TALK RADIO

Talk Radio is a film directed by noted "political"--though some would so nutso!--director Oliver Stone and starring comedian-turned-actor Eric Bogosian (who also co-wrote the script). The film was based on Bogosian's play of the same name which was loosely based on the life and career of controversial radio talk show host Alan Berg who was eventually assassinated at the hands of a "white nationalist" group called The Order. In the film, Eric plays an Alan Berg-esque radio talk show host named Barry Champlain who's as big a bastard off-the-air as he is on-the-air (sound familiar?). He berates callers and deliberately provokes them in a deliberate attempt to get a rise out of them (again, sound familiar?). Then during one broadcast of his show a caller really rubs Barry the wrong way and he berates ALL of his callers and/or listeners. When he leaves the station, he gets confronted by this rather creepy guy who pretends to ask for his autograph and then pulls out a gun and--spoiler alert!--shoots him dead. The movie's theme is akin to the earlier-reviewed--and arguably better-received--Andy Griffith film A Face In The Crowd. Both films deal with the subject of media manipulation by those whose opinions and "influence" people value more than perhaps they should. Bogosian gives a masterful performance as Barry Champlain, and I think it would have made a more interesting flick if he and Stone had just gone ahead with a full-on Alan Berg biopic. Still, Talk Radio would be a pretty interesting flick for those who are intrigued by those on talk radio--and on TV--who rather inexplicably wield much power and "influence" among their listeners (and viewers). A sidenote: One vocal critic of this film when it first came out was legendary radio talk show host Larry King who said how "awful" this film was and actually encouraged people not to go see it. As for Alan Berg himself, what I thought was most intriguing about him was how he was an ardent left-winger in terms of his politics whereas many--or most--of the top radio talk show hosts nowadays are ardent right-wingers like, say, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. I guess it's like the old saying goes: the more things change the MORE they stay the same!