A timeless film which transcends the subject of tainted quiz shows

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 1999)

The other comments for this film have described what a wonderfully written, acted, and directed film this is. I will not add to those, except to say that years from now, when the box-office hits which overshadowed this film will be looked at as dated curiosities, this film will almost certainly seem as fresh and vital then as it does now.
What is so very refreshing is to see a film that honestly shows us what a complicated thing morality is. There are a few clear instances of right and wrong, but only in the details, never in the big picture. After all, this was just television. Is it wrong for a game show to be produced in the same way as professional wrestling? Who were the victims? Can you describe them in a way which makes it clear the the quiz show was the perpetrator and not just an innocent bystander?
What these questions show us is that the true subject of this movie is not just the tainted quiz shows, but all of the changes happening in society at that time. This involves the very structures of society, and goes beyond obvious allegories like television vs. the movies or the loss of innocence in the media. To make matters more interesting, the ways in which class, culture, and ethnicity all play a factor in how one reacts to these changes are an important part of the story. What the movie is depicting is the inevitable and permanent passing of the lifestyle which we associate with the 1950s and, like the morality of the characters in the movie, it is left to the viewer to decide whether or not this is a good or bad thing, or maybe a little of both.