At work, we see why he is so well-liked; his stories are always interesting and entertaining and he presents them in such a self-effacing manner that they fly in under the radar. He is respected by his editor, the popular and strong-willed Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria). We are told by Stephen that the ability of an editor to stand by his writers is important and when Michael is fired and replaced by Chuck (Peter Sarsgaard), we are unsure what to feel about Chuck and his wishy-washy demeanor. When Glass pitches his latest story “Hack Heaven,” the group of writers laugh at it and wish him well. When it is published, Forbes, an online magazine, reads and investigates the story (wondering why they hadn’t gotten someone on it) and finds that every single source was fabricated. Chuck begins to go to work on finding the truth of the story and it is here where we see his strength; he may not be flashy, but he is a dependable journalist.
The direction, by first-timer Billy Ray, is certainly not anything new, but it is dependable and solid as is the script, also by Ray. The script, in particular, is solid. There is never a wrong note sounded by it and the frequent cutaways to Glass lecturing the high school journalism class, while a convention, work to show us the main oddity about Glass. Glass never seems to view what he does as anything more than a trifling mistake. He frequently asks “Are you mad at me?” and is always apologizing for whatever has occurred be it small or large. Glass doesn’t seem to realize the severity of his actions and instead of taking responsibility for what he’s done, he blames Chuck for putting him on the spot.
The acting is also quite good. Christensen is very convincing as a seeming man-child who is completely unaware of the consequences of his actions. This is finally a part that shows the acting he can do when not forced to be in the boring Star Wars prequels. Most impressive, though, is Sarsgaard as Chuck. When we first meet Chuck, we are somewhat led to believe that he is a brownnoser and not that much of a journalist. Then we realize that he is a competent, ethical journalist that simply wants a good magazine to be printed, not the sensational one Glass would have. As he does a slow burn that finally erupts at Glass and Caitlin, his moral incorruptability is evident. This is a strong individual. Solid supporting turns are also turned in by Azaria and Steve Zahn as the e-zine reporter that breaks the story on Glass’s fabricated sources.
This is a seriously well-made drama that begs to be noticed around this time of the year. With solid acting, direction, and dialogue, it deserves to be on many people’s must see lists. Regardless that the subject is the dry topic of journalism, the movie is never dull. It’s only weakness is really the underdeveloped Caitlin (actually, all the female parts are rather wishy-washy) and the fact that I’m not sure how much rewatch value it has. Once you’ve seen something like what Stephen Glass did, you’re not likely to forget it.