Fair Game (2010)
83%RT Audience Score: 79%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 9 nominations
It struggles with the balance between fact-based biopic and taut political thriller, but Fair Game brims with righteous anger — and benefits from superb performances by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn
Fair Game is like a game of telephone – the message gets lost somewhere along the way. While the performances by Naomi Watts and Sean Penn are solid, the scattered storyline and lack of clear direction make it hard to fully connect with the film. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s not a home run either. Maybe it’s more like a bunt – it gets the job done, but it’s not exactly exciting.
Production Company(ies)
Mooz Films, Cedrus Invest Bank Sunnyland Film
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Amman, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some language
Year of Release
2010
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:SDDS DTS Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 47m
-
Language(s):English, Arabic, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2010 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2011
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sam Shepard, Ty Burrell, David Andrews, Brooke Smith, directed by Doug Liman, written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Peter Howell, Philip French, Anthony Quinn, Derek Malcolm, Josh Winning, PG-13, produced by Bill Pohlad, Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Akiva Goldsman, Jez Butterworth, MPAA rating, CIA operative, political thriller, righteous anger, Valerie Plame, Joseph Wilson, The New York Times, enriched uranium, Iraq, leaked, press, cover blown, personal life, career, aspect ratio, Summit Entertainment, SDDS, DTS, Dolby Digital
Worldwide gross: $25,806,953
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $35,081,624
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,496
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,825,695
US/Canada gross: $9,540,691
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,969,487
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,540
US/Canada opening weekend: $651,082
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $885,072
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,290
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $22,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $29,906,503
Production budget ranking: 1,160
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $16,104,652
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$10,929,532
ROI to date (est.): -24%
ROI ranking: 1,524
Sean Penn – Joseph Wilson
Sam Shepard – Sam Plame
Ty Burrell – Fred
David Andrews – Scooter Libby
Brooke Smith – Diana
Director(s)
Doug Liman
Writer(s)
Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Producer(s)
Bill Pohlad, Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Akiva Goldsman, Doug Liman, Jez Butterworth
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 9 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (177) | Top Critics (54) | Fresh (139) | Rotten (38)
Fair Game was in no way a terrible movie, but with a scattered storyline and somewhat caricature-like performances by both leads, it failed to connect as it should have.
September 8, 2017 | Rating: C
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
This isn’t a message movie, per se, but a strong point of view comes through regardless: In the battle of principles vs. politics, politics always win.
April 4, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
Although the outline of this story is well known, Fair Game gives it dramatic shape and teases out the moral problems raised.
March 14, 2011
Philip French
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The script, based on memoirs of their experience by Wilson and Plame, has two stories to tell — the run-up to Iraq, and the portrait of a marriage under fire — and combines them very adroitly.
March 11, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s a thriller that shows the twists and turns of fate with some skill but also rages effectively against the way the most powerful usually win.
March 11, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Watts and Penn are first rate as a married couple divided by their desperation to do right, while stylistically it’s top notch.
March 10, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Josh Winning
Little White Lies
TOP CRITIC
Fine performances from both Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.
September 7, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
English-born, Aussie-raised Naomi Watts hits all the right American-accented notes…
June 8, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter
Thanks to the eyes of [Doug] Liman’s lens and powerful performances by [Naomi] Watts and [Sean] Penn, with Fair Game we are given truth amidst psychological political intrigue. An undeniable winning combination.
November 16, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Director Doug Liman does a good job of letting the story speak for itself, sparing the audience from too much soap-boxing. Watts and Penn are both solid, although Penn’s performance does border on over-the-top in a couple of key scenes.
May 8, 2019 | Rating: B
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Fair Game is smart, beautifully-acted, and unapologetic.
August 25, 2017
Eleanor Ringel Cater
Saporta Report (Atlanta)
It should be gripping stuff, but Liman combines too much information with too much pontificating to create an uneasy blend of slow-paced political thriller and family drama.
March 11, 2016
Roe McDermott
Hot Press…
Plot
Plame’s status as a CIA agent was revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Naomi Watts and Sean Penn deliver superb performances in Fair Game, according to Fresh Kernels.
Doug-Liman.jpg
