2016 HBO film by Rick Famuyiwa
This article is about the 2016 American TV film. For the 2016 Canadian film, see
The Confirmation .
Confirmation
Television release poster
Written by
Susannah Grant Directed by
Rick Famuyiwa Starring Theme music composer
Harry Gregson-Williams Country of origin United States Original language English Producer Darren M. Demetre Cinematography
Rachel Morrison Editor Dirk Westervelt Running time 110 minutes Production companies Network
HBO Release April 16, 2016 (2016-04-16 )
Confirmation is a 2016 American
television
political thriller film , directed by
Rick Famuyiwa and written by
Susannah Grant . It is about
Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court nomination hearings , and the controversy that unfolded when
Anita Hill alleged she was sexually harassed by Thomas. It stars
Kerry Washington as Hill and
Wendell Pierce as
Clarence Thomas , with
Erika Christensen ,
Jennifer Hudson ,
Greg Kinnear ,
Jeffrey Wright ,
Bill Irwin , and
Eric Stonestreet in supporting roles. The film aired on
HBO on April 16, 2016.
[1]
Plot
Anita Hill, a law professor at the University of Oklahoma, is contacted and questioned about Clarence Thomas. Hill, a former employee of Thomas, is prompted to speak about his workplace treatment. Anita Hill tells the Senate Judiciary Committee that, inter alia, Clarence Thomas had spoken to her about pornographic movies and actors such as
Long Dong Silver . A psychologist tells a U.S. senator that Anita Hill has
erotomania .
A hearing takes place at which Anita tells the Senate Judiciary Committee that, inter alia, Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her 10 years prior. From there, a slew of events unfolds as the Committee tries to determine who is telling the truth, with the world watching. The subpoena to Angela Wright, another accuser of Thomas, is withdrawn.
Cast
Kerry Washington as
Anita Hill
Wendell Pierce as
Clarence Thomas
Greg Kinnear as
Joe Biden , U.S. Senator (D-DE)
Jeffrey Wright as
Charles Ogletree
Eric Stonestreet as
Kenneth Duberstein , former
White House Chief of Staff
Kristen Ariza as
Judy Smith ,
White House Deputy Press Secretary .
Bill Irwin as
John Danforth , U.S. Senator (R-MO)
Zoe Lister-Jones as Carolyn Hart, aide to Senator Biden
Grace Gummer as
Ricki Seidman , aide to Senator Kennedy
Dylan Baker as
Orrin Hatch , U.S. Senator (R-UT)
Treat Williams as
Ted Kennedy , U.S. Senator (D-MA)
Erika Christensen as Shirley Wiegand, friend of Anita Hill
Alison Wright as
Ginni Thomas , Thomas' wife
Malcolm Gets as
Arlen Specter , U.S. Senator (R-PA)
Peter McRobbie as
Alan K. Simpson , U.S. Senator (R-WY)
Kimberly Elise as Sonia Jarvis
Jennifer Hudson as Angela Wright
Tom Virtue as
Patrick Leahy , U.S. Senator (D-VT)
Jan Radcliff as
Pat Schroeder , U.S. Representative (D-CO)
Frank Hoyt Taylor as
Strom Thurmond , U.S. Senator (R-SC)
Matthew Hennessy
[2] as an aide to U.S. Senator
Joseph I. Lieberman
Michael G Starr as
Howell Thomas Heflin ,
United States Senator from
Alabama
Production
Casting
On March 12, 2015, it was announced that
Kerry Washington would star as
Anita Hill in an
HBO television film.
[3] Washington's role on ABC Network's hit television show Scandal was loosely based on
Judy Smith , who appears as a character in the film. On April 28,
Wendell Pierce was cast as
Clarence Thomas .
[4] On May 12,
Eric Stonestreet joined as
Kenneth Duberstein .
[5]
Greg Kinnear ,
Jennifer Hudson , and
Jeffrey Wright were reported to have joined the cast as
Joe Biden , Angela Wright, and
Charles Ogletree , respectively, on May 29.
[6] On June 5,
Bill Irwin and
Treat Williams were added, to respectively portray
John Danforth and
Ted Kennedy .
[7] Later that same day,
Erika Christensen ,
Cobie Smulders ,
Dylan Baker , and
Grace Gummer were announced as cast as Shirley Wiegand, Biden aide Harriet Grant,
Orrin Hatch , and
Ricki Seidman , respectively.
[8] On June 16,
Kimberly Elise , Kristen Ariza, and
Malcolm Gets joined the cast, as Sonia Jarvis,
Judy Smith , and
Arlen Specter , respectively.
[9] On July 2, Daniel Sauli was cast as
Mark Paoletta .
[10] On July 9, it was reported that Smulders had exited the film due to breaking her leg;
Zoe Lister-Jones replaced her in the Harriet Grant role (a composite of aides to Biden).
[11]
[12]
Filming
Principal photography began in
Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2015, and was completed on July 24.
[13]
Actual news footage taped by
CNN of
United States Senate staff during the lead-up to the hearings was used, to give the film a more realistic tone.
Reception
Confirmation received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Washington's performance as Hill and the film's depiction of its subject matter. The
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 79%, based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Stellar performances and gripping subject matter help Confirmation overcome production values that occasionally feel as dated as the infamous real-life case it covers."
[14] On
Metacritic , the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Awards and nominations
Credits
During the film credits, the onscreen text states that as a result of Hill's accusation of sexual harassment, more women were elected to public office in 1992 than previous periods, official sexual harassment complaints doubled, and an important workplace discrimination law was passed (referring to the
Civil Rights Act of 1991 ).
[25]
See also
References
^ Petski, Denise (February 2, 2016).
" 'Confirmation' Premiere Date Set By HBO" .
Deadline Hollywood . Archived from
the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^
"Leadership" .
^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 12, 2015).
"Kerry Washington to Star as Anita Hill in HBO Movie 'Confirmation' (Exclusive)" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 28, 2015).
"Wendell Pierce Set as Clarence Thomas in HBO's 'Confirmation' (Exclusive)" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 12, 2015).
"Eric Stonestreet to Co-Star in HBO's Anita Hill Pic, 'Confirmation' (Exclusive)" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 29, 2015).
"Jennifer Hudson, Greg Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright Join HBO's 'Confirmation' " .
The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Goldberg, Lesley; Stanhope, Kate (June 5, 2015).
"Treat Williams, Bill Irwin Join HBO's 'Confirmation' (Exclusive)" .
The Hollywood Reporter .
^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 5, 2015).
"Erika Christensen, Cobie Smulders, Dylan Baker & Grace Gummer Join HBO Movie 'Confirmation' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
^ Petski, Denise (June 16, 2015).
"Kimberly Elise, Kristen Ariza & Malcolm Gets Join HBO Movie 'Confirmation' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
^ Petski, Denise (July 2, 2015).
"Daniel Sauli Joins HBO Movie 'Confirmation'; Jonathan Whitesell In ABC Family Pilot 'Beyond' " .
Deadline Hollywood .
^ Herzog, Kenny (April 16, 2016).
"Fact-Checking HBO's Confirmation" . Vulture . Retrieved 2020-12-28 .
^ Petski, Denise (July 9, 2015).
"Zoe Lister-Jones Joins HBO Movie 'Confirmation' In Recasting" .
Deadline Hollywood .
^
"Confirmation - Production Listing" .
Backstage . Retrieved July 6, 2015 .
^
"Confirmation" . Rotten Tomatoes .
^ Lincoln, Ross A. (November 14, 2016).
"Critics' Choice TV Nominations Unveiled" .
Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 15, 2016 .
^
"20th Annual TV Awards (2015-16)" . Online Film & Television Association . Retrieved May 15, 2021 . [
permanent dead link ]
^
"Confirmation" . Emmys.com .
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 13, 2017 .
^
"Black Reel Awards – Past Winners" .
Black Reel Awards . Retrieved December 18, 2021 .
^
"Confirmation – Golden Globes" .
HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021 .
^ Washington, Arlene; Lewis, Hilary (10 February 2017).
"Hidden Figures, Loving, and Queen of Katwe nominated" .
The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 15 February 2017 .
^
"2016 Winners & Nominees" .
Satellite Awards .
International Press Academy . Retrieved July 10, 2021 .
^
"The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards" .
Screen Actors Guild Awards . Retrieved May 21, 2016 .
^ Petski, Denise (5 December 2016).
"WGA TV Nominations: 'The Americans', 'Stranger Things', 'Westworld', 'This Is Us' Among Nominees" . Deadline . Retrieved December 7, 2016 .
^
"The Paul Selvin Award" . Writers Guild Awards . Retrieved 22 February 2019 .
^
HBO’s series about the Anita Hill–Clarence Thomas hearings proves that scandal plus time equals riveting TV Slate April 15, 2016.
External links
Films directed Films written only