Review of Good Night, and Good Luck.

It's not all that often that you get a movie made about journalism.  You may see a reporter or two in movies nowadays, but they're almost always chasing fictional mysteries or made into smarmy, sensationalistic villains.  And while much of our news media today may sensationalize and/or slant for ratings or political reasons as well as bow to corporate and governmental pressures, this film demonstrates the power that “true” journalism can have and the ideals that help to define it.  Good Night, and Good Luck is a movie about real journalists and real journalism.  As you can plainly see, I loved this movie.  That's probably partially attributable to my education as a journalist, but as a movie-lover, I can honestly say that’s it’s not just the subject matter that drew me in.  This is a very well made film.  I think the highlights by far are the writing and the performances.  Every actor in Good Night, and Good Luck was wonderful.  The film kind of plays as an ensemble piece, despite focusing mainly on Edward R. Murrow, fantastically portrayed by David Strathairn.  I don’t think there’s a shaky performance from anyone.  And the writing is simply superb.  It’d be hard to find a wittier and more intelligently written script this year.  George Clooney and Grant Heslov would certainly have my vote for an Oscar nomination.  The film’s visual style is somewhat constrained – almost always on a tripod with lots of tight shots and longer lenses used – but it’s loose at the same time, panning freely from character to character for most of the picture.  To be honest, I was slightly put off by this at first, but it kind of grew on me as the story unfolded.  There’s almost no music in the film, except for a few period jazz songs “performed” in the CBS studio.  It’s an interesting way to incorporate a little melody into the mix.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of George Clooney’s directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.  While I found that film only somewhat interesting, I think Clooney made leaps and bounds of progress with Good Night, and Good Luck.  The way the story unfolds is always captivating, though I must admit – the lack of attention brought to the final blow made by Murrow and company against McCarthy took me by surprise.  I expected more fanfare for some reason.  As it is, though, McCarthy’s tumble is shown in the archival footage which is used throughout the film, while Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly, played by Clooney, are told that “See It Now” is being moved to a new timeslot and slowly phased out of CBS’s lineup.  Still, the exposition is effective, and I suppose it’s admirable that Clooney didn’t hype up the climax as an event that was for the most part, just another newscast.  Good Night, and Good Luck is a great film and in my opinion, one of the best films of the year.  4 stars.

Number rating: 94

Last edited by Al (Wed Dec 21 05 1:07 pm)