Monday, November 23, 2015

Broadcast News (1987)


This film is a mess. It wants to be a cute romance while also being brutally honest about how our heart will often lead us down a path our brain knows to be wrong. It also wants to be an indictment of the ethics in TV journalism, but it stops short of having a real villain. At more than two hours it is far longer than any comedy should ever be. It also wants to be both witty and broad at the same time. It wants to be everything. And somehow it sort of succeeds.

Most films this ambitious end up missing every single target. While never managing a real bulls-eye, this film somehow manages to at least graze every target it was aiming for. It might not be a masterpiece, but it is certainly a joy to watch. 99% of that is due to the phenomenal cast. Just like in network news, likability goes a long way.

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