Talk
Radio
The last neighborhood in America.
CAST
Barry:
Eric
Bogosian
Ellen:
Ellen
Greene
Laura:
Leslie Hope
Stu: John C. McGinley
Supporting
Roles: Alec Baldwin,
John
Pankow, and Michael Wincott
The other
day, I was driving to Burger King and I turned my radio to Howard Stern. He was taking callers that specifically had
problems in school. The caller would
call up, say their problem, and Stern would give the caller an idiotic 
remark
like “Maybe you need to get laid more.
Anyways, when caller number three called, Stern asked, “What is your
name?” The caller responded by saying,
“Hi. My name’s Jack and I’m a
transvestite.” Howard, in a sarcastic
voice responded, “Oh don’t tell me. I
think I know what your problem is. Why
don’t you go into your bathroom, sew something up or chop something off, then
give me a call?” The caller sounded
hurt and then hung up. This made me
wonder: Why do people call talk radio shows?
My conclusion: people call in so the host can tell them how pathetic
their lives are. In Talk Radio,
a talk radio host named Barry Champlain (Eric Bogosian) is hated because he
tells people exactly what they want him to say.
The
things he says are mean and cruel, but are usually truthful. People call in to his show every day to tell
him how much they hate him and he tells them of their own insecurities, which
drives them mad. Listeners send dead
animals and swastikas to the radio station and give Champlain death threats
because of their hatred for him, but they do not seem to realize that he is
just another guy doing his job.
When I watched this movie, I kept wondering why Oliver Stone directed this movie. As it turned out, political movies were not the only types of movies Stone could master. This film is probably his most underrated film, but that is mainly because it had not been marketed very well and that there were no high profile stars to headline the film. And on a side note, this film was filmed in Dallas, Texas, which got Stone familiar with the area for JFK.
Platoon Natural Born
Killers JFK Wall Street Nixon Born on the
Fourth of July
Any Given Sunday Heaven & Earth Home
