Synopsis
Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-One.' However, when the show introduces the highly skilled contestant Charles Van Doren to replace Stempel, it compels Stempel to let out his frustrations and call out the show as rigged. Lawyer Richard Goodwin steps in and attempts to uncover the orchestrated deception behind the scenes.
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Cast
- Ralph FiennesCharles Van Doren
- Rob MorrowRichard Goodwin
- John TurturroHerbert 'Herb' Stempel
- David PaymerDan Enright
- Hank AzariaAlbert Freedman
- Paul ScofieldMark Van Doren
- Christopher McDonaldJack Barry
- Allan RichRobert Kintner
- Martin ScorseseMartin Rittenhome
- Elizabeth WilsonDorothy Van Doren
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Chronicle
Robert Redford's exceptionally handsome and provocative Quiz Show manages a trick that few films even dare try -- to take a hard look at personal and public moral issues and still provide dazzling entertainment. - 100
The New York Times
A supremely elegant and thoughtful parable. [14 September 1994, p. C11] - 90
Variety
Robert Redford's handsome, smartly constructed new film stands likely to capture the imagination of the educated, culturally inclined public. - 90
Rolling Stone
Redford blows the dust off a 35-year-old scandal about rigged TV quiz shows and makes it snap with up-to-the-minute relevance. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
Robert Redford has directed Quiz Show as entertainment, history, and challenge. - 88
ReelViews
One of the reasons that Quiz Show is so extraordinary is because it spins a story as compelling on the personal level as on the national one. - 88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
One of those rare films that manages to be both terrifically entertaining and consistently thoughtful, it turns an apparently tame deception into a very rich metaphor. - 80
Washington Post
As taut, sleek and guiltily comfortable as the classic Chrysler automobile we see at the beginning, Quiz Show is built for entertaining road performance.
