An accurate account of a complicated mess, that is how director Billy Ray
describes "Shattered Glass," the true story of the meteoric rise and
hard fall of talented yet immensely flawed journalist Stephen
Glass. And because it doesn't slant or judge but sticks to the facts, Ray's
directorial debut is a compelling film that raises important questions about
the responsibilities of the press and, to an extent, the gullibility of its
readers.
Glass was not the first, nor, alas, will he be the last (Jayson Blair of the
New York Times being the latest) journalist to succumb to the temptation of
fabricating for a better story, but his fall from grace is one of the most
highly publicized. This film, based on H.G. Bissinger's September 1998
Vanity Fair article "Shattered Glass," had one obligation in particular,
according to director Ray, "to get the facts of this story straight. It
would be supremely ironic to make stuff up just to suit the movie-making
process."
With the cooperation and dedication of those intimately involved in the true
story, particularly the late Michael Kelley, then-editor of The New
Republic, and his successor Chuck Lane, as well as many insiders whose
identities have been protected by the creation of several composite
characters, Ray has created a story with great authenticity, what he calls
the cinematic equivalent of good reporting. "When people can no longer
believe what they read," he explains, "their only choices will be to either
turn to television for their daily news, or to stop seeking out news
entirely. Either path, I think, is a very dangerous one. That's why I wanted
to make the film."
At only 24, Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) is a rising star at
Washington, D.C.-based current events and policy magazine The New Republic.
His uncanny ability to find fabulous stories has catapulted him quickly from
editorial assistant to reporter to associate editor. The humble,
self-effacing, thoughtful yet hugely talented young writer charms everyone
on staff. In 1998, a few months after Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) takes
over from Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria) as editor of the magazine, Glass
writes "Hack Heaven," the story of a computer hacker gone corporate. But when
reporter Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn) of Forbes Digital Tool wants to do a
follow-up and begins digging for information, the facts suddenly don't add
up and Glass finds himself scrambling to defend his credibility.
With the story cleverly framed by a visit to his high school to inspire
future generations of journalists when, actually, he has already been found
out and the news of his treachery is about to break, watching Christensen as
Glass is excruciating in the best possible sense of the word. Supported by a
fabulous cast that includes Chloë Sevigny as writer-reporter Caitlin Avey (a
composite of several people still employed by The New Republic) and Melanie Lynskey (who's popping up all over the place from "Sweet Home Alabama" to "Ever After," but for me will always
be the girl from that other, terrific Peter Jackson movie, "Heavenly
Creatures"), Christensen brilliantly portrays Glass' enigmatic personality as well
as his frenzied scramble to keep up the charade until the bitter end.
Filmfodder Grade: B