Apr. 20, 2002 - 3:06 am

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Quiz Show (1994)

i'm giving this one a 5/10. it just wasn't great for me. first of all i found the plot only remotely interesting. i'm really confused...did this actually earn a best picture nomination? best writing? ok, I can believe that Paul Scofield was nominated for best supporting actor as Charles Van Doren's father. specifically the scene towards the end in the classroom on the campus at Columbia between he and Ralph Fiennes was just amazing. otherwise, i wasn't impressed though.

casting was confusing at times and just bad at others. i was extremely confused as to why they would use highly noticeable people like Martin Scorsese, Calista Flockhart, and Ethan Hawke in bit parts. Ok, Calista Flockhart was not yet truly famous in 1994, but it still freaked me out. and Rob Morrow as the lead? I think he's just a forgettable actor in general and Leslie's right; that accent has just got to go.

i was expecting more from a Robert Redford film I guess. after having recently seen The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Ordinary People (1980) i expected this to kick some ass. i hoped for too much.