Inside the booth

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2010)

This is real event from the 1950's.Audiences at home are glued to their seats as Twenty One, their favorite quiz show on NBC starts.What they don't know that the show is fixed.The producers arrange the outcome of the competition.Herbert Stempel, a long time contestant, has to step aside since they want a new contestant, the non-Jewish Charles Van Doren.Later Stempel speaks out what happened behind the scenes.Richard "Dick" Goodwin, a congressional lawyer starts investigating the case.Quiz Show (1994) is a very wise movie directed by Robert Redford.It's based on Richard Goodwin's novel Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties (1988) and it was adapted by Paul Attanasio.Its producers include Redford, Goodwin, Michael D. Jacobs and Richard Dreyfuss.There's a very nice cast in this movie.John Turturro does a very convincing job as Herbie Stempel.Johann Carlo is very good as his wife Toby.Rob Morrow does a very fine job as Dick Goodwin.Same thing with Mira Sorvino, who plays Sandra Goodwin.Ralph Fiennes is terrific as Charles Van Doren.And so is Paul Scofield as as the poet Mark Van Doren.Great job by Elizabet Wilson, who plays Dorothy Van Doren.David Paymer is fantastic as Dan Enright.Same thing with Hank Azaria, who plays Albert Freedman.Christopher McDonald does a great job as the show's host Jack Barry.Allan Rich is marvelous as Robert Kintner.Director Martin Scorsese is magnificent as Martin Rittenhome.Director Barry Levinson plays Dave Garroway.Griffin Dunne plays the part of Account Guy.Timothy Busfield is Fred.Ileana Douglas is seen as Woman at book party.Calista Flockhart is seen as a Barnard girl.Ethan Hawke is Don Quixote Student.I got myself the DVD two days ago, on Monday.The movie really keeps you glued to your seat.The most intense moments happen inside the booth.Herb is being asked which picture won the Oscar in 1955, and he has to answer On the Waterfront instead of Marty, which is the right answer.He knows it's Marty, it's his favorite movie, and the audience is holding its breath as he struggles with himself whether to give the right or the wrong answer.And it's very intriguing to watch the detective work of Goodwin.When he notices one contestant giving the right answer when he was supposed to give the wrong one...Some heavy stuff.Quiz Show is an intelligent movie that will not disappoint you.