The Last Debate
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Eamon Zekkou
Maggie Huculak
Shelly Peterson
Charles B Rangel
David Dreier
Reg Dreger
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Four journalists change the course of American history by influencing a presidential debate to favor the candidate they think should be elected. Based on the novel by Jim Lehrer.It's less than two weeks before the presidential election and the polls show a dead heat. After months of negotiation, presidential candidates Republican pundit Richard Meredith and Democratic Governor Paul L. Greene have finally agreed to debate each other on live television. They have chosen popular political columnist Mike Howley to be the moderator of the debate and his co-panelists to be political magazine writer Barbara Manning, TV anchorwoman Joan Naylor and radio reporter Henry Ramirez. Just 24 hours before the debate, Howley is presented with damaging allegations regarding one of the candidates. With no time before the debate to check the veracity of the accusations, do the panelists use the information?With the cameras rolling and millions of people watching, Howley, Naylor, Ramirez and Manning throw away the predetermined ground rules of the debate. They unleash a barrage of questions aimed at Meredith, accusing him of a pattern of physical violence involving his wife, his daughter and others formerly in his employ. A stunned and outraged Meredith storms off stage, but not before hurling a microphone and threatening the panelists.In a landslide decision, Greene is elected President of the United States, his victory the direct result of his opponent unraveling on national television. Suddenly, the four panelists have become instant celebrities. Only Howley has chosen to shun the limelight, refusing to explain the actions of the panel other than that they felt their duties as patriotic citizens overrode their roles as journalists. Howley's reluctance to talk does not sit well with Tom Chapman, a contributing editor for "The 5th" magazine. He thinks the public deserves to know more than they've been told. Chapman's got a lot of questions he wants answers to as he attempts to get the real story behind the debate.
Cast
Maggie Huculak
Shelly Peterson
Charles B Rangel
David Dreier
Reg Dreger
Peter Gallagher
Bryan Renfro
James Pinkerton
Leslie Carlson
James Garner
Robin Ward
Jake Tapper
Colin Fox
Chris Gillett
Fred Barnes
Lawrence Dane
Eleanor Clift
Bruce Gray
Lynn Vogt
Ed Queffelec
Dorian Harewood
Nancy Harewood
Richard M Davidson
Valerie Williams
Stephen Young
Audra Mcdonald
Eamon Zekkou
Don Ritchie
David Brooks
Frank Luntz
Sharron Matthews
Terry Mcgurrin
Doug Murray
Djanet Sears
Marco Sanchez
Brendan Connor
Barbara Gordon
Martin Doyle
Ann Marin
Denis Akiyama
Mark Shields
Albert R Hunt
Michael Riley
Susan Molinari
Barry Flatman
Tim Rykert
Gail Roberts
Sanjay Talwar
Peter Kosaka
Annabelle Torsein
E J Dionne Jr.
James Warren
Laura French
Paul Begala
John Badham
Donna Murphy
Chuck Campbell
Jenny Kim
Nicky Guadagni
Robert Novak
Peter Donaldson
Martin Roach
Paul A Gigot
Judah Katz
Patrice Goodman
Brenda Robins
Vanessa Vaughan
Kiki Mclean
Crew
Fred Barnes
Paul Begala
Paula Bolela
David Brooks
Jennifer Buck
Eleanor Clift
Robin D. Cook
Cammie Crier
E J Dionne Jr.
Robert Ditchburn
David Dreier
Alex Dukay
C J Fidler
Eric Fraser
Lisa Freiberger
Michael Gibson
Paul A Gigot
David K Grant
Ben Mark Holzberg
Fritzi Horstman
Albert R Hunt
Etheline Joseph
Norayr Kasper
Norayr Kasper
Jim Lehrer
Jim Lehrer
Frank Luntz
Jon Maas
Jon Maas
Laurie Mclarty
Kiki Mclean
Diane Minter Lewis
Susan Molinari
Frank Morriss
Gary Mueller
Robert Novak
Richard Parker
James Pinkerton
Marlene Puritt
Charles B Rangel
Alexander Reda
Charlene Roberson
Arthur B. Rubinstein
Ridley Scott
Tony Scott
Mark Shields
Michael Spicer
Brent Spiteri
Brent Spiteri
Jake Tapper
Joanne Tickle
Anton Tyukodi
Catherine Viot
Jane Walker
Jane Walker
James Warren
Evan Webber
Debra Weinfeld
Trevor Wiens
David J Woods
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Aired in United States November 5, 2000
Aired in United States July 23, 2002
Completed shooting July 28, 2000.
Began shooting June 26, 2000.
