Mike Wallace Is Here
{{short description|2019 biographical documentary film by Avi Belkin}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Mike Wallace Is Here
| image = File:Mike Wallace Is Here.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| director = Avi Belkin
| producer = Rafael Marmor
Peggy Drexler
John Battsek
Avi Belkin
Chris Leggett
| writer =
| screenplay =
| story =
| starring = Mike Wallace
| narrator =
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing = Billy McMillin
| production_companies = Drexler Films
Delirio Films
Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=y|2019|1|27|2019 Sundance Film Festival}}
| runtime =
| country = United States
| budget =
| gross = $277,589{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mike-Wallace-is-Here-(Documentary)-(2019)#tab=summary|title=Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) – Financial Information|website=The Numbers|access-date=25 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819145151/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mike-Wallace-is-Here-(Documentary)-(2019)#tab=summary|archive-date=19 August 2019|url-status=live}}
}}
Mike Wallace Is Here is a 2019 biographical documentary film directed by Avi Belkin. It was produced by Rafael Marmor, Peggy Drexler, John Battsek, Avi Belkin, and Chris Leggett, under the banner of Drexler Films, Delirio Films and Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment. The film follows the life and career of American journalist Mike Wallace, using never-before-seen archival footage of the journalist preparing for and speaking about his work.
The film premiered on 27 January 2019 at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for Grand Jury Prize – Documentary. After the premiere, the film was nominated for Best Documentary at Sheffield Doc/Fest, Docaviv, and Cleveland International Film Festival. The film has received positive reviews from film critics, with review-aggregation websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic giving a 94% and 73% of positive reviews, respectively.
Synopsis
Mike Wallace Is Here follows the career of American journalist Mike Wallace. It depicts Wallace as he starts the show 60 Minutes and experiments with its format. He interviews celebrities including Bill O'Reilly, Donald Trump, Ruhollah Khomeini, and Oprah Winfrey, shown through archive footage of the show.
Cast
- Mike Wallace as himself (archived footage)
Other appearances:{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/before-jim-acosta-there-was-mike-wallace/|title=Before Jim Acosta, There Was Mike Wallace|date=24 July 2019|website=National Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819174551/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/before-jim-acosta-there-was-mike-wallace/|archive-date=19 August 2019|access-date=19 August 2019}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.moxiecinema.com/films/mike-wallace-is-here|title=Mike Wallace Is Here|website=Moxie Cinema|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819175127/http://www.moxiecinema.com/films/mike-wallace-is-here|archive-date=19 August 2019}}
{{Cast listing|
- Spiro Agnew
- Muhammad Ali
- Jonathan Alter
- Yassir Arafat
- Menachem Begin
- Jack Benny
- Thomas Hart Benton
- Emile Zola Berman
- Ben Bradlee
- Ed Bradley
- Tom Brokaw
- George Burns
- Sid Caesar
- Johnny Carson
- Dick Cavett
- Mickey Cohen
- Stephen Colbert
- Charles Colson
- Walter Cronkite
- Salvador Dalí
- Bette Davis
- Diana Dors
- Kirk Douglas
- Hugh Downs
- Eldon Edwards
- John Ehrlichman
- Oriana Fallaci
- Jimmy Fratianno
- Jackie Gleason
- Merv Griffin
- David Hartman
- Leona Helmsley
- Don Hewitt
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Alex Jones
- Jacqueline Kennedy
- John F. Kennedy
- Ayatollah Khomeini
- Larry King
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Steve Kroft
- David Letterman
- G. Gordon Liddy
- Shirley MacLaine
- Groucho Marx
- John McCain
- Paul Meadlo
- Arthur Miller
- Marilyn Monroe
- Edward R. Murrow
- Richard Nixon
- Manuel Noriega
- Bill O'Reilly
- Drew Pearson
- Thomas P. Pike
- Maury Povich
- Vladimir Putin
- Dan Rather
- Ronald Reagan
- Harry Reasoner
- Geraldo Rivera
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Lillian Roth
- Anwar Sadat
- Morley Safer
- Van Gordon Sauter
- Rod Serling
- Eric Sevareid
- Dinah Shore
- Beverly Sills
- Lesley Stahl
- Jon Stewart
- Barbra Streisand
- Donald Trump
- Chris Wallace
- George Wallace
- Barbara Walters
- William Westmoreland
- Jeffrey Wigand
- Oprah Winfrey
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Malcolm X
- Xi Jinping
}}
Production
Director Avi Belkin told From the Grapevine: "I had this idea. I wanted to do a Mike Wallace interview with Mike Wallace. But Mike was obviously dead, so I had an idea of doing this through the archives".{{Cite web|url=https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/arts/mike-wallace-here-documentary-director-avi-belkin-interview|title=Behind the scenes of the new documentary about '60 Minutes' legend Mike Wallace|work=From the Grapevine|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819135341/https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/arts/mike-wallace-here-documentary-director-avi-belkin-interview|archive-date=19 August 2019}} He approached CBS News, producer of 60 Minutes, which provided Belkin with more than 1,400 hours of archival footage,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-wallace-is-here-tells-bigger-story-journalism-1228311|title='Mike Wallace Is Here' Filmmaker: Doc Tells a "Bigger Story" About Broadcast Journalism|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=31 July 2019 |access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819140331/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-wallace-is-here-tells-bigger-story-journalism-1228311|archive-date=19 August 2019}} including "never-before-seen footage of Wallace prepping for interviews, chatting with colleagues and pontificating about his life's work". This was the first time CBS News had allowed someone to use their 60 Minutes archival footage.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinema76.com/home/2019/7/28/interview-with-mike-wallace-is-here-director-avi-belkin|title=Interview with Mike Wallace Is Here Director Avi Belkin|website=Cinema76|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819142147/https://www.cinema76.com/home/2019/7/28/interview-with-mike-wallace-is-here-director-avi-belkin|archive-date=19 August 2019}} Belkin spent several months watching Wallace's interviews, writing down the ideas he had,{{Cite web|url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/07/24/mike-wallace-is-here-avi-belkin-interview/|title='He Was Just Relentless': Director Avi Belkin On 'Mike Wallace Is Here' Documentary|date=24 July 2019|website=CBS Boston|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819141822/https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/07/24/mike-wallace-is-here-avi-belkin-interview/|archive-date=19 August 2019}} and then spent about a year editing the film alongside Billy McMillin and his team.
Belkin said he did not plan to explore Wallace's personal life. He explained:
{{Block quote|text=I knew the surface-level stuff about Mike. Meaning, he was this legendary newsman and tough interviewer. But that's it. So I really didn't expect to see so much depth to his personality. The fact that he was prone to depression. The fact that he was so insecure. That he lost his son in a tragic accident in Greece. That he tried to commit suicide. All of those things were amazing to discover. But it also made his character so much more compelling because you saw him overcome those difficulties in his life.|sign=Avi Belkin|source=Cinema76}}
The film title refers to the legendary fear that Wallace's name evoked in his interview subjects. According to Belkin, these were "the four most-dreaded words in the English language back then".{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-wallace-is-here/|title=Mike Wallace is here|date=21 July 2019 |publisher=CBS News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724051526/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-wallace-is-here/|archive-date=24 July 2019|access-date=19 August 2019}} The title also hints to the ongoing legacy that Wallace leaves with the viewing of this archival footage.
Release
Mike Wallace Is Here premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2019. It was nominated for Grand Jury Prize – Documentary. The film had a special screening on 16 July 2019 in the United States.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/events/488166/mike-wallace-is-here-screening|title="Mike Wallace Is Here" Screening|website=wbur|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819143855/https://www.wbur.org/events/488166/mike-wallace-is-here-screening|archive-date=19 August 2019}}
= Box office =
In its opening weekend, Mike Wallace Is Here was screened in three theatres, grossing $19,437 with an average of $6,479 per theatre.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=mikewallaceishere.htm|title=Mike Wallace is Here (2019) – Box Office Mojo|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819144439/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=mikewallaceishere.htm|archive-date=19 August 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2019&wknd=30&p=.htm|title=Weekend Box Office Results for July 26–28, 2019 – Box Office Mojo|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819144331/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2019&wknd=30&p=.htm|archive-date=19 August 2019}} In its second weekend, the film was screened in 21 theatres, grossing $49,129 with an average of $2,339 per theatre. In its third weekend, the film was screened in 32 theatres, grossing $38,550 with an average of $1,205 per theatre. In its fourth weekend, it grossed $51,935, with an average of $1,332 per theatre.{{Cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=mikewallaceishere.htm|title=Mike Wallace is Here (2019) – Weekend Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819144820/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=mikewallaceishere.htm|archive-date=19 August 2019}}
= Critical reception =
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, and an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "As solidly compelling as its subject's best reporting, Mike Wallace Is Here is a worthy tribute and an engrossing look at the changing landscape of modern news."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mike_wallace_is_here|title=Mike Wallace Is Here (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724214604/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mike_wallace_is_here|archive-date=24 July 2019|url-status=live}} Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, rated the film 73 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{Cite web|title=Mike Wallace Is Here|website=Metacritic |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mike-wallace-is-here|access-date=17 August 2019|archive-date=21 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421192854/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mike-wallace-is-here|url-status=live}}
Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "This is a time capsule—an expertly crafted time capsule—of an astonishing career".{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/8/1/20746490/mike-wallace-is-here-review-documentary-movie-cbs-60-minutes|title='Mike Wallace Is Here': Footage from the past says it all in insightful bio of a journalism great|last=Roeper|first=Richard|date=1 August 2019|website=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=17 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817120536/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/8/1/20746490/mike-wallace-is-here-review-documentary-movie-cbs-60-minutes|archive-date=17 August 2019}} Leah Pickett of Chicago Reader wrote: "Director Avi Belkin employs many creative strategies to reveal the inner workings of Mike Wallace, the formidable reporter best known for grilling celebrities and political dignitaries on 60 Minutes".{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mike-wallace-is-here/Film?oid=72061282|title=Mike Wallace Is Here|last=Pickett|first=Leah|website=Chicago Reader|date=August 2019 |access-date=17 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817120638/https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mike-wallace-is-here/Film?oid=72061282|archive-date=17 August 2019}} Josh Modell of The A.V. Club wrote: 'To be blunt—which Wallace, who died in 2012, always was—Mike Wallace Is Here is fascinating but scattered, and never quite decides what its target should be".{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/mike-wallace-is-here-tells-a-fascinating-cautionary-tal-1836693737|title=Mike Wallace Is Here tells a fascinating cautionary tale, but tells it too late|last=Modell|first=Josh|website=Film|date=25 July 2019 |access-date=17 August 2019|archive-date=21 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421192849/https://film.avclub.com/mike-wallace-is-here-tells-a-fascinating-cautionary-tal-1836693737|url-status=live}} Amy Nicholson of Variety wrote: "As Belkin's brisk and compelling documentary fades to black, the director seems to hope that the Wallace quotation audiences cling to isn't one of his fanged questions, but his optimism for the profession to which he dedicated his life".{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/mike-wallace-is-here-review-1203119500/|title=Sundance Film Review: 'Mike Wallace Is Here'|last=Nicholson|first=Amy|date=27 January 2019|website=Variety|access-date=17 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724214821/https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/mike-wallace-is-here-review-1203119500/|archive-date=24 July 2019}}
Lisa Jensen of Good Times criticised the film, writing that "Belkin never really discovers the man behind the public persona. Nor does he find (in what must have been hundreds of hours of footage) any particular 'aha!' moment with an interview subject that would cap Wallace's legacy".{{Cite web|url=http://goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-arts-entertainment/film/film-review-mike-wallace/|title=Film Review: 'Mike Wallace Is Here'|last=Jensen|first=Lisa|date=13 August 2019|website=Good Times Santa Cruz|access-date=17 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817121928/http://goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-arts-entertainment/film/film-review-mike-wallace/|archive-date=17 August 2019}} Norman Wilner of Now wrote: "Maybe that's Belkin's point: that contemporary journalism has settled for easily digestible, context-light sound bites rather than discourse or dialogue that's intended to find the inarguable truth of a thing".{{Cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/api/content/fa2bae36-b93c-11e9-801d-12f1225286c6/|title=Review: Mike Wallace Is Here delivers an editorial collage of the veteran journalist|last=Wilner|first=Norman|date=7 August 2019|website=NOW Magazine|access-date=17 August 2019}} Nora Lee Mandel of Film-Forward wrote: "Director Avi Belkin's debut English-language feature documentary opens with its most intriguing setup and then takes a while to reach that insight again".{{Cite web|url=http://film-forward.com/documentary/mike-wallace-is-here|website=film-forward.com|access-date=17 August 2019|title=Mike Wallace Is Here|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817121930/http://film-forward.com/documentary/mike-wallace-is-here|archive-date=17 August 2019}}
Accolades
In 2019, the film won Video Source Award awarded by International Documentary Association. Mike Wallace Is Here received various nominations including, Grand Jury Prize – Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, and Sheffield International Documentary Festival. The film was also nominated for Best International Film at the Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival, Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival,{{Citation |title=Mike Wallace Is Here - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt9353436/awards |access-date=2022-09-13}} Phoenix Award at Film Festival Cologne,{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary at the Critics' Choice Movie Award, and Outstanding Achievement in Editing at Cinema Eye Honors.
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ !Year !Award !Category !Result !{{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}. |
| rowspan="8" |2019
! scope="row" |Sundance Film Festival |Grand Jury Prize – Documentary |{{nom}} |
| scope="row" |Sheffield International Documentary Festival
|Grand Jury Award – Best Documentary |{{nom}} |
|---|
| scope="row" |Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival
|Best International Film |{{nom}} |
| scope="row" |Cleveland International Film Festival
|Best Documentary |{{nom}} |{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
| scope="row" |International Documentary Association
|Video Source Award |{{won}} |
| scope="row" |Film Festival Cologne
|Phoenix Award |{{nom}} |{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} |
| rowspan="2" scope="row" |Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Documentary Feature
|Best Archival Documentary |{{nom}} |
| Best Biographical Documentary
|{{nom}} |
| 2020
! scope="row" |Cinema Eye Honors |Outstanding Achievement in Editing |{{nom}} |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=tt9353436}}
{{60 Minutes}}
{{good article}}
Category:American biographical films
Category:American documentary films
Category:Films produced by John Battsek
Category:Documentary films about journalists