''Confirmation'' is a 2016 American television

political thriller film A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...

, directed by Rick Famuyiwa and written by Susannah Grant. It is about Clarence Thomas' 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 Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Belize in the Broadway production of ''Angels in America'', for which he would win a Tony Award, and its HBO miniseries adaptation, for which he would ...

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a n ...

, and Eric Stonestreet in supporting roles. The film aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

on April 16, 2016.

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 The subpoena to Angela Wright, another accuser of Thomas, is withdrawn.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) *

as Charles Ogletree * Eric Stonestreet as

Kenneth Duberstein Kenneth Marc Duberstein (April 21, 1944 – March 2, 2022) was an American lobbyist who served as U.S. President Ronald Reagan's White House Chief of Staff from 1988 to 1989. Early life and education Duberstein was born to a Jewish family in Br ...

, former White House Chief of Staff * Kristen Ariza as

Judy Smith Judy A. Smith (born October 27, 1958) is an American crisis manager, lawyer, author, and television producer. She is known as the founder, president, and CEO of the crisis management firm Smith & Company. Her work in crisis management is the in ...

White House Deputy Press Secretary The White House Office of the Press Secretary, or the Press Office, is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to three principal groups: the President, the White House staff, and the media. The Office is headed by the White House ...

. *

as John Danforth, U.S. Senator (R-MO) * Zoe Lister-Jones as Carolyn Hart, aide to Senator Biden *

Grace Gummer Grace Jane Gummer (born May 9, 1986) is an American actress. She received a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of '' Arcadia''. Her television work includes recurring roles in '' The Newsroom'' and '' American Horror ...

Ricki Seidman Ricki Lynn Seidman (born August 24, 1955) is a prominent Democratic political adviser, government official, and activist. Seidman is nationally recognized for her involvement in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Robert Bork, Clarence Th ...

, 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 Virginia "Ginni" Thomas ( Lamp; born February 23, 1957) is an American attorney and conservative activist. In 1987, she married Clarence Thomas, who became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991. Her conservativ ...

, Thomas' wife * Malcolm Gets as Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator (R-PA) *

Peter McRobbie Peter McRobbie (born 31 January 1943) is a Scottish-born American character actor, best known for his roles as John C. Twist in the 2005 romantic drama film ''Brokeback Mountain'', Mike Sheenan in the 2006 action film '' 16 Blocks'', Pop Pop Ja ...

Alan K. Simpson Alan Kooi Simpson (born September 2, 1931) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party, who represented Wyoming in the United States Senate (1979–97). He also served as co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibil ...

, 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 Patricia Nell Scott Schroeder (born July 30, 1940) is an American politician who represented Colorado in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Schroeder was the first female U.S. Repres ...

, U.S. Representative (D-CO) * Frank Hoyt Taylor as

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Prior to his 48 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South Caro ...

, U.S. Senator (R-SC) * Matthew Hennessy as an aide to U.S. Senator

Joseph I. Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vi ...

Production

Casting

On March 12, 2015, it was announced that Kerry Washington would star as Anita Hill in an

television film. Washington's role on ABC Network's hit television show ''Scandal'' was loosely based on

, who appears as a character in the film. On April 28, Wendell Pierce was cast as Clarence Thomas. On May 12, Eric Stonestreet joined as

. Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Hudson, and

were reported to have joined the cast as Joe Biden, Angela Wright, and Charles Ogletree, respectively, on May 29. On June 5,

and Treat Williams were added, to respectively portray John Danforth and Ted Kennedy. Later that same day, Erika Christensen, Cobie Smulders, Dylan Baker, and

were announced as cast as Shirley Wiegand, Biden aide Harriet Grant, Orrin Hatch, and

, respectively. On June 16, Kimberly Elise, Kristen Ariza, and Malcolm Gets joined the cast, as Sonia Jarvis,

, and Arlen Specter, respectively. On July 2, Daniel Sauli was cast as

Mark Paoletta Mark Paoletta is an American attorney who notably served in roles in the Donald Trump administration. From January 8, 2018 to January 20, 2021, Paoletta served as general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to this, Paolet ...

. 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).

Filming

Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14, 2015, and was completed on July 24. 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." 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 The Civil Rights Act of 1991 is a United States labor law, passed in response to United States Supreme Court decisions that limited the rights of employees who had sued their employers for discrimination. The Act represented the first effort since ...

).HBO’s series about the Anita Hill–Clarence Thomas hearings proves that scandal plus time equals riveting TV
Slate April 15, 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Confirmation (film) 2016 television films 2016 films African-American films African-American biographical dramas Cultural depictions of Joe Biden Drama films based on actual events Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams Films set in the 1990s Films shot in Atlanta Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) Films with screenplays by Susannah Grant HBO Films films Films directed by Rick Famuyiwa 2010s feminist films American drama television films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films