❝If you look around the table and you can't tell who the sucker is, it's you.❞
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This was a great film that honestly exceeded my expectations. When I first read the plot overview, I thought that it might drag into being another courtroom drama, but I was pleasantly proven wrong.
In present times it's a known fact that a lot of TV is scripted and most viewers are well-aware while watching, so it was amusing to see how different audiences were in the 1950s; there were moments where it was clear the contestants were receiving the answers, but the viewers had no clue. We got to see the people behind the deception and how they manipulated everyone to suit themselves and basically got away with it in the end. A large chunk of the film took place outside court, and although it meant we got to see a lot of the process behind going to trial, I would've liked more scenes showing Richard presenting the case to the committee and more of the hearing in general.
I think that the cast did fantastically, and Ralph Fiennes in particular stood out to me: he perfectly portrayed the role of a nepo baby desperate to leave his father's shadow and willing to do anything. He was clean-cut, handsome and soft-spoken, with his refined British accent sneaking in at times, and his Charles Van Doren was the picture of innocence while making decisions an adult with his intelligence ought not to be making, as one of the congressmen pointed out. Rob Morrow was also excellent as Richard Goodwin, and right from the start it was hard not to root for him. Charles was very charming in the beginning as well, if not more, but when the two began to interact more it was clear who the better man was. In my opinion, John Turturro deserved more screen-time; I'm not familiar with the real events, but I wanted to see more of Herb Stempel because he was a likeable guy and it would've been interesting to see how much and exactly the case affected him and his family.
On the whole I really liked Quiz Show, and I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.
❝If you look around the table and you can't tell who the sucker is, it's you.❞
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
This was a great film that honestly exceeded my expectations. When I first read the plot overview, I thought that it might drag into being another courtroom drama, but I was pleasantly proven wrong.
In present times it's a known fact that a lot of TV is scripted and most viewers are well-aware while watching, so it was amusing to see how different audiences were in the 1950s; there were moments where it was clear the contestants were receiving the answers, but the viewers had no clue. We got to see the people behind the deception and how they manipulated everyone to suit themselves and basically got away with it in the end. A large chunk of the film took place outside court, and although it meant we got to see a lot of the process behind going to trial, I would've liked more scenes showing Richard presenting the case to the committee and more of the hearing in general.
I think that the cast did fantastically, and Ralph Fiennes in particular stood out to me: he perfectly portrayed the role of a nepo baby desperate to leave his father's shadow and willing to do anything. He was clean-cut, handsome and soft-spoken, with his refined British accent sneaking in at times, and his Charles Van Doren was the picture of innocence while making decisions an adult with his intelligence ought not to be making, as one of the congressmen pointed out. Rob Morrow was also excellent as Richard Goodwin, and right from the start it was hard not to root for him. Charles was very charming in the beginning as well, if not more, but when the two began to interact more it was clear who the better man was. In my opinion, John Turturro deserved more screen-time; I'm not familiar with the real events, but I wanted to see more of Herb Stempel because he was a likeable guy and it would've been interesting to see how much and exactly the case affected him and his family.
On the whole I really liked Quiz Show, and I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.
