Shattered Glass (2003)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Read between the lies."</i> The true story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was found he had fabricated over half of his articles. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Read between the lies."</i> The true story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was found he had fabricated over half of his articles. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> A fascinating glimpse into the brain of a sociopath, all the more interesting as it's based on real events from 1997. Christensen has the lead role as the so-called journalist Glass, a far cry from his Anakin character of "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith." He hides behind a pair of thick glasses and adopts a strange, sickeningly sweet persona that, of course, hides a manipulative psychotic. That's the trick the actor manages to pull off - he has to get the audience to believe in and understand both sides of the character. A chronic liar, his fabrications become so involved and complex that they in themselves form a fascinating thread in the story. Most of Glass's tales have a small kernel of truth, but the majority is all made up. So he invents additional bogus material and fake evidence to back up the original fabrications, such as websites & voice-mails. It's like seeing a whole separate made up world created and co-existing with ours, all springing from Glass's warped mind. Glass also reminds me of more dangerous social misfits, such as serial killers, so a couple of scenes towards the end especially carry an extra chill. When Glass is found out, another interesting process which unravels his lies, Christensen shows us he really worked out the character. His desperation and seeming despair is alarming to behold and fits in with the character we saw in the first half of the film. The detective work done by Steve Zahn's character to begin finding out what's untrue is also very interesting to observe, and then Glass's own editor (Sarsgaard), new on the job, follows up on the groundwork laid out to finally deduce what has sort of been in front of them the whole time. Sarsgaard, a very good actor, is a standout juggling new pressures, mixed feelings and finally resolve to get at the truth. The film captured the real truth of what happened back then, based on what we can see of the real Glass on the "60 Minutes" interview.

• Cynthia S

  
  What a really great movie! This is based on the true story of a guy who pulled the wool over the eyes of his employers for a long time. This was a very, very interesting story.

• familiar s

  
  Would've made it to my faves list had it not been for its sloppy execution & poor acting by the lead actor.

• Anthony L

  
  Based on true events, Shattered Glass is a fantastic drama that flew well under the radar on its release. Christensen and Sarsgaard put in the best performances of their careers so far. Recommended!

• Ginny  

  
  1998: Stephen Glass worked for The New Republic Magazine. He was the youngest staff member of a team that was composed of 15 journalists/editors. <br><br>He wrote articles that entertained people, made them laugh, and raised the eyebrows of those that he'd written… More
  1998: Stephen Glass worked for The New Republic Magazine. He was the youngest staff member of a team that was composed of 15 journalists/editors. <br><br>He wrote articles that entertained people, made them laugh, and raised the eyebrows of those that he'd written about. He attracted a lot of attention, and was very much liked by his co-workers. Until Forbes stepped in and asked for his sources for "Hack Heaven."<br><br><center><i>"The in-flight magazine of Air Force One... and their star goes out and gets completely snowed by a bunch of hackers?! "</i><br><br><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/11/90/61/11906174_ori.jpg" width="185"></center><br>Pretty interesting since it happened in real life, Ive seen way too many "prestigious" newspapers having incorrect info on their articles, or glossied up facts, but fiction after fiction, printed out as fact? Hey, you only get that from tabloids right? You cant possibly get those on political magazines and newspapers! Guess again! <br><br>Theres some intense drama here, awesome shouting scenes, perfect acting, even the blinking of the eyes for when youre lying is taken into consideration, the office scenes were the ones that I could really relate to, the good boss, the stiff boss, the clown, the tough chic, the suck up. It was all very easy to sink into. And damn, what a way to ruin a career!<br><br><font size=1>Other movie info: Won 10 awards, including best actor, supporting actor and a special recognition for excellence in film making. (2003-2004)</font><br><br><b>Director: Billy Ray<br>Genre: Adaptation, Drama<br><br>Rewatchability: 3/5 Stars</b><br><b>Highly Recommended for Yuppies!

• Drew S

  
  I really, really hated this movie for the first half hour, but only because I misunderstood it. For that, I blame both myself and the marketing - if you read the back of the DVD case, this movie is trying to make Hayden Christensen sound like some sort of victim to political scandal… More
  I really, really hated this movie for the first half hour, but only because I misunderstood it. For that, I blame both myself and the marketing - if you read the back of the DVD case, this movie is trying to make Hayden Christensen sound like some sort of victim to political scandal or whatever, and thus I was led to believe by the first act of the movie that he was supposed to be a likable character. I wasn't buying it and it was frustrating me that the movie was trying to sell him as such. I read him for a smarmy little shit, and behold! That was exactly what he turns out to be. I was so proud of myself. This may also have to do with Christensen's performance. This is the movie that his deluded fans tell everyone is a testament to his acting abilities, but you know what? He still sucks. It's bad enough that the only character he knows how to play is a whiny one, but when he has to add some sort of dimension to it, it fails miserably! He doesn't have an ounce of comic timing in his body - the scenes where he's telling his coworkers jokes and making them laugh are completely, totally unconvincing. It is in spite of Christensen, not because of him, that this movie works. Fortunately, his costars all manage to overshadow him. Peter Sarsgaard is awesome, Chloe Sevigny is intense and Steve Zahn is memorable in a very small role. Even Rosario Dawson, with maybe ten lines, steals the show. And this talented cast has a great script to work with. It's trim, informative and clever; a crash course in Corrupt Journalism 101. Shattered Glass is a good movie. Hayden Christensen kept it from being a great one. Too bad.

• Tim S

  
  Hits on all cylinders.

• Luke B

  
  This film is damn awesome. Shoots by well quickly and is suitable for multiple viewings. It quite frankly just rocks. Sarsgaard is an acting revelation, and the script is perfect. Revealing information bit by bit.

• Mike N

  
  Awesome flick. Great performances from Hayden Christensen (gasp) and Peter Sarsgaard. Very cool to see a movie capture the journalism process so intensely. Definitely one of the year's best. Also...… More
  Awesome flick. Great performances from Hayden Christensen (gasp) and Peter Sarsgaard. Very cool to see a movie capture the journalism process so intensely. Definitely one of the year's best. Also... [indent][img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/tomatoes/small_fresh.gif[/img] [color=white]..[/color]6/10 Movie: [url="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheCooler-1127399/"]The Cooler (2003)[/url] [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/tomatoes/small_fresh.gif[/img] [color=white]..[/color]8/10 Movie: [url="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Monster-1128647/reviews.php"]Monster (2003)[/url] [/indent] Goin' to a nice sushi restaurant this weekend when my friend flies in. That should be cool (haven't had sushi in a few months). Umm...anybody had any great food lately? If so, what was it? :p

• Cameron J

  
  Hayden Christensen and Peter Sarsgaard finally face off in a grand, tense and long anticipated clash to resolve the question that everyone wants - nay - needs to know: who has the more obnoxious voice? Man, of all the times Sarsgaard could have calmed his emotional self down. I mean,… More
  Hayden Christensen and Peter Sarsgaard finally face off in a grand, tense and long anticipated clash to resolve the question that everyone wants - nay - needs to know: who has the more obnoxious voice? Man, of all the times Sarsgaard could have calmed his emotional self down. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a heck of an emoter, but really, there's a reason why he wasn't the "main" character in "Boys Don't Cry"; and no it's not because Hilary Swank looks more like a man than him; that's just a coincidence. Still, as great as he is when he's acting with full force and no subtlety, it's great to see Sarsgaard play this powerful role with subtlety and gra-I'm sorry, I just can't finish that statement, because I'm not totally prepared to shake an award at his clearly-going-to-get-large-with-age nose like everyone and their grandmother is doing; which isn't to say that he's not good, because he is still pretty darn good in this film; but if there's any kind of emotional resonance to be found towards the end of the film, then it can be found at the point where Hayden Christensen - of all people - is outacting Pete Sarsgaard; and you know you've reached a new low when Hayden Christens-I'm sorry, I just can't finish that statement either. Take all the shots you want, judgemental "Star Wars" geeks (*cough*ori*cough*ginals*cough*over*cough*rated*cough*), but I actually think that son of a mountie is actually pretty good; and clearly I'm not the only one who thinks that, considering that he got a nod from the Golden Globes for "Life as a House"; but then again, they gave Pete Sarsgaard a nod for this film, so what do they know? Well, certainly still more than the Oscars now-a-days. But seriously though, as great as Christensen and apparently Sarsgaard are, not even they can edit out the mistakes in this here article. Among the most damaging things in this film is in the department where it all but counts the most: the early acts. True, the hook is slick, appealing and generally great, but that only makes the sudden and drastic drop in compellingness that much harder to accept. The earlier acts of the film are non-linear, and that would be great and all were it not for a long series of expendable, sometimes repetative scenes and the slowness landing a heavy blow to your engagement and by extension, your teather to the non-linear narrative; leaving the film the get quite convoluted early on. Sure, the narrative smooths out as the film progresses, but by that time, you're a little too far out of the film; and it doesn't help that the unengaging slowness is still there to all but keep you out all together; and when your film is one big mystery, you can't afford to do that; nor can you afford to be predictable like this film gets to be. If you're going to make some major missteps like that, then you better have your strengths at the ready to pull you back in every time you get knocked out. Well, sure enough, although it's too late for this story to fix its mistakes, there's still enough strength to this piece to keep you reading. The film's compellingness is a very slow rise, but when Billy Ray's storytelling picks up, it takes off, keeping the film fascinating, as well as tense. Sadly, that tension only comes in because of the predictability of the film, but really, it's a dream accomplishment when you can exploit the predictability of a film to set tension and keep the audience invested, rather than bored as a story unravels to the foreseen point. For this investment, we not only have Billy Ray to thank, but his cast of humanly diverse and colorful performers, all of whom keep you going with some snappy dialogue when there's nothing for them to do dramatically. However, when the story does unravel, the performers really drive things home, particularly a not terribly stellar, but still smoothly subtle Peter Sarsgaard and, of course, leading man Hayden Christensen. Sure, he's playing Hayden Christensen again, but that kind of dorky, yet snappy charm fits the role like a glove and completely convinces you of all the hype surrounding Stephen Glass. Both he and Sarsgaard are a dream team when it comes to setting tense, compelling chemistry; and as their relationship - and the film with it - comes to a head, you're glued to the screen, not caring who outacting who (*cough*Chris*tensen*cough*great*cough*); you're just wondering how it all came to this point and who you should feel for. Even in the home stretch, it's Christensen that comes out on top, setting a subtle, yet powerful tone that leaves you with many questions and much shock as he, alongside director Billy Ray, carry the powerful compellingness that makes the ending so incredible and a perfect, neatly tight wrap-up to this ultimately thought-provoking tale, particularly at the applause sequence at the end, which is one heck of an example of a soft-spoken, but strongly palpable definative capper, as it leaves you in dead silent awe as the film completely defines itself and leaves you with more than enough to chew on. Somewhere in gothic literature heaven, Nathaniel Hawthorne is smiling as I say that this film suffers from often unengaging slowness, caused by a momentarily convoluted, yet consistently overpacked narrative that's made worse by predictability; but as the story unravels, director Billy Ray makes up for that predictability with compellingness that is further carried by colorful performances, especially that of leading man Hayden Christensen, who's strong embodyment of the notorious journalist and tensely fascinating acting dance with Peter Sarsgaard leave "Shattered Glass" to stand as a - as said best by the short, sweet and to the point consensus - "compelling look at Stephen Glass' fall from grace." 3/5 - Good

• Dannielle A

  
  A compelling true story about a pathological liar who fooled a nation. It was so good that I watched the entire thing again with the director's commentary on (which I rarely if ever do) and then I enjoyed it again from a different perspective. The man who LIVED this story helped… More
  A compelling true story about a pathological liar who fooled a nation. It was so good that I watched the entire thing again with the director's commentary on (which I rarely if ever do) and then I enjoyed it again from a different perspective. The man who LIVED this story helped direct the movie so it is very true to life with real events that actually happened right down to details like what the people were wearing and the actual building that actual events took place in. And there is even a 60 minute interview with the REAL Steven Glass... WHY he lied. You get to know him and feel for him, but then you wonder if he's just lying again. You never know when to trust him. The piecing together of the film, the FRAME if you will, was brilliantly directed and edited. I loved the pitch... told through Steven's point of view. It really makes you wonder what is true and what is not true. It's almost like a mystery. You want to believe him so bad, and you even wonder if part of what he's saying is real, but then you find out that he's just a big fat liar liar pants on fire.

• Greg A

  
  It's weird how my body naturally reacts to Chuck Lane's prying of the truth from Stephen Glass, each lie that is discovered from Lane is staggering, huge and and the direction of the film shows you these fabricated scenes as Glass narrates it as if it were real, but… More
  It's weird how my body naturally reacts to Chuck Lane's prying of the truth from Stephen Glass, each lie that is discovered from Lane is staggering, huge and and the direction of the film shows you these fabricated scenes as Glass narrates it as if it were real, but it's not. This is a really good movie, a companion to this might be The Insider or The Social Network for a double or triple bill.

• Deb S

  
  "Shattered Glass" was entertaining as well as informative with a believable depiction of the way newspapers truly work - from the moment a certain thread of story is recovered until it is finally printed and served to the masses. Based on true story, it tells the hidden… More
  "Shattered Glass" was entertaining as well as informative with a believable depiction of the way newspapers truly work - from the moment a certain thread of story is recovered until it is finally printed and served to the masses. Based on true story, it tells the hidden truth behind a very successful reporter, Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) who fabricated 27 of 41 articles written for the prestigious New Republic magazine in the late 1990s.We first see Stephen Glass, a charming if slightly childlike young writer for the 'New Republic' explaining the ins and outs of journalism to a high school class. But when a Forbes reporter tries to do a follow up piece on one of Glass's articles, the facts don't check out. As the movie unravels it shows the trials Glass went through to cover his tracks and the outcome of these actions. Later Glass admits to fabricating most of his articles. The movie is devoid of the usual Hollywood tricks- sex, nudity, violence, etc (oops there goes half of the viewing audience) but is nonetheless a compelling and riveting piece of narrative entertainment that kept me involved from start to finish. Peter Sarsgaard turns in a compelling performance as the editor who discovers the strength to stand up to Glass and his cronies on the staff and come to grips with what needs to be done. You see that he is seething inside but he maintains a professional demeanor throughout. Kudos to Steve Zahn, however, for bringing comedy to the movie, as he always seems to do in whatever he does.

• Alec B

  
  Its minor in the grand scheme of journalist films, but still very important as it explores an seriously relevant subject. Hayden Christensen actually isn't that bad in the lead role, but its Peter Sarsgaard who is really fabulous here. Its one of the great supporting… More
  Its minor in the grand scheme of journalist films, but still very important as it explores an seriously relevant subject. Hayden Christensen actually isn't that bad in the lead role, but its Peter Sarsgaard who is really fabulous here. Its one of the great supporting performances.

• Nicolas K

  
  Interesting enough as a story, and a decent drama as a film.

• Mike T

  
  Hayden Christensen proves that Star Wars Episode II isn't the extent of his acting abilities in this interesting drama.

• Sarah B

  
  An all-around excellent film with a brilliant cast.

• John S

  
  A crackling good, unsettling look at who's to blame in modern media politics. Christensen's Glass did the act ... but that's only the beginning. There's a lot of blame to go round here, and it gets dramatically convoluted ... and interesting. "Shattered… More
  A crackling good, unsettling look at who's to blame in modern media politics. Christensen's Glass did the act ... but that's only the beginning. There's a lot of blame to go round here, and it gets dramatically convoluted ... and interesting. "Shattered Glass" should be seen by ANYONE who wants to understand what drives American media. Christensen couldn't be better -- he's aggressive and remote, yet quickly becomes fearful and paranoid, devolving into pathetically expressed needs to be liked. Chirstensen comes out of it having done something the "Star Wars" movies would never have allowed: He creates a character that sticks with his for a very, very long time. To this day, I can't say (honestly) "Are you mad at me?" to someone, no matter the transgression, without thinking about those big blue eyes peering above wire frames, offering that unspoken threat, "If YOU don't like me, I don't like myself." And there, in the end, was Glass's ultimate weapon. This is a fantastic film, one that works on many, many levels -- the most important being, is it good to watch? Thanks to Billy Ray, absolutely!

• Lee K

  
  Pretty good movie, Peter Sarsgaard is always a treat to watch, I'm still iffy on Hayden Christensen's abilities however. Overall a good flick

• Sunil J

  
  I think Hayden Christensen is a pretty good actor.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings