Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie

Morton Downey, Jr. was the chain-smoking host of the controversial eponymous talk show that appeared on American TV in the late 1980s. He shook up the traditional talk show format and turned it into a battlefield, with guests going at it with one another and Downey and his 180-strong studio audience reacting aggressively to anyone disagreeing with the host. This portrait of the right-wing talk show host uncovers the roots of today’s overwrought media and political landscape, a place where ratings and votes prevail over principles. Downey made a political U-turn on his road to fame, starting off as a supporter of the liberal Kennedys and later becoming the darling of far-right America. His talk show frequently bordered on exploitation. In , we watch as Downey transforms from a charismatic man who can make any subject provocative into a manipulator who, according to an acquaintance, might just as easily have been a serial killer. His anger against women takes on increasingly unpleasant forms and his propensity to lie goes beyond all bounds of acceptability. And all this happened in a time when people were still wondering if this sort of thing was just a fad.