Editing Weapons of Mass Distraction

{{distinguish|Weapon of mass destruction|Weapons of Mass Distortion}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image          =Weapons of Mass Distraction.jpg
| image_size     =
| caption        =
| director       = [[Stephen Surjik]]
| producer       = Sean Ryerson
| writer         = [[Larry Gelbart]]
| narrated       =
| starring       = [[Gabriel Byrne]]<br>[[Ben Kingsley]]
| music          = [[Don Davis (composer)|Don Davis]]
| cinematography = [[Alar Kivilo]]
| editor         = [[Zach Staenberg]]
| released       = {{Start date|1997|05|17}}
| runtime        = 100 min
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         =
}}
'''''Weapons of Mass Distraction''''' is a 1997 television film directed by [[Stephen Surjik]] and written by [[Larry Gelbart]], about two media moguls and their fight over ownership of a professional [[American football]] team. The film starred [[Gabriel Byrne]] and [[Ben Kingsley]], with an ensemble supporting cast including [[Illeana Douglas]], [[Mimi Rogers]], and [[Jeffrey Tambor]].

The film was nominated for four awards at the [[49th Primetime Emmy Awards]], including [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special]] for Gelbart.

==Plot==
Lionel Powers and Julian Messenger are filthy rich men with vast media holdings and dirty family secrets. They play dirty as well, fighting for control over a professional football team in [[Los Angeles]] with every weapon at their disposal. Powers' bid attracts particular controversy since he intends to retain ownership of a successful football club in [[Tucson]]. During [[United States Congress|Congressional]] hearings, U.S. Senator Billy Paxton makes his objections to the obvious [[conflict of interest]] clearly known.

As the billionaires ruthlessly scheme and squabble, they wreak havoc on the lives and careers of thousands of people. Powers is particularly unscrupulous as he specifically targets a number of well-known individuals. Among his targets is not only Senator Paxton, against whom he carries an obvious grudge, but also far less "culpable" individuals such as children's television presenter Robin Zimmer and plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathon Cummings, whose lives are upended merely because Powers is convinced this will serve (or eliminate a perceived threat to) his interests.

Among the everyday people affected is Jerry Pascoe, who loses his well-paying job as a consequence of wider cost-cutting moves by Powers. As the Pascoe family struggles to make ends meet, Jerry's marriage with his wife Rita becomes strained due to Jerry's continuing inability to find and hold jobs as menial as cleaning stadium restrooms and selling peanuts.

After Powers and Messenger fail to resolve their differences in a secret face-to-face meeting, the wealthy characters continue to blackmail one another as homeless people look for handouts. The exposure of tabloid-worthy secrets of lives of Powers' wife Ariel and right-hand man Alan Blanchard lead to dire consequences for all. Although Blanchard is privy to the intimate details of Powers' most embarrassing personal secret, he opts for suicide instead of revenge after his downfall.

In spite of all of his ruthlessness, the propects of Powers' Los Angeles bid look increasingly dim until he is able to procure details of the Messenger family's darkest and most damaging secret. Once Powers discreetly divulges his knowledge to Messenger, Senator Paxton quickly brokers an uneasy compromise in which the feuding moguls agree to share ownership of the Los Angeles football franchise.

In the meantime, the marriage of the Pascoes turns [[tragicomedy|tragi-comically]] from a terrible climax to fodder for reality TV.

==Cast==
* [[Gabriel Byrne]] as Lionel Powers
* [[Ben Kingsley]] as Julian Messenger
* [[Mimi Rogers]] as Ariel Powers
* [[Jeffrey Tambor]] as Alan Blanchard
* [[Illeana Douglas]] as Rita Pascoe
* [[Paul Mazursky]] as 	Dr. Jonathon Cummings
* [[Chris Mulkey]] as Jerry Pascoe
* [[R. Lee Ermey]] as Billy Paxton
* [[Caroline Aaron]] as Robin Zimmer
* [[Jason Lee (actor)|Jason Lee]] as Philip Messenger

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0120487|title=Weapons of Mass Distraction}}

{{Stephen Surjik}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weapons Of Mass Distraction}}
[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:1997 television films]]
[[Category:1997 drama films]]
[[Category:American business films]]
[[Category:American football films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Don Davis (composer)]]
[[Category:Films about businesspeople]]
[[Category:Films about competitions]]
[[Category:Films directed by Stephen Surjik]]
[[Category:HBO Films films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Larry Gelbart]]
[[Category:1990s business films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]


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