Click to read the article
Talk Radio (1989)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:25
Fresh:20
Rotten:5
Average Rating:6.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based loosely on the life of the murdered talk-radio personality Alan Berg, TALK RADIO stars monologist Eric Bogosian as the abrasive, self-loathing talk-radio host Barry Champlain. He spends his... Based loosely on the life of the murdered talk-radio personality Alan Berg, TALK RADIO stars monologist Eric Bogosian as the abrasive, self-loathing talk-radio host Barry Champlain. He spends his nights at Dallas station KGAB engaged in vitriolic conversations with a motley assortment of racists, anti-semites, rednecks, and all-purpose lunatics. Just having learned that his show has a chance to be picked up for national syndication, Barry seems to have ratcheted up the abuse level to new heights, worrying his co-workers. Yet while Barry's career is taking off, studio boss Dan (Alec Baldwin) angers him by trying to alter the provocative content of his show. At the same time, Barry's having problems with his girlfriend and ex-wife, Ellen (Ellen Greene). And a neo-Nazi group is making increasingly menacing calls, forcing him to the edge of a possible nervous breakdown. A compelling take on the dynamics of hate radio and the wages of narcissism, Oliver Stone's film is exceptionally well shot and acted, directed with claustrophobic concentration. [More]
Starring: Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene, Alec Baldwin, Leslie Hope
Starring: Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene, Alec Baldwin, Leslie Hope, Michael Wincott, Bill Johnson, Zach Grenier
Director: Oliver Stone
Director: Oliver Stone
Reviews for Talk Radio
[Eric Bogosian] is what makes Talk Radio worth seeing, and he is what you'll be talking about afterward.
One of Stone's unqualified failures, by which I mean that even his usually muscular style can't partially redeem.
He asks an accepting audience, both in the film and in the theater: How much crap will you take, and why?
Far more Eric Bogosian than Oliver Stone, and still timely, even after fifteen years.
Oliver Stone...turns [Eric Bogosian's] play into a visually achieved, intense and unforgettable movie.
Oliver Stone's overly dramatic new ending puts a damper on things, but Bogosian has never been more magnetic
Talk Radio...is a nearly perfect example of how not to make a movie of a play.
If you’ve ever listened to late-night talkback and found some of the callers unsettling, you’re bound to relive that feeling
Holds up a disturbing image of a consumer culture where trash is viewed as treasure and excess spells success.
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Talk Radio at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

