Wake Up Folks - Movies Are Not Real

Rating: Null/10 (20 August 2002)

An extremely well made and enjoyable film, its a hat tipper to director Robert Redford. The cast is a wonderful ensemble, a dream troupe really of veterans and current stars, who all seem so perfectly natural, that again you have to marvel at Redford's expertise. But, my endorsement for this picture comes with a footnote. I have a real problem with historical movies trying to pass off their stories, well told and entertaining as they may be, as the gospel truth. Any person viewing this movie will no doubt believe that this scandal went down exactly as it is portrayed here. But look more carefully, and you can separate the facts, from the Hollywood fiction. The facts are what we know can be proven, the Senate testimonies of Van Doren, and the admissions of Stempfel that prompted the investigation. But what of the rest? What of the oh so incriminating and slanderous conversations between the network executives, the allegations of cover up, is this all really true? Perhaps, but more than likely, the movie uses its share of license with reality. And it has to, movies usually go all the way and present a complete one sided view, that is so throughly convincing because of the medium, you are left with the misbegotten feeling of having received an education. Each and every word that was scripted for all i know may have actually been said, and each person painted as a villain may have truly deserved the treatment received in this film. Somehow though, I doubt it. The fact that it is presented as a tell all expose, about a notorious cover up, but in itself is a fabrication of the facts, just strikes me as completely ironic. But thats Hollywood.