Quiz Show

Pros: Story, Direction, John Turturro, Ralph Fiennes, David Paymer, Supporting Cast
Cons: Needs to be seen by more people!!

"Cheating on a quiz show? That's sort of like plagiarizing a comic strip." Poet Mark Van Doren It was the 50s, the Eisenhower era, and America felt good about itself. WWII had left America as the Superpower and the automobiles were ...

Pros: seamless, well-shot, well-acted, true-life story
Cons: Who cares?

I'm going to play Devil's advocate on this. I know everybody says Quiz Show is a great film, Oscar-material, blah, blah, blah. I'm writing this review for people like me who took yet another look at Mr. Redford and said, "What the hell?" I ...

Pros: Good acting. 1950s setting/costumes.
Cons: A bit slow at times.

Herbie Stempel finally found something he was good at. As reining champion of the 1950s TV quiz show ''21'', Stempel (John Turturro) reveled in his fame. Each week millions of viewers tuned-in to watch the bespectacled, chubby guy from Queens, NY answer ...

Pros: Good actors, good photography
Cons: You have to be involved in the movie

At the time "Quiz Show" came out in 1994, I was more into comedies. I only rented this movie out because it was a snowy night and all of the new movies were already rented.

I had no idea what was going on in this movie. To me, it...

Pros: Great everything.
Cons: None, unless you're nit-picking.

"If you look around the table, and you can't tell who the sucker is, it's you."

Much as America is today swept up in the reality show craze, the people of the mid-50's were nuts about gameshows. They tuned in every time to see if the champion...

Pros: script, direction, cast, sets, story
Cons: Rob Morrow's accent, moral dilemmas sometimes telegraphed

Recently, the producers of the hit prime time game show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" were faced with criticism and falling ratings. They had been relying upon phone surveys to screen their contestants. Since the questions were presumably devised by...

Pros: The Low Key Performances By Everyone Involved
Cons: None

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Robert Redford throughout his illustrious career as an actor and sometime director. I love his movies...and hate his politics. This seemingly schizophrenic attitude of mine doesnt seem to have affected...

Pros: Brilliant performances, fascinating story, realistic portrayal of time and place
Cons: Rob Morrow's Boston accent

"Quiz Show" hit theaters in 1994, in the midst of the "Forrest Gump" frenzy. With all the buzz about "Gump," it would have been easy to completely miss this quiet film that boasted no violence, no sex and no special effects....

Pros: great acting, and great writing
Cons: none

I rented this movie at Blockbuster two days ago, not having an idea what it was about, but a quiz show. I had no idea it was as good as it was.


This movie is about a quiz show, the ever popular 21, the
Millionaire of it's day. At...

Pros: pretty film, deep characters, good pacing
Cons: may be long for some people, quiet nature accentuates this

Lush!

This is an unexpectedly attractive film. The whole work seems to almost have a matte finish, if you know what I mean. Or maybe that's just the 1950s timeframe seeping onto the film itself.

I saw Quiz Show not knowing...

Pros: Is this perfection or what? And a thought-provoking subject
Cons: I'll accept the artistic license regarding some details

I understand this movie was not included in the Century's best, but definitely should have been. I have watched it a number of times and can find nothing objectionable about it, plus it has the added delight of being new each time you watch it due to the...

Pros: Subtle story and acting
Cons: Not very well known

Quiz Show a subtle film by Robert Redford combines an actual historic event with a psychological case study on a sons yearning to become his own man.
The setting is the late 1950's during the great influx of television and their new beast of burden...

Pros: good casting by all, great depiction of a most interesting period of history
Cons: Rob Morrow's faux accent might "bug" some people, but you get used to it

I don't mean that for the fact that it's "pretty" and filled with breathtaking cinematography, though I believe 'Quiz Show' did have a few lovely shots, instead I am refering to the fact that 'Quiz Show' is one of those films that just so has...

Pros: Dramatic, great actors
Cons: there are none

Quiz Show was a masterpiece. It was enthralling and spellbinding, with an intricate plot and well-developed characters. The stars, Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro, were awesome. And, to add to this, it is based on a true story.

Quiz Show was...