Taking Chance
Updated: 12/20/2025, 12:29:07 PM Wikipedia source
Taking Chance is a 2009 American historical drama television film directed by Ross Katz, from a screenplay by former U.S. Marine officer Michael Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same title kept by Strobl, who also served as military consultant. Kevin Bacon's portrayal won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, among others. Taking Chance premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2009, and aired on HBO in the United States on February 21, 2009. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics. At the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, it earned ten nominations, such as Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Bacon, and won one for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie.
Infobox
Genre
Historical drama
Written by
mw- Michael Strobl Ross Katz
Directed by
Ross Katz
Starring
Kevin Bacon
Composer
Marcelo Zarvos
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
Executive producers
Brad Krevoy Cathy Wischner-Sola Ross Katz
Producer
Lori Keith Douglas
Cinematography
Alar Kivilo
Editors
Lee Percy Brian A. Kates
Running time
77 minutes
Production companies
Civil Dawn Pictures Motion Picture Corporation of America
Network
HBO
Release
January 16, 2009 (2009-01-16)
Tables
· Accolades
2009
2009
Year
2009
Award
Humanitas Prize
Category
90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television
Nominee(s)
Michael Strobl and Ross Katz
Result
Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards
Online Film & Television Association Awards
Year
Online Film & Television Association Awards
Award
Best Motion Picture
Category
Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Kevin Bacon
Category
Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Ross Katz
Category
Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Michael Strobl and Ross Katz
Category
Nominated
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Nominated
Best New Titles Sequence in a Series, Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best New Titles Sequence in a Series, Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best New Titles Sequence in a Series, Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Nominated
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Nominated
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Year
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
Award
Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Emmy Awards
Award
Outstanding Television Movie
Category
Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischner-Sola, Ross Katz, William Teitler, and Lori Keith Douglas
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Year
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Award
Kevin Bacon
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie
Year
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie
Award
Ross Katz
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie
Year
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie
Award
Michael Strobl and Ross Katz
Category
Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Award
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie
Category
Dan Leigh, James Donahue, and Ron Von Blomberg
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Main Title Design
Year
Outstanding Main Title Design
Award
Michael Riley, Dru Nget, Dan Meehan, and Bob Swensen
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Year
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Award
Marcelo Zarvos
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie
Year
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie
Award
Lee Percy and Brian A. Kates
Category
Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special
Year
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special
Award
Rickley Dumm, Frank Gaeta, David Grant, Tim Boggs, Catherine Harper, Chris Moriana, and Johnny Caruso
Category
Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie
Year
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie
Award
T.J. O'Mara and Rick Ash
Category
Nominated
Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards
Year
Satellite Awards
Award
Best Motion Picture Made for Television
Category
Nominated
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Year
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Award
Kevin Bacon
Category
Nominated
Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Year
Sundance Film Festival
Award
Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Category
Ross Katz
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Television Critics Association Awards
Television Critics Association Awards
Year
Television Critics Association Awards
Award
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
Category
Nominated
2010
2010
Year
2010
Award
American Cinema Editors Awards
Category
Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television
Nominee(s)
Lee Percy and Brian A. Kates
Result
Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Awards
American Society of Cinematographers Awards
Year
American Society of Cinematographers Awards
Award
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television
Category
Alar Kivilo
Nominee(s)
Won
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Year
Cinema Audio Society Awards
Award
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries
Category
T.J. O'Mara and Rick Ash
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards
Critics' Choice Awards
Year
Critics' Choice Awards
Award
Best Picture Made for Television
Category
Won
Directors Guild of America Awards
Directors Guild of America Awards
Year
Directors Guild of America Awards
Award
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries
Category
Ross Katz
Nominee(s)
Won
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Year
Golden Globe Awards
Award
Best Miniseries or Television Film
Category
Nominated
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Year
Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
Award
Kevin Bacon
Category
Won
Producers Guild of America Awards
Producers Guild of America Awards
Year
Producers Guild of America Awards
Award
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
Category
Lori Keith Douglas, Ross Katz, Brad Krevoy, and Cathy Wischner-Sola
Nominee(s)
Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Year
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Award
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
Category
Kevin Bacon
Nominee(s)
Won
Writers Guild of America Awards
Writers Guild of America Awards
Year
Writers Guild of America Awards
Award
Long Form – Adaptation
Category
Michael Strobl and Ross Katz
Nominee(s)
Won
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 2009 | Humanitas Prize | 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television | Michael Strobl and Ross Katz | Won | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Kevin Bacon | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Ross Katz | Nominated | |||
| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Michael Strobl and Ross Katz | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Titles Sequence in a Series, Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Television Movie | Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischner-Sola, Ross Katz, William Teitler, and Lori Keith Douglas | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie | Kevin Bacon | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie | Ross Katz | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie | Michael Strobl and Ross Katz | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie | Dan Leigh, James Donahue, and Ron Von Blomberg | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Main Title Design | Michael Riley, Dru Nget, Dan Meehan, and Bob Swensen | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) | Marcelo Zarvos | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie | Lee Percy and Brian A. Kates | Won | |||
| Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special | Rickley Dumm, Frank Gaeta, David Grant, Tim Boggs, Catherine Harper, Chris Moriana, and Johnny Caruso | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or Movie | O'Mara and Rick Ash | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Kevin Bacon | Nominated | |||
| Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | Ross Katz | Nominated | ||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television | Lee Percy and Brian A. Kates | Nominated | |
| American Society of Cinematographers Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television | Alar Kivilo | Won | ||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Miniseries | O'Mara and Rick Ash | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Picture Made for Television | Won | |||
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries | Ross Katz | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Kevin Bacon | Won | |||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Lori Keith Douglas, Ross Katz, Brad Krevoy, and Cathy Wischner-Sola | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | Kevin Bacon | Won | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adaptation | Michael Strobl and Ross Katz | Won | ||
References
- Blackfivehttps://web.archive.org/web/20040602211146/https://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/04/taking_chance.html
- Metacritichttps://web.archive.org/web/20090225140233/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/shows/takingchance/
- Rotten Tomatoeshttp://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taking_chance/
- Baltimore Sunhttps://web.archive.org/web/20210702205621/https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2009-02-hbo_taking_chance_marines_iraq-story.html
- Slant Magazinehttp://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/review/taking-chance
- Wall Street Journalhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123698771319725901
- Gates, Robert. Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2014). In Chapter 9: New Team, New Agend
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/us/politics/john-kelly-son-trump.html
- Humanitas Prizehttps://www.humanitasprize.org/prize-winners
- Online Film & Television Associationhttp://www.oftaawards.com/television-awards/13th-annual-tv-awards-2008-09/
- Emmys.comhttps://www.emmys.com/shows/taking-chance
- Satellite Awardshttps://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/2009/
- 2009 Sundance Film Festival Archived 2014-04-14 at the Wayback Machine sundance.orghttp://history.sundance.org/events/842
- "Television Critics Association Awards Celebrate 25th Anniversary"https://web.archive.org/web/20120327162048/http://tvcritics.org/2009/08/01/television-critics-association-celebrates-25th-anniversary-at-awards-ceremony/
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2010/01/nominees-for-editors-ace-eddie-awards-22118/
- "Past Nominees & Winners"https://theasc.com/asc/awards/past-nominees-winners
- "THE WINNERS AND NOMINEES FOR THE CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING FOR 2009"https://web.archive.org/web/20111001095235/http://www.cinemaaudiosociety.org/casawards/cas2010nominees.php
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hurt-locker-tops-critics-choice-19589/
- Directors Guild of America Awardshttps://www.dga.org/Awards/History/2000s/2009.aspx?value=2009
- HFPAhttps://www.goldenglobes.com/tv-show/taking-chance
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2010/film/awards/pga-unveils-nominations-1118013317/
- Screen Actors Guild Awardshttp://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/16th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards
- "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2009 Awards Winners"https://web.archive.org/web/20150512181500/http://www.wga.org/wga-awards/previous-nominees-winners.aspx