(2015) (Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford) (R)
- QUICK TAKE:
- Drama: A TV news crew must contend with allegations that their "60 Minutes" piece -- covering President George W. Bush's time in the National Guard -- is politically motivated and filled with errors.
- PLOT:
- It's 2004 and Mary Mapes (CATE BLANCHETT) is a senior broadcast producer for CBS's news show "60 Minutes" that features a number of on-air anchors, including Dan Rather (ROBERT REDFORD) who also anchors the network's main evening news show. When Mary gets wind of further evidence about President George W. Bush's reportedly blemished record in the National Guard during the Vietnam War, she gets permission from Executive Producer Josh Howard (DAVID LYONS) and Senior Vice President Betsy West (RACHAEL BLAKE) to proceed with the story, although due to scheduling issues, they have just a little over a week to get the story together to air.
Mary and her team -- retired Lt. Col. Roger Charles (DENNIS QUAID), journalism professor Lucy Scott (ELISABETH MOSS) and researcher Mike Smith (TOPHER GRACE) -- immediately get to work, interviewing the likes of retired Lt. Col. Bill Burkett (STACY KEACH) who confirms the validity of documents that don't shine a good light on Bush's time in the Guard.
But when the story airs, the backlash is fast and furious, including calling into question the authenticity of those documents, all of which puts the network and its president, Andrew Heyward (BRUCE GREENWOOD), in an unwanted spotlight. With the pressure coming down on them and especially Mary, whose husband, Mark Wrolstad (JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY), tries to be as supportive as possible, the team scrambles to prove that their work is factual.
- WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
- Those interested in the true story, TV news journalism, or who might be fans of someone in the cast may show some interest.
- WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
- For language and a brief nude photo.
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