66
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertTalk Radio is based on a play Bogosian wrote and starred in, and it was the right decision to star him in the movie, too, instead of some famous film actor. He feels this material from the inside out, and makes the character convincing. That’s especially true during a virtuoso, unsettling closing monologue, in which we think the camera is circling Bogosian - until we realize the camera and the actor are still, and the backgrounds are circling.
- 100Orlando SentinelJay BoyarOrlando SentinelJay BoyarStone and Bogosian have gotten hold of a disturbing, even frightening, subject here, and they ride it for all they are worth. Talk Radio says that the depravity of the mass media is fed and surpassed by the roar of the maniac crowd.
- 90Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonAs a transcription of Bogosian's theater piece, Talk Radio is tense, packed and crackling with life. As a dramatic investigation into Alan Berg and his murder, it's shallow and dubious. But as a synthesis of those two disjointed halves into a volatile whole--a comic-paranoid nightmare about media success, media myths, prejudice and the pathological relationship between performers and their audience--the film is an often dazzling success. Bogosian and the cast are bravura performers; Stone a director with guts and talent.
- 90Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumThe overall effect is disturbing yet mesmerizing.
- 75TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineFueled by a brilliant performance from Bogosian, TALK RADIO is an intense experience that will leave most audiences feeling drained.
- 60Time OutTime OutHis tendency towards self-destruction gets into full swing, and he brings his ex-wife (Greene) to Dallas for what amounts to a distressing, seemingly pointless stroll down memory lane.
- 40Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonTalk Radio, despite its collective intensity, is itself just another unenlightening late-night call-in session.