Shattered Glass

Play trailer

Shattered Glass

PG-13

Released Nov 14, 2003

1h 35m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

165 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Young hotshot journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) puts on a good show for his adoring editor, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), but admits deep insecurities to his fellow writer, Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny). When Glass begins turning in outrageous stories, his popularity skyrockets, but rival journalist Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes suspicious as to their factual accuracy, and eventually discovers that Glass has been fabricating many of his sources.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

A compelling look at Stephen Glass' fall from grace.

Read Critics Reviews

Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

What Billy Ray's confident debut lacks in situational dramatics...it more than makes up for in the central performance of young Hayden Christensen...

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

Antonia Quirke

London Evening Standard

Being a film about fibs, it is desperate not to tell any. Big mistake.

Dec 14, 2017

Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Ray propels the lamentable tale along at a brisk clip, is clear in his storytelling and mercifully avoids moralizing or self-congratulation.

Apr 27, 2011

Full Review

Eve Tushnet

Patheos

I did watch it at least twice in a row and then listen to the dvd commentary instead of doing literally anything else with my life...

Nov 10, 2020

Full Review

PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

Hayden Christensen and Peter Sarsgaard in the two main roles turn in career-best performances as their respective characters' descent/ascent is so cleverly played out.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 3, 2020

Full Review

Mark Amory

The Spectator

Just as I was starting to wonder not only if I did really like Steve that much but also if it were possible that I was not even meant to, a story of his is challenged.

Feb 1, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Evan V

Amazing performances and a compelling story of drama between a young writer and his insecurities of story making.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Farah R

Shattered Glass benefits from solid writing and brilliant acting. Its story revolves around a fascinating incident in journalism that’s worthy of a biopic. If only it was explored more thoroughly so that Glass’ motives were clear.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

Full Review

Gregory T

Solid ensemble cast and interesting story, but I thought the plot and its ending should have been a lot more developed and followed through.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Landon J

I picked this up because of an interest in Hayden Christensen's other roles. Funny, it seems he wasn't able to escape his Starwars typecast with this one? Playing another highly capable youth with a troubled personality, ending with a downfall... I liked this actually as despite the previous comment, was compelling. Even though it feels kindof one dimensional towards the end.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Les M

Very good movie based on the true story of Stephen Glass fabricating stories when he worked as a writer for New Republic from 1995 to 1998. Hayden Christensen is good as Stephen Glass, but Peter Sarsgaard's performance as Chuck Lane is very good and even garnered him a Golden Globe nomination. Steve Zahn is also very good as the competitor who discovers that Hacker Heaven was a fictitious article. Chloë Sevigny and Melanie Lynskey were underutilized, so we did not know why their characters were so loyal to Stephen Glass (and to Hank Azaria's character, the former editor of New Republic, Michael Kelly). This is a difficult movie to give a rating to because it was very good in many ways yet felt like an incomplete movie in some ways.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/30/24

Full Review

Mekhi W

Quite possibly one of the best Journalism movies out there. Hayden Christensen perfectly plays the manipulative innocent role extremely well while Peter Sarsgaard puts on an extremely well second half performance. Shattered Glass has writing and drama that is smart, logical, and gripping enough to please even average moviegoers. The film also questions and analyzes the problems with Journalism culture and integrity, problems that still haven't dated even today. Whether you are a Journalist or not, this is a must-watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/28/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Billy Ray

Director

Hayden Christensen

Stephen Glass

Peter Sarsgaard

Chuck Lane

Chloë Sevigny

Caitlin Avey

Rosario Dawson

Andie Fox

Melanie Lynskey

Amy Brand

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - I'm Not a Criminal

2:28

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - You're Fired

3:08

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - You Don't Write Funny

1:14

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - Conference Call

2:39

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - We Blew It

2:23

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - The Number for Juxt Micronics

2:24

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - I Didn't Do Anything Wrong

2:29

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - The Great Comma Debate

1:21

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - Hack Heaven

2:42

Shattered Glass: Official Clip - The Art of Capturing Behavior

1:31

View more videos

Million Dollar Baby

90%

90%

Million Dollar Baby

Watchlist

Homicide: The Movie

83%

74%

Homicide: The Movie

Watchlist

Rich in Love

69%

38%

Rich in Love

Watchlist

Masked and Anonymous

26%

45%

Masked and Anonymous

Watchlist

Time Out

95%

80%

Time Out

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Sausage Party, Milk, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

SXSW: "Americanese," "Jam" Reviews

Universal Plans to "Breach" a New FBI Thriller

View more photos

Synopsis

Young hotshot journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) puts on a good show for his adoring editor, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), but admits deep insecurities to his fellow writer, Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny). When Glass begins turning in outrageous stories, his popularity skyrockets, but rival journalist Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes suspicious as to their factual accuracy, and eventually discovers that Glass has been fabricating many of his sources.

Director: Billy Ray
Producer: Craig Baumgarten, Adam Merims, Gaye Hirsch, Tove Christensen
Screenwriter: Billy Ray
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Lionsgate Films, Baumgarten Merims Productions, Cruise-Wagner Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual References|Language|Brief Drug Use)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.2M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now