The plot is cliched. In fact I could have sworn I have seen it many many times before. It is almost "Mad City" except it is better. It is the story of a hostage who has been aired for 36 straight days and has become a celebrity. His most famous quote is S.F.W. or So F***ing What. The worst thing that I could see about the movie was its language, and if the bleeps were not there on the parts that were supposed to be on television, I would swear that this had the most F-words and any other swearing than even Goodfellas. But, it did not bother me.
This movie stresses me, and it should. It is about what the media was when the movie came out. Instead of the mind-controlling media that it is currently, see "Mad City," it used to be fickle, and still is a little, and change with the public. One day the media could hate the pres and the next it could love him for the same action. This is instead of trying to force everybody to hate the pres.
The movie is a little confusing because of the editing. It starts with day 36 of the crisis, and then moves forward. We only see the crisis in flashbacks. You never learn what the terrorists are about, and it does not really matter. What does matter is that they held Spab and Wendy hostage for 36 days and aired every minute on TV.
This is pure Gen-X stuff. But, it is good for everybody else if you can get past the language. It actually has something to say about society and how everybody is sheep. They all follow everybody else without knowing why. They change at the drop of a hat. And they all want a piece of the leader.
This is not really a comedy, and not really an action or drama. It is non-conformist which is good. Watch this movie, and you will automatically mull it over. Then, watch it again. You won't see everything the first time around. This is a high-rate film, but a it has low points. 8/10