Glass' story far from 'Shattered'

A whiny, insecure, placating overachiever -- that's how Hayden Christensen portrays journalism's posterboy for bad behavior, Stephen Glass. "Shattered Glass" recreates the real-life events leading up to the downfall of the seemingly brilliant career of The New Republic's youngest reporter.\nThough the movie's slow unveiling of the lies and deception Glass created and the lengths to which he went to write captivating but fictional articles is fascinating, the background story plods along too slowly in the beginning. In order to get to the good stuff -- imaginary people, false voicemails and fabricated websites -- the audience is forced to sit through some pretty tedious and somewhat boring history. Though, it's crucial for the development of Glass' character as an all too eager to please employee, it could easily lose someone unaware of the real-life roots of the movie and the story to come.\nHowever, once Glass prints "Hacker Heaven," the article which begins his downward spiral, the movie definitely picks up the pace and follows a trail of false sources to the end of Glass' career. \nThe screenplay calls for a frame story surrounding the unveiling of the truth, but by the end of the film, it's no longer evident whether that side plot really exits or whether it's a figment of Glass' imagination -- just like so many other things are.\nThough the cast is far from all-star, it does contain several familiar faces of actors who seem to be in every movie, but you can never remember their names. Hank Azaria, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloë Sevigny and Steve Zahn are among them.\nThe detective-like approach to "Shattered Glass" reels the audience in, but what really sets it apart is the portrayal of the emotional turmoil brought about by this one man's selfish actions. The cast does a brilliant job reflecting the heartache and betrayal felt by Glass' supervisors and co-workers. It is this side of the affair -- the embarrassment of having to admit you've been duped by a friend -- which qualifies this movie as a must-see.\nIt's definitely a film which makes you think, not one you can sit through in a mindless stupor demanding, "Entertain me!" But if you're looking for a departure from the big-budget, plotless movies being shoved down you're throat at every corner, it's a refreshing escape into the realm of well-written, well-acted stories.