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[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glass-poster1_1673.jpg]]
2003 film about the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a writer at ''The New Republic'' magazine who spent years making up fictitious stories for the magazine before he was finally exposed. Hayden Christensen stars as Glass, proving that despite [[Franchise/StarWars prior indications]] he can act, and Peter Saarsgard stars as Glass's last editor, Charles Lane.
[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not to be confused with]] ''TransformersShatteredGlass''.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Stephen tells a story to Caitlin and Amy about how "a dinner with this guy from the ''Post''" turned into the guy "slipping his tongue down my throat." He's pulled away from the conversation before he can finish, so we don't actually know if it's true or if he was just fabricating it/pandering to the girls (he was worried that he was putting out "gay vibes").
* BenevolentBoss: Michael Kelly, Glass's first editor. This throws off the audience's expectations when Glass clashes with his second boss, HeroAntagonist Chuck Lane.
* BluntYes
--> '''Caitlin''': Is that what you want, Amy? To have smoke blown up your ass by a bunch of editors?
--> '''Amy''': Yes, yes it is.
* BookEnds: The scene with Glass at the Monica Lewinsky memorabilia convention.
* CompositeCharacter: Glass's editors Lane and Michael Kelly were real people (as is Martin Peretz, a smaller part in the film) but his fellow journalists at ''The New Republic'' are all composites.
* ConsummateLiar: Glass's web of fraud is quite intricate and plausible, and he goes to the extent of faking business cards, websites and email addresses to cover up his frauds. Curiously, however, when he's actually challenged in person when someone [[PullTheThread pulls the thread]] on one of his stories, he actually becomes something of a BadLiar. His thread, while intricate and long, also collapses entirely when someone scratches the surface enough times.
* DaydreamSurprise: Throughout the movie, we see snippets of the various stories Glass has researched and submitted, such as the Monica Lewinsky convention, the Young Republican WackyFratboyHijinx Party and, of course, Hack Heaven. All of which, as we learn the extent of his fakery, are heavily implied to be just his imagination. [[spoiler: The high school class Glass addresses as a FramingDevice turns out to be one of these, as it's revealed that he's just daydreaming while in a meeting to determine precisely the extent of his fraud.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Penenberg, taking a bit of delight in unraveling the ''New Republic'''s story.
-->'''Penenberg''': There is one thing in this story that checks out; there does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
* {{Dramatization}}
* EnforcedMethodActing: When the Young Republicans harass and chase a woman down a hallway, the horrified look on the actress's face is made more real because the director instructed the actors to glare at her silently before filming and not respond to her attempts at conversation.
* EurekaMoment: An offhand comment causes Lane to realize the truth about "George Sims," the alleged president of Jukt Micronics who called Lane from Palo Alto to complain about Glass's story. [[spoiler:Glass's brother lives in Palo Alto. Once Lane finds out, he realizes that Glass wasn't just duped by hoaxsters, he was lying about every single thing in the story and even enlisting his brother in the cover-up.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There's an early scene where Stephen's story about the Young Republicans has a hole, but he's able to cover his tracks and Michael doesn't press further once one of Glass's corrections is confirmed by the hotel where the story took place.
* FramingDevice: Glass tells his story to a journalism class [[spoiler: that turns out to be a figment of his imagination]].
* HeroAntagonist: Charles Lane.
* HeroWithBadPublicity / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Glass is well-liked, self-effacing and charming, making it easy for people get get on his side against Lane, who is more distant and formal, and viewed as more of a distrusted interloper after he got the job previously held by a popular editor. Deconstructing this is essentially the crux of Lane's angry rant to Caitlin after he's fired Glass and she confronts him about it, saying that while everyone might hate him they ''all'' allowed Glass to drag the magazine's name through the mud purely because they liked him.
* ImagineSpot: [[spoiler: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.]]
* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is found to be closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place. Also, the building definitely did not look like it could hold as many people that Glass said attended the event. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
* IntrepidReporter: Adam Penenberg. Stephen Glass would very much ''like'' to be thought of as one of these, but he very much isn't.
* {{Irony}}: Many of the reporters at the ''New Republic'' express a strongly-held (and slightly snobby) opposition to the idea of including photos in the magazine, citing their integrity as a news magazine over those publications which do provide them. At the end, however, a secretary bitterly notes that what Glass did would be a lot harder if he'd had to include photographs of the people involved in his stories; not providing photos has ended up damaging the magazine's integrity far more.
* KubrickStare: Lane shoots one at Glass after finding out that the building Glass claims the conference was at was closed that day.
* LameExcuse: Played seriously; Glass starts coming out with these when his lies begin to be exposed.
* LectureAsExposition: The scenes where Glass is talking to the classroom help movie viewers understand how fact-checking works and how Glass got away with his fabrications.
* ManipulativeBastard: Very subtly; Glass tends to use his 'aw-shucks' humble act to make people feel sorry for him.
--> "Are you mad at me?"
* MatchCut: From Glass's face in the classroom to Glass's face at his last meeting with Chuck Lane.
* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story. Even when all the holes are found in the story, Stephen tries to turn it around on Chuck for not "backing" him.
* NotSoDifferent: After the conference call with Forbes Digital that crumbles Stephen's story, Chuck calls the Forbes editor as a mild plea to go easy on Stephen, saying that he was a troubled kid whose mistake could cost him a promising career, while the unspoken implication is that a story exposing Glass could ruin ''The New Republic''. This is the same stance Stephen's co-workers and the ''New Republic'' execs take when Chuck tries to crack down harder on Stephen once he learns the lies ran deeper than what was initially believed.
* OffTheRecord
* OhCrap: Glass when he realizes he gave a fake phone number with the wrong area code. And again when he learns that the building where the hacker conference purportedly took place was closed that day.
* PlayingAgainstType: As Penenberg, the IntrepidReporter who exposes Glass... Steve Zahn?
* PlayingGertrude: Hayden Christensen playing 24 year-old Stephen Glass. He was 22 when the film came out and 17 when the New Republic scandal broke in 1998.
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says Caitlin, trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
* PullTheThread: The final hour is basically this. Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: During the original screening, test audiences didn't believe that the New Republic journalists in the film could be in their twenties. Hence, is a placecard was added in the beginning of the film indicating that the average age was 26, Glass(the Youngest was 24 when the scandal broke out in 1998.
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[Film/JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
* ShuttingUpNow: Stephen tries to appeal to Michael in an effort to take the heat off himself, but Michael, knowing the kind of shit Stephen is in, quietly asks him if Glass ever cooked a piece for him while Mike was editor. Stephen doesn't respond.
* SmugSnake: Glass initially comes off as a humble, self-effacing person, but the longer he keeps it up the more we begin to see what a slimy, phony weasel he actually is. Note how subtly smug he is when his co-workers find themselves unable to compete with his exciting and quirky (and entirely fabricated) story pitches when presenting their comparatively duller (but real) ones.
* TruthInTelevision: His ''TNR'' coworkers might be composites but Glass's career and his fall are both rendered fairly accurately.
* UnreliableNarrator: Glass's opening narration isn't exactly accurate.
* VillainProtagonist: Glass, obviously.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Lane to Caitlin Avey towards the end when she is still sticking up for Glass.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: A variant; when his increasingly tenuous web of lies begins to unravel, Glass' response is basically to start whining and playing the victim.
--> '''Glass''': I didn't do anything wrong, Chuck!\\
'''Lane''': I really wish you'd ''stop saying that''!
** Just to give an idea on how often he uses this, Caitlin tells him to stop playing this card only 15 minutes into the film.
2003 film about the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a writer at ''The New Republic'' magazine who spent years making up fictitious stories for the magazine before he was finally exposed. Hayden Christensen stars as Glass, proving that despite [[Franchise/StarWars prior indications]] he can act, and Peter Saarsgard stars as Glass's last editor, Charles Lane.
[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not to be confused with]] ''TransformersShatteredGlass''.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Stephen tells a story to Caitlin and Amy about how "a dinner with this guy from the ''Post''" turned into the guy "slipping his tongue down my throat." He's pulled away from the conversation before he can finish, so we don't actually know if it's true or if he was just fabricating it/pandering to the girls (he was worried that he was putting out "gay vibes").
* BenevolentBoss: Michael Kelly, Glass's first editor. This throws off the audience's expectations when Glass clashes with his second boss, HeroAntagonist Chuck Lane.
* BluntYes
--> '''Caitlin''': Is that what you want, Amy? To have smoke blown up your ass by a bunch of editors?
--> '''Amy''': Yes, yes it is.
* BookEnds: The scene with Glass at the Monica Lewinsky memorabilia convention.
* CompositeCharacter: Glass's editors Lane and Michael Kelly were real people (as is Martin Peretz, a smaller part in the film) but his fellow journalists at ''The New Republic'' are all composites.
* ConsummateLiar: Glass's web of fraud is quite intricate and plausible, and he goes to the extent of faking business cards, websites and email addresses to cover up his frauds. Curiously, however, when he's actually challenged in person when someone [[PullTheThread pulls the thread]] on one of his stories, he actually becomes something of a BadLiar. His thread, while intricate and long, also collapses entirely when someone scratches the surface enough times.
* DaydreamSurprise: Throughout the movie, we see snippets of the various stories Glass has researched and submitted, such as the Monica Lewinsky convention, the Young Republican WackyFratboyHijinx Party and, of course, Hack Heaven. All of which, as we learn the extent of his fakery, are heavily implied to be just his imagination. [[spoiler: The high school class Glass addresses as a FramingDevice turns out to be one of these, as it's revealed that he's just daydreaming while in a meeting to determine precisely the extent of his fraud.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Penenberg, taking a bit of delight in unraveling the ''New Republic'''s story.
-->'''Penenberg''': There is one thing in this story that checks out; there does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
* {{Dramatization}}
* EnforcedMethodActing: When the Young Republicans harass and chase a woman down a hallway, the horrified look on the actress's face is made more real because the director instructed the actors to glare at her silently before filming and not respond to her attempts at conversation.
* EurekaMoment: An offhand comment causes Lane to realize the truth about "George Sims," the alleged president of Jukt Micronics who called Lane from Palo Alto to complain about Glass's story. [[spoiler:Glass's brother lives in Palo Alto. Once Lane finds out, he realizes that Glass wasn't just duped by hoaxsters, he was lying about every single thing in the story and even enlisting his brother in the cover-up.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There's an early scene where Stephen's story about the Young Republicans has a hole, but he's able to cover his tracks and Michael doesn't press further once one of Glass's corrections is confirmed by the hotel where the story took place.
* FramingDevice: Glass tells his story to a journalism class [[spoiler: that turns out to be a figment of his imagination]].
* HeroAntagonist: Charles Lane.
* HeroWithBadPublicity / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Glass is well-liked, self-effacing and charming, making it easy for people get get on his side against Lane, who is more distant and formal, and viewed as more of a distrusted interloper after he got the job previously held by a popular editor. Deconstructing this is essentially the crux of Lane's angry rant to Caitlin after he's fired Glass and she confronts him about it, saying that while everyone might hate him they ''all'' allowed Glass to drag the magazine's name through the mud purely because they liked him.
* ImagineSpot: [[spoiler: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.]]
* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is found to be closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place. Also, the building definitely did not look like it could hold as many people that Glass said attended the event. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
* IntrepidReporter: Adam Penenberg. Stephen Glass would very much ''like'' to be thought of as one of these, but he very much isn't.
* {{Irony}}: Many of the reporters at the ''New Republic'' express a strongly-held (and slightly snobby) opposition to the idea of including photos in the magazine, citing their integrity as a news magazine over those publications which do provide them. At the end, however, a secretary bitterly notes that what Glass did would be a lot harder if he'd had to include photographs of the people involved in his stories; not providing photos has ended up damaging the magazine's integrity far more.
* KubrickStare: Lane shoots one at Glass after finding out that the building Glass claims the conference was at was closed that day.
* LameExcuse: Played seriously; Glass starts coming out with these when his lies begin to be exposed.
* LectureAsExposition: The scenes where Glass is talking to the classroom help movie viewers understand how fact-checking works and how Glass got away with his fabrications.
* ManipulativeBastard: Very subtly; Glass tends to use his 'aw-shucks' humble act to make people feel sorry for him.
--> "Are you mad at me?"
* MatchCut: From Glass's face in the classroom to Glass's face at his last meeting with Chuck Lane.
* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story. Even when all the holes are found in the story, Stephen tries to turn it around on Chuck for not "backing" him.
* NotSoDifferent: After the conference call with Forbes Digital that crumbles Stephen's story, Chuck calls the Forbes editor as a mild plea to go easy on Stephen, saying that he was a troubled kid whose mistake could cost him a promising career, while the unspoken implication is that a story exposing Glass could ruin ''The New Republic''. This is the same stance Stephen's co-workers and the ''New Republic'' execs take when Chuck tries to crack down harder on Stephen once he learns the lies ran deeper than what was initially believed.
* OffTheRecord
* OhCrap: Glass when he realizes he gave a fake phone number with the wrong area code. And again when he learns that the building where the hacker conference purportedly took place was closed that day.
* PlayingAgainstType: As Penenberg, the IntrepidReporter who exposes Glass... Steve Zahn?
* PlayingGertrude: Hayden Christensen playing 24 year-old Stephen Glass. He was 22 when the film came out and 17 when the New Republic scandal broke in 1998.
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says Caitlin, trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
* PullTheThread: The final hour is basically this. Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: During the original screening, test audiences didn't believe that the New Republic journalists in the film could be in their twenties. Hence, is a placecard was added in the beginning of the film indicating that the average age was 26, Glass(the Youngest was 24 when the scandal broke out in 1998.
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[Film/JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
* ShuttingUpNow: Stephen tries to appeal to Michael in an effort to take the heat off himself, but Michael, knowing the kind of shit Stephen is in, quietly asks him if Glass ever cooked a piece for him while Mike was editor. Stephen doesn't respond.
* SmugSnake: Glass initially comes off as a humble, self-effacing person, but the longer he keeps it up the more we begin to see what a slimy, phony weasel he actually is. Note how subtly smug he is when his co-workers find themselves unable to compete with his exciting and quirky (and entirely fabricated) story pitches when presenting their comparatively duller (but real) ones.
* TruthInTelevision: His ''TNR'' coworkers might be composites but Glass's career and his fall are both rendered fairly accurately.
* UnreliableNarrator: Glass's opening narration isn't exactly accurate.
* VillainProtagonist: Glass, obviously.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Lane to Caitlin Avey towards the end when she is still sticking up for Glass.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: A variant; when his increasingly tenuous web of lies begins to unravel, Glass' response is basically to start whining and playing the victim.
--> '''Glass''': I didn't do anything wrong, Chuck!\\
'''Lane''': I really wish you'd ''stop saying that''!
** Just to give an idea on how often he uses this, Caitlin tells him to stop playing this card only 15 minutes into the film.
to:
* ''Film/ShatteredGlass'', the 2003 film
[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not to be confused with]] ''TransformersShatteredGlass''.
----
!!This film provides examples of:
*
* ''TransformersShatteredGlass'', the
* BenevolentBoss: Michael Kelly, Glass's first editor. This throws off the audience's expectations when Glass clashes with his second boss, HeroAntagonist Chuck Lane.
* BluntYes
--> '''Caitlin''': Is that what you want, Amy? To have smoke blown up your ass by a bunch of editors?
--> '''Amy''': Yes, yes it is.
* BookEnds: The scene with Glass at the Monica Lewinsky memorabilia convention.
* CompositeCharacter: Glass's editors Lane and Michael Kelly were real people (as is Martin Peretz, a smaller part in the film) but his fellow journalists at ''The New Republic'' are all composites.
* ConsummateLiar: Glass's web of fraud is quite intricate and plausible, and he goes to the extent of faking business cards, websites and email addresses to cover up his frauds. Curiously, however, when he's actually challenged in person when someone [[PullTheThread pulls the thread]] on one of his stories, he actually becomes something of a BadLiar. His thread, while intricate and long, also collapses entirely when someone scratches the surface enough times.
* DaydreamSurprise: Throughout the movie, we see snippets of the various stories Glass has researched and submitted, such as the Monica Lewinsky convention, the Young Republican WackyFratboyHijinx Party and, of course, Hack Heaven. All of which, as we learn the extent of his fakery, are heavily implied to be just his imagination. [[spoiler: The high school class Glass addresses as a FramingDevice turns out to be one of these, as it's revealed that he's just daydreaming while in a meeting to determine precisely the extent of his fraud.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Penenberg, taking a bit of delight in unraveling the ''New Republic'''s story.
-->'''Penenberg''': There is one thing in this story that checks out; there does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
* {{Dramatization}}
* EnforcedMethodActing: When the Young Republicans harass and chase a woman down a hallway, the horrified look on the actress's face is made more real because the director instructed the actors to glare at her silently before filming and not respond to her attempts at conversation.
* EurekaMoment: An offhand comment causes Lane to realize the truth about "George Sims," the alleged president of Jukt Micronics who called Lane from Palo Alto to complain about Glass's story. [[spoiler:Glass's brother lives in Palo Alto. Once Lane finds out, he realizes that Glass wasn't just duped by hoaxsters, he was lying about every single thing in the story and even enlisting his brother in the cover-up.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There's an early scene where Stephen's story about the Young Republicans has a hole, but he's able to cover his tracks and Michael doesn't press further once one of Glass's corrections is confirmed by the hotel where the story took place.
* FramingDevice: Glass tells his story to a journalism class [[spoiler: that turns out to be a figment of his imagination]].
* HeroAntagonist: Charles Lane.
* HeroWithBadPublicity / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Glass is well-liked, self-effacing and charming, making it easy for people get get on his side against Lane, who is more distant and formal, and viewed as more of a distrusted interloper after he got the job previously held by a popular editor. Deconstructing this is essentially the crux of Lane's angry rant to Caitlin after he's fired Glass and she confronts him about it, saying that while everyone might hate him they ''all'' allowed Glass to drag the magazine's name through the mud purely because they liked him.
* ImagineSpot: [[spoiler: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.]]
* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is found to be closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place. Also, the building definitely did not look like it could hold as many people that Glass said attended the event. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
* IntrepidReporter: Adam Penenberg. Stephen Glass would very much ''like'' to be thought of as one of these, but he very much isn't.
* {{Irony}}: Many of the reporters at the ''New Republic'' express a strongly-held (and slightly snobby) opposition to the idea of including photos in the magazine, citing their integrity as a news magazine over those publications which do provide them. At the end, however, a secretary bitterly notes that what Glass did would be a lot harder if he'd had to include photographs of the people involved in his stories; not providing photos has ended up damaging the magazine's integrity far more.
* KubrickStare: Lane shoots one at Glass after finding out that the building Glass claims the conference was at was closed that day.
* LameExcuse: Played seriously; Glass starts coming out with these when his lies begin to be exposed.
* LectureAsExposition: The scenes where Glass is talking to the classroom help movie viewers understand how fact-checking works and how Glass got away with his fabrications.
* ManipulativeBastard: Very subtly; Glass tends to use his 'aw-shucks' humble act to make people feel sorry for him.
--> "Are you mad at me?"
* MatchCut: From Glass's face in the classroom to Glass's face at his last meeting with Chuck Lane.
* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story. Even when all the holes are found in the story, Stephen tries to turn it around on Chuck for not "backing" him.
* NotSoDifferent: After the conference call with Forbes Digital that crumbles Stephen's story, Chuck calls the Forbes editor as a mild plea to go easy on Stephen, saying that he was a troubled kid whose mistake could cost him a promising career, while the unspoken implication is that a story exposing Glass could ruin ''The New Republic''. This is the same stance Stephen's co-workers and the ''New Republic'' execs take when Chuck tries to crack down harder on Stephen once he learns the lies ran deeper than what was initially believed.
* OffTheRecord
* OhCrap: Glass when he realizes he gave a fake phone number with the wrong area code. And again when he learns that the building where the hacker conference purportedly took place was closed that day.
* PlayingAgainstType: As Penenberg, the IntrepidReporter who exposes Glass... Steve Zahn?
* PlayingGertrude: Hayden Christensen playing 24 year-old Stephen Glass. He was 22 when the film came out and 17 when the New Republic scandal broke in 1998.
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says Caitlin, trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
* PullTheThread: The final hour is basically this. Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
* RealityIsUnrealistic: During the original screening, test audiences didn't believe that the New Republic journalists in the film could be in their twenties. Hence, is a placecard was added in the beginning of the film indicating that the average age was 26, Glass(the Youngest was 24 when the scandal broke out in 1998.
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[Film/JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
* ShuttingUpNow: Stephen tries to appeal to Michael in an effort to take the heat off himself, but Michael, knowing the kind of shit Stephen is in, quietly asks him if Glass ever cooked a piece for him while Mike was editor. Stephen doesn't respond.
* SmugSnake: Glass initially comes off as a humble, self-effacing person, but the longer he keeps it up the more we begin to see what a slimy, phony weasel he actually is. Note how subtly smug he is when his co-workers find themselves unable to compete with his exciting and quirky (and entirely fabricated) story pitches when presenting their comparatively duller (but real) ones.
* TruthInTelevision: His ''TNR'' coworkers might be composites but Glass's career and his fall are both rendered fairly accurately.
* UnreliableNarrator: Glass's opening narration isn't exactly accurate.
* VillainProtagonist: Glass, obviously.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Lane to Caitlin Avey towards the end when she is still sticking up for Glass.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: A variant; when his increasingly tenuous web of lies begins to unravel, Glass' response is basically to start whining and playing the victim.
--> '''Glass''': I didn't do anything wrong, Chuck!\\
'''Lane''': I really wish you'd ''stop saying that''!
** Just to give an idea on how often he uses this, Caitlin tells him to stop playing this card only 15 minutes into the film.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
2003 film about the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a writer at ''The New Republic'' magazine who spent years making up ficticious stories for the magazine before he was finally exposed. Hayden Christensen stars as Glass, proving that despite [[StarWars prior indications]] he can act, and Peter Saarsgard stars as Glass's last editor, Charles Lane.
to:
2003 film about the rise and fall of Stephen Glass, a writer at ''The New Republic'' magazine who spent years making up ficticious fictitious stories for the magazine before he was finally exposed. Hayden Christensen stars as Glass, proving that despite [[StarWars [[Franchise/StarWars prior indications]] he can act, and Peter Saarsgard stars as Glass's last editor, Charles Lane.
Lane.
[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not to be confused with]] ''TransformersShatteredGlass''.
[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Not to be confused with]] ''TransformersShatteredGlass''.
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* PlayingAgainstType: As Penenberg, the IntrepidReporter who exposes Glass...Steve Zahn?
to:
* PlayingAgainstType: As Penenberg, the IntrepidReporter who exposes Glass... Steve Zahn?
Changed line(s) 48 (click to see context) from:
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
to:
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[JerryMaguire [[Film/JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
Added DiffLines:
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Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* NotSoDifferent: After the conference call with Forbes Digital that crumbles Stephen's story, Chuck calls the Forbes editor as a mild plea to go easy on Stephen, saying that he was a troubled kid whose mistake could cost him a promising career, while the unspoken implication is that a story exposing Glass could ruin ''The New Republic''. This is the same stance Stephen's co-workers and the ''New Republic'' execs take when Chuck tries to crack down harder on Stephen once he learns the lies ran deeper than what was initially believed.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!]]. One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
to:
* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!]]. money!"]] One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* ShoutOut: Glass's pitch of "Hack Heaven" involves his subject [[JerryMaguire wiggling his hips in bravado while screaming "Show me the money!]]. One could argue that the film is exactly where Glass is pulling inspiration for his fabrication from (the film came out two years before the Glass incident).
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Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
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* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is found to be closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place.place. Also, the building definitely did not look like it could hold as many people that Glass said attended the event. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
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Changed line(s) 8 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyGay: Stephen tells a story to Caitlin and Amy about how a lunch with a friend turned into the guy "putting his tongue down my throat." He's pulled away from the conversation before he can finish, so we don't actually know if it's true or if he was just fabricating it/pandering to the girls (he was worried that he was putting out "gay vibes").
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Stephen tells a story to Caitlin and Amy about how a lunch "a dinner with a friend this guy from the ''Post''" turned into the guy "putting "slipping his tongue down my throat." He's pulled away from the conversation before he can finish, so we don't actually know if it's true or if he was just fabricating it/pandering to the girls (he was worried that he was putting out "gay vibes").
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* AmbiguouslyGay: Stephen tells a story to Caitlin and Amy about how a lunch with a friend turned into the guy "putting his tongue down my throat." He's pulled away from the conversation before he can finish, so we don't actually know if it's true or if he was just fabricating it/pandering to the girls (he was worried that he was putting out "gay vibes").
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* KubrickStare: Lane shoots one at Glass after finding out that the building Glass claims the conference was at was closed that day.
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Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
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* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers Caitlin, trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
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** Just to give an idea on how often he uses this, Caitlin tells him to stop playing this card only 15 minutes into the film.
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Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', [[spoiler: and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.]]
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* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', [[spoiler: and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.]]
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Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* ImagineSpot: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.
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* ImagineSpot: [[spoiler: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.]]
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-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
Deleted line(s) 31,34 (click to see context) :
* MaintainTheLie: Even after Glass's story unravels to the point of concrete falsehood, he's undeterred:
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people!
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
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-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people?
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-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people?people!
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* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Glass went to law school and began a career as an author, Chuck Lane became a writer for the ''Washington Post'', [[spoiler: and Michael Kelly died in 2003 covering Operation Iraqi Freedom.]]
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* DeadpanSnarker: Penenberg, taking a bit of delight in unraveling the ''New Republic'''s story.
-->'''Penenberg''': There is one thing in this story that checks out; there does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
-->'''Penenberg''': There is one thing in this story that checks out; there does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There's an early scene where Stephen's story about the Young Republicans has a hole, but he's able to cover his tracks and Michael doesn't press further once one of Glass's corrections is confirmed by the hotel where the story took place.
* ImplausibleDeniability: Stephen's story is destroyed for good when the building where he claimed the hacking convention was held is closed on Sundays, the day Stephen's piece took place. His response: "All I know is that I was here."
* MaintainTheLie: Even after Glass's story unravels to the point of concrete falsehood, he's undeterred:
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people?
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
-->'''Stephen''': I don't know what you're talking about, OK? Those are all real people?
-->'''Chuck''': Look at me...and say that again.
-->'''Stephen''': *looks him in the eye* Those are all real people.
Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes initially, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story.
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* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes initially, mistakes, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story.story. Even when all the holes are found in the story, Stephen tries to turn it around on Chuck for not "backing" him.
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* ShuttingUpNow: Stephen tries to appeal to Michael in an effort to take the heat off himself, but Michael, knowing the kind of shit Stephen is in, quietly asks him if Glass ever cooked a piece for him while Mike was editor. Stephen doesn't respond.
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* NeverMyFault: How Glass spins all his mistakes initially, claiming he was "duped" with the '"Hack Heaven" story.
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That 'New Republic' article is a fucking sieve."
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* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That 'New Republic' ''New Republic'' article is a fucking sieve."
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Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Steve Zahn's character also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That 'New Republic' article is a fucking sieve."
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* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Steve Zahn's character Penenberg also gets one once he combs through Glass's article for the first time: "That 'New Republic' article is a fucking sieve."
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Changed line(s) 34,36 (click to see context) from:
* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one admirer of Glass's at a party.
** "Do you have any idea how much shit we're going to have to eat?". Director Billy Ray rationed the use of bad words in his film so he could keep this line and still get a PG rating.
* PullTheThread: Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
** "Do you have any idea how much shit we're going to have to eat?". Director Billy Ray rationed the use of bad words in his film so he could keep this line and still get a PG rating.
* PullTheThread: Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
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* PrecisionFStrike: "You work for the fuckin' ''New Republic''", says one admirer of his coworkers trying to convince him not to leave the Republic for law school. Steve Zahn's character also gets one once he combs through Glass's at a party.
** "Do you have any idea how much shit we're going to have to eat?". Director Billy Ray rationedarticle for the use of bad words in his film so he could keep this line and still get first time: "That 'New Republic' article is a PG rating.
fucking sieve."
* PullTheThread: The final hour is basically this. Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
** "Do you have any idea how much shit we're going to have to eat?". Director Billy Ray rationed
* PullTheThread: The final hour is basically this. Glass's increasingly desperate efforts to protect himself almost make you feel sorry for him.
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* PlayingGertrude: Hayden Christensen playing 26 year-old Stephen Glass. He was 22 when the film came out and 17 when the New Republic scandal broke in 1998.
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* PlayingGertrude: Hayden Christensen playing 26 24 year-old Stephen Glass. He was 22 when the film came out and 17 when the New Republic scandal broke in 1998.
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* RealityIsUnrealistic: During the original screening, test audiences didn't believe that the New Republic journalists in the film could be in their twenties. Hence, is a placecard was added in the beginning of the film indicating that the average age was 26, which was how old the real Stephan Glass was when the scandal broke out in 1998.
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* RealityIsUnrealistic: During the original screening, test audiences didn't believe that the New Republic journalists in the film could be in their twenties. Hence, is a placecard was added in the beginning of the film indicating that the average age was 26, which Glass(the Youngest was how old the real Stephan Glass was 24 when the scandal broke out in 1998.
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Changed line(s) 21 (click to see context) from:
* HeroWithBadPublicity / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Glass is well-liked, self-effacing and charming, making it easy for people get get on his side against Lane, who is more distant and formal, and viewed as more of a distrusted interloper after he got the job previous held by a popular editor. Deconstructing this is essentially the crux of Lane's angry rant to Caitlin after he's fired Glass and she confronts him about it, saying that while everyone might hate him they ''all'' allowed Glass to drag the magazine's name through the mud purely because they liked him.
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* HeroWithBadPublicity / VillainWithGoodPublicity: Glass is well-liked, self-effacing and charming, making it easy for people get get on his side against Lane, who is more distant and formal, and viewed as more of a distrusted interloper after he got the job previous previously held by a popular editor. Deconstructing this is essentially the crux of Lane's angry rant to Caitlin after he's fired Glass and she confronts him about it, saying that while everyone might hate him they ''all'' allowed Glass to drag the magazine's name through the mud purely because they liked him.
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* LectureAsExposition: The scenes where Glass is talking to the classroom help movie viewers understand how fact-checking works and how Glass got away with his fabrications.
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* BluntYes
--> '''Caitlin''': Is that what you want, Amy? To have smoke blown up your ass by a bunch of editors?
--> '''Amy''': Yes, yes it is.
--> '''Caitlin''': Is that what you want, Amy? To have smoke blown up your ass by a bunch of editors?
--> '''Amy''': Yes, yes it is.
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* BenevolentBoss: Michael Kelly, Glass's first editor. This throws off the audience's expectations when Glass clashes with his second boss, HeroAntagonist Chuck Lane.
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* ConsummateLiar: Glass's web of fraud is quite intricate and plausible, and he goes to the extent of faking business cards, websites and email addresses to cover up his frauds. Curiously, however, when he's actually challenged in person when someone [[PullTheThread pulls the thread]] on one of his stories, he actually becomes something of a BadLiar.
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* ConsummateLiar: Glass's web of fraud is quite intricate and plausible, and he goes to the extent of faking business cards, websites and email addresses to cover up his frauds. Curiously, however, when he's actually challenged in person when someone [[PullTheThread pulls the thread]] on one of his stories, he actually becomes something of a BadLiar. His thread, while intricate and long, also collapses entirely when someone scratches the surface enough times.
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* EurekaMoment: An offhand comment causes Lane to realize the truth about "George Sims".
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* EurekaMoment: An offhand comment causes Lane to realize the truth about "George Sims".Sims," the alleged president of Jukt Micronics who called Lane from Palo Alto to complain about Glass's story. [[spoiler:Glass's brother lives in Palo Alto. Once Lane finds out, he realizes that Glass wasn't just duped by hoaxsters, he was lying about every single thing in the story and even enlisting his brother in the cover-up.]]
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* ImagineSpot: Glass telling his story to a journalism class.
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* MatchCut: From Glass's face in the classroom to Glass's face at his last meeting with Chuck Lane.
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** "Do you have any idea how much shit we're going to have to eat?". Director Billy Ray rationed the use of bad words in his film so he could keep this line and still get a PG rating.
