|
Actors: John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, David Paymer
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Quiz Show |
|---|
The quiz show "21" is one of the highest-rated shows on television. What the people who watch it don't know is they give one of the contestants the answers in advance. Charles is a university professor who goes on the show, and ends up becoming the returning champion, when he beats the previous champion, Herbie, at an easy question. Herbie is horrified and tells the government the quiz show's scheme. They send someone over to find out how they do it. Meanwhile, Charles is a nation-wide sensation. This film will boggle your senses, and make you wonder if "Jeopardy" and "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" do the same thing. Anyway, Robert Redford runs a smooth direction and John Tonturro is incredible as the stuttering Jew, Herbie.
--Estefan Ellison, Resident Scholar
|
Herbie Stempel, a brash working-class Jew from Queens, starts winning big on the early television quiz/game show "Twenty-One" in the early 1950s. At the same time, young attorney Dick Goodwin (Morrow), employed by a Congressional subcommittee, uncovers the truth -- that the shows are fixed. He leads the investigation at about the same time as the producers of the show decide to rig the results against Stempel and in favor of Charles Van Doren (Fiennes), the son of an elite American literary family. So Stempel and Goodwin have some interests in common, but the resulting investigations destroy almost everyone. This 1994 movie, respectfully directed by Robert Redford and based on Goodwin's book about true events, has a stately, authentic docudrama feel, though some moviegoers may find it slow and lacking in excitement. The supporting cast includes Hank Azaria, Mira Sorvino, and directors Martin Scorsese and Barry Levinson.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of Quiz Show |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Story of
- con-artist/white collar crime
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- performer or comedian
Abuse on the job story?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher/professor
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- (man) very skinny
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
- irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
- Jewish
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- blonde
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) very skinny
- (man) average build
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
- Jewish
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
- producer/director
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
- 80%
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- wealthy
- rude people
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- school
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- thoughtful
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Classic/oldies rock
Is this movie based on a
- book
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Nightmare Alley
starring Tyrone Power, Coleen Gray, Joan Blondell, Helen Walker
|
| Limelight
starring Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton, Sydney Chaplin
|
| They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
starring Jane Fonda, Michael Sarrazin, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, Bonnie Bedelia, Bruce Dern
|
| La Strada
starring Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart
|
| A Face in the Crowd
starring Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
