Winchell (1998)

A great example of the kind of biopics HBO was putting out in the 1990's, Winchell is a broad survey course of the life of lighting rod columnist and influential radio personality Walter Winchell, which like a vigilant teacher is very focused on hitting on the all the main points of interest, if not exploring them very deeply. Held together by the duel performance of  Stanley Tucci as Winchell and Paul Giamatti as Herman Klurfeld, Walter's chief ghostwriter and later biographer (upon whose work this movie is based). The main thesis of the film is that Winchell chief fault was not so much being an asshole, but rather being an asshole who outlived his time, and whose desperation to recapture past relevance did great harm to his legacy. Winchell's an interesting man, one whose influence is still strongly felt today, in fact I can't help but think that he bears some responsibly in making the Donald Trump presidency possible, even though he died in 1972. A good enough movie, but you'd doubtless be better served reading Klurfeld's book, I also recommend watching and listing to clips of Winchell online, or even reading Philip Roth's excellent counterfactual novel The Plot Against America, in which Winchell plays a major part. **1/2