The Wizard of Lies
The Wizard of Lies is a 2017 American television biopic film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Sam Levinson, Sam Baum, and John Burnham Schwartz,[1] based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Diana B. Henriques. The film stars Robert De Niro as businessman Bernard Madoff, Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife Ruth Madoff, and Alessandro Nivola as their older son Mark Madoff. It aired on HBO on 20 May 2017.
| The Wizard of Lies | |
|---|---|
 Television release poster | |
| Based on | The Wizard of Lies by Diana B. Henriques |
| Written by | |
| Directed by | Barry Levinson |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Joseph E. Iberti |
| Cinematography | Eigil Bryld |
| Editor | Ron Patane |
| Running time | 132 minutes |
| Production company | HBO Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release |
|
Plot
The plot of the film is based on real events—the story of Bernard Madoff, who founded his company on Wall Street in the early 1960s, which, over time, turned into one of the largest investment funds. Madoff himself had enjoyed a reputation as a successful and influential financier, broker, financial consultant, and generous philanthropist until 2008 when it became known that over the past 16 years his firm had turned into the largest financial pyramid in history. The huge scandal that broke out turned into multibillion-dollar losses and led to the collapse of Madoff himself, who later received 150 years in prison.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Bernard Madoff
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Ruth Madoff
- Alessandro Nivola as Mark Madoff
- Hank Azaria as Frank DiPascali
- Nathan Darrow as Andrew Madoff
- Sydney Gayle as Emily Madoff
- Lily Rabe as Catherine Hooper
- Kristen Connolly as Stephanie Madoff
- Kathrine Narducci as Eleanor Squillari
- Steve Coulter as Martin London
- Shivam Chopra as Male Student
- Michael Kostroff as Peter Madoff
- Diana B. Henriques as Herself
Production
On 27 August 2015, Michelle Pfeiffer and Alessandro Nivola joined the film to play wife Ruth Madoff and older son Mark Madoff, respectively.[1] On 9 September 2015, Hank Azaria joined the film as Frank DiPascali.[2] On 10 September 2015, Nathan Darrow, Kristen Connolly, Kathrine Narducci, and Steve Coulter were cast as Andrew Madoff, Stephanie Madoff, Eleanor Squillari, and Martin London, respectively. Diana B. Henriques was also cast as herself.[3] On 11 September 2015, Lily Rabe was cast as Catherine Hooper.[4]
Principal photography on the film began on 31 August 2015, in New York City.[5]
John Burnham Schwartz, Sam Baum and Sam Levinson were credited as the film's writers.[6] Diana Henriques’s The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and The Death of Trust, and Laurie Sandell’s Truth and Consequences: Life Inside the Madoff Family were credited as additional source material.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 75% based on 51 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 6.49/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Wizard of Lies doesn't really shed much new light on its fact-based story, but thanks to solid direction and a talented cast, it still proves consistently watchable."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 67 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "favorable reviews".[8] The film has a three-star rating on the Roger Ebert website, with the reviewer praising De Niro's performance.
Ratings
The film's premiere drew 1.5 million viewers, making it HBO's largest premiere viewership for an HBO film in four years; additional replays and viewings through the network's streaming service brought the film's total viewers to 2.4 million for its premiere weekend.[9]
Awards and nominations
Soundtrack
| The Wizard of Lies (Music from the HBO Film) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | |
| Released | May 19, 2017 |
| Length | 38:18 |
| Label | Lakeshore Records |
The Wizard of Lies (Music from the HBO Film) was released digitally May 19, 2017, the day before the film's premiere.[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Wizard of Lies" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:56 |
| 2. | "A New Start" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 0:58 |
| 3. | "Ponzi Scheme" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:55 |
| 4. | "It's Not Enough" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:06 |
| 5. | "Nightmare" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:50 |
| 6. | "FBI" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:29 |
| 7. | "150 Years" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 3:14 |
| 8. | "The Club Colette Jam / Big Noise from Winnetka Medley" | The Club Collette Band | 7:18 |
| 9. | "Doubts" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:04 |
| 10. | "Ruth Call" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:40 |
| 11. | "I Revered Him" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:31 |
| 12. | "I Have to Talk to You All" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:45 |
| 13. | "Losing It" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:08 |
| 14. | "The Pills" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 0:43 |
| 15. | "The Boys Wouldn't Sign" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:41 |
| 16. | "Make It Right" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 1:14 |
| 17. | "My Father Is Dead to Me" | Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine | 2:46 |
See also
References
- Andreeva, Nellie (August 27, 2015). "HBO's Madoff Movie 'The Wizard Of Lies' A Go With Michelle Pfeiffer, Alessandro Nivola Joining Robert De Niro; Barry Levinson To Direct". Deadline.com. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- Andreeva, Nellie (September 9, 2015). "Hank Azaria Joins HBO's Bernie Madoff Movie 'The Wizard Of Lies'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- Andreeva, Nellie (September 10, 2015). "HBO's Bernie Madoff Movie 'The Wizard Of Lies' Adds Five To Cast". deadline.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- Andreeva, Nellie (September 11, 2015). "Lily Rabe Joins HBO's Bernie Madoff Movie 'The Wizard Of Lies'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- "'Wizard of Lies', starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, filming locations in NYC this week". onlocationvacations.com. August 31, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
-
Liz Calvario (2017-04-12). "'The Wizard Of Lies' Trailer: Robert De Niro Heads To Court As Epic Fraudster Bernie Madoff". Deadline magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
The Wizard of Lies was written by John Burnham Schwartz, Sam Baum and Sam Levinson, based on Diana Henriques’ book, with Laurie Sandell’s Truth and Consequences also used as additional source material.
- "The Wizard of Lies (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- "The Wizard of Lies Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- Andreeva, Nellie (May 23, 2017). "Madoff Movie 'Wizard Of Lies' Draws Largest Premiere Viewership For HBO Film In 4 Years". deadline.com. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- "Soundtrack to Original HBO Film THE WIZARD OF LIES Available Digitally 5/19". Broadwayworld.com. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.