Stream it:
|
Own it:
|
With: John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, David Paymer, Paul Scofield, Christopher McDonald, Hank Azaria, Mira Sorvino, Martin Scorsese, Griffin Dunne, Timothy Busfield, Barry Levinson, William Fichtner, Illeana Douglas
|
Written by: Paul Attanasio, based on a book by Richard N. Goodwin
|
Directed by: Robert Redford
|
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language
|
Running Time: 133
|
|
Date: 09/14/1994
|
|
|
|
No for an Answer
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Robert Redford's fourth film as director is an enthralling based-on-a-true-story piece about TV game shows in the 1950s. It may not be the most visual or dynamic idea for a movie, but the strong dialogue by screenwriter (and former Washington Post film critic) Paul Attanasio and Redford's attention to performance keep things rolling.
Herbie Stempel (John Turturro) is the reigning champion on a show called Twenty-One, hosted by Jack Barry (Christopher McDonald). The producers decide that Herbie is losing steam and decide to replace him with the more charismatic Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a professor at Columbia University and the son of the noted scholar Mark Van Doren (Paul Scofield). When he's forced to take a dive and answer a wrong question, Herbie doesn't sit still. He begins to make some noise, and Harvard-educated Congressional lawyer Richard Goodwin (Rob Morrow) begins an investigation. And, before long, we learn that Charles has been given both questions and answers and taught how to "perform" on camera. The heat builds as Goodwin gathers more evidence.
Martin Scorsese appears as a sinister executive and the show's sponsor, David Paymer and Hank Azaria are the show's producers, and Mira Sorvino, in one of her first roles, plays Goodwin's wife. Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, J. Hoberman, and many others included the film on their year-end ten-best lists. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Scofield), and Best Adapted Screenplay. My uncle, J. Kent Anderson, appears in the Special Thanks in the end credits; he did some of the first initial research into television fraud and published his thesis on the subject.
|
