his interpretation of how a man could charm his way through life and be so convincing as to make some of the best journalistic minds in the country completely abandon common sense in relation to his journalistic output. To women, the draw is clear, he is charming, with boyish good looks, he throws compliments like confetti, he is flirtatious but without being overtly sexual. He is the journalistic equivalent of Cherubino- no woman can resist wanting to mother him. For men, I suspect his appeal may be the fact that he is skillful, but at the same time, self-effacing, without the need to display any alpha male dominance. Talented, but assuming and always deferring, he is always ready with a pat on the back and an offer of beer, one of the guys. - He is like that mythical kid brother, looking upwards with respect , awe and hero worship to his elders. But underneath that boyish facade of good looks, charm, wit, and 'aww shucks, who me?'ness, lurks a desperate and soulless character. And here is where Hayden's genius comes in(with some help from tidbits from the script)- you actually feel sorry for the bastard! Is he wrong for what he has done? Absolutely Did he deserve the disgrace that he engendered? Without a doubt. But all the same, you feel a sense of pity for this poor creature so desperate to be loved and accepted, so needy, so lacking in any internal sense of self, that he is compelled to lie and fabricate in order to perpetuate a sense of importance and most of all -acceptance. I think fame for someone like Steven, like so many stardust blinded Hollywood wannabes that arrive in LA every year, is always what it has been: a need , a craving, something to fill that empty hole inside , that acceptance and unconditional love that somehow never happened in the formative years. So, while Steven's actions are to be condemned, if you can understand the motivation behind them, its hard to outright despise the man. Though, one wonders how any state licensing board would let him practice law( Steven Glass is an attorney now).

Caught this on IFC last night. Aside from my surprise at Hayden Christensen, who, as Glass, comes off as a sociopathic weasel, this toothless offering by Billy Ray (Cyrus -- sorry, couldn't resist!) reveals more about The Fourth Estate than he realizes. Contrary to Lane's blurb about all the "sh*t we're about to eat," only Glass suffers the consequences, while Lane finds a mea culpa awaiting his signature, and all is right again with the world! He should have been sacked, and the just-sacked Kelly shouldn't have been able to land a gig as a copy boy, much less, wind up at The Atlantic! Don't ask how the management of The New Republic got buffaloed by this juvenile delinquent: Ray accepts the class and political ideology of mainstream journalism when he should be probing its seamy underbelly, and he expects us to accept it, too! Funny how none of the reviews noted the irony of Lane landing at The Washington Post, which had its own Stephen Glass moment 17 years earlier! Ben Bradlee will crow to anyone who sticks a microphone in his face how he brought down Richard Nixon, but mention "Janet Cooke," and he tap-dances like Fred Astaire! That this pompous ass is revered by the media and cultural elite when he should be a pariah for green-lighting a bogus series about an 8 year old black heroin addict tells you all you need to know about the sanctimonious hypocrites who run the The Fourth Estate!