Winchell

REVIEW
Mazursky's direction replicates Winchell's own staccatto delivery, re-created brilliantly by Tucci in an Emmy Award-winning performance that is more channelled than acted. It could be said that Winchell laid the groundwork for the infotainment biz that dominates the airwaves today. He virtually created syndicated gossip, blurring the line between news and entertainment, between politics and performance. From the '30s to the '50s, he didn't just dominate journalism, he redefined it. The film follows the arc of his career, from making a pitch for War Bonds after singing a tune on a vaudeville stage, to aligning with Joseph McCarthy in a twisted permutation of the patriotism of his youth. He was a man who mixed freely with the great and the notorious of his time; so vibrant was his professional life that his personal life didn't stand a chance. In a uniformly excellent supporting ensemble, special mention goes to Giamatti as Herman Klurfeld, one of Winchell's crew of ghostwriters and author of the book on which this film is based. Winchell delivers the same frenetic entertainment as its subject matter.