Fair Game -- Doug Liman's film about former CIA agent Valerie Plame, former ambassador Joe Wilson, and the Bush administration's efforts to hide their lies about Iraq's non-existent WMDs by revealing Plame's undercover identity -- will be rolling out to 130 additional theaters on Friday, propelled by positive reviews (79% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- from Cinemascore), a strong $14,154 per screen average, and impressive performances by its stars, Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. In the midst of George W. Bush's whitewashing book tour, it's heartening to see that America has not forgotten Plame's and Wilson's story and what it says about the mendacity of the Bush administration in the run-up to the Iraq war and their efforts to silence their critics, regardless if they were telling the truth.
But if you follow politics like I do, you want to hear this story from the source. Fortunately, I had the tremendous honor of interviewing Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson when they were in Los Angeles promoting Fair Game, where we talked about when Plame first told Wilson that she worked for the CIA, the unglamourousness of actual spy work, Wilson's advice for people who want to hold their government officials accountable, and, as always, movies that had a profound effect on their lives. Watch the ReThink Interview with Plame and Wilson below.
Below, check out my ReThink Review of Fair Game on the Young Turks and my discussion with host Ben Mankiewicz about some of the additional details about the Plame affair, including Plame's covert status and the consequences of her identity being revealed. (And if you're wondering about the mask I'm wearing in the beginning, this was the Halloween show).
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