Going into this movie I thought it wouldnt be my cup of tea, the plot wasnt very interesting to me, but I said i'd give it a try anyways, I shouldve sticked with my first instinct. Im not gonna say it was a bad movie, it just wasnt my type of movie, I just couldnt get into it. The movie was well acted and I give Clooney props for actually making a movie like this, I mean you dont see a movie like this everyday, but in the end it just didnt appeal to me, sadly.

Grade - No Grade, just will say if you watch the trailer or hear what the movie is about and arent interested in the subject but still wanna give it a chance because of the great reviews, i'd suggest just staying away.

haven't looked up the truths of this movie but as the movie stands.

McCarthy having some dirt in his past stopped him from carrying on for years to come.

It was pretty scary the power he had and what he and others did.

Good Night, and Good Luck is a fascinating account of the battle between courageous newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy. It shows certain parallels of paranoia between the McCarthy era of the 1950s and our world today. David Strathairn eerily channels Murrow, right down to his trademark drone. It's the kind of performance that wins Oscars. My one complaint with this film is that I felt it could've been a little longer and added a tad more depth. This is an important film that everyone should see. A-

That's been my only concern with it, and it's the reason I don't think it or A History of Violence will go very far with academy voters. Strathairn is only a possibility in my mind, so I'll have to wait to see it to have a better idea. (and I hope I get to see it soon!)

Meh. Its got a very monotone delivery, and I don't mean that as a bad thing. It was appropriate for the movie, but what it meant was, any longer and people would begin squirming. I was surprised it came in at the time it did, but wasn't bothered by it too much. They tried to convey the rush of the moment. If they'de had any more shots of cigarette smoking nervous breakdowns, it would have been another Civil Action type movie. The redundancy would have been a headache. They included what they needed to to, since this was not, in fact, about the downfall of McCarthy nearly as much as it was a request that movies, television, and media remain vigilante, responsible, and cover material that will compliment rather than distract citizens from the world around them. It was effective in doing that. Ten minutes more maybe wouldn't have hurt, but I wouldn't have gone on for dramatically more time.

If Strathairn gets a nod I will be happy. He was very stiking in the film.

Loved it. I think it's perfect.

Took me a little while to get into the story, but once I was in, it was fascinating. The tone and the mood are great. The performances are perfect to the point where you feel you are watching a documentary. There is no hint of performing. I mean, people are chatting and interrupting each other, and you have trouble hearing clearly what everybody is saying, just like in a real office. The little complaint I have is that I wish it is longer and gives more depth to the entire story. I was really into it and wanted to learn more about that episode of history.

A-

George Clooney has directed two films thus far and both films are about television personalities on the opposite end of the spectrum from each other. One deals with the king of filth and that downfall of decency on television, the other deals with a man trying to preserve one of the true purposes of television journalism. The films are connected in many, many ways.

The interesting thing about Good Night and Good Luck is that it answers its critics in the first 20 minutes of the film. Murrow sits down and tells (Jeff Daniel's character) that sometimes the news should editorialize and that sometimes there is truly only one side of an argument. Most of us in 2005 would agree that McCarthy was wrong. Even his supporters, who agree with the general fear around communism, would agree that his methods went beyond legality. Clooney makes an obvious parallel to the current state of US politics here.

What Good Night and Good Luck does not do, which Confessions did with relish, is delve into the personal life of Murrow and most of his associates. It makes a brief detour with Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson's characters in what looks to me like an attempt to set up that Clarkson's character may be a communist/have communist connection and doesn't want her husband's career to suffer, although it turns out differently. However, this is not a bio-pic. This is an event-centered picture that highlights the behind the scenes drama on the See It Now. As such, it is quick paced and requires that the audience member have significant knowledge of the politics and era it is set in. It helps the film get to deeper territory faster.

Clooney has faith enough in the archival material to let it speak with him, in fact, a good 50% of the information presented in the piece is either through archival evidence or Murrow's transcripts performed wonderfully by David Strathairn. There is a long section of film which focuses on the transcriber that worked in the Pentagon Code Room. It appears to be the uncut first seven questions from the hearing. It's powerful stuff, that speaks volumes. Like an episode of See It Now, the George Clooney directed drama sometimes feels like Murrow on See It Now, a monologue that exists to guide viewers to the next piece of footage.

It's also brave that McCarthy's prescence in the film is completely made by archival footage, there is no actor hired to play him in the film.

I could go on and on about the presence of cigarettes and advertising and how that did effect Murrow (in the film at least) and about how he definately walked the line between journalism and marketing himself... he wasn't clean. I haven't even addressed the music, the costumes, the sets, and the brilliant cinematography. The windows that line and reflect the televisions in the offices...

Overall, it's a powerful and relevant film. I think everyone should see it after they learn a little about McCarthy and what was going on in the early 1950s.

Wasn't made for me.

C

The story of 50's TV journalist Edward R Murrow's quest to expose Senator Joe McCarthy's red threat scam makes for a entertaining and informative spin through recent history. Actually, it plays just like it is about current politics, which it actually is, except for the fact that now the media is fully co-opted into the scam - so there is no modern day Murrow to expose the villains. Trying to talk to everyday folks about this, however quickly shows how many people have bought into the latest version of this fear mongering. The 50's design and film effects were spot on, and the acting was seamless. It almost seems like a documentary. Anyone who wishes to see that everything old is new again might want to check this movie out...

5 out of 5.

Good Night, and Good Luck is a brilliant film from director George Clooney, who sharply and concisely tells the story of maverick broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow, who is played note perfect by David Strathairn, in what should garner him an Oscar nomination. The whole piece is wonderful shown, as the CBS broadcaster and his team go hard after Senator Joseph McCarthy during the famed McCarthy era.

The film was more entertaining than it might appear on the surface, as David Strathairn is backed up by a fine supporting cast, featuring the likes of George Clooney, Frank Langella (looking very Bela Lugosi-ish with white hair, I might add), Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and Jeff Daniels, and some quaint humor throughout the movie. I particularly got a kick out of the fact that everybody knew Downey Jr. and Clarkson were married, even though they tried to hide it because CBS didn't allow employees to get married to eachother.

It was a very well done period piece, from the wardrobe to the styles of furniture, to the fact that just about everyone smoked, with smoking being accepted in waiting rooms and work places with no complaints. I haven't smoked for years, and I was almost craving one, and that's the way it was back in the day, before medical studies showed that smoking was what was causing many people to have health problems and die prematurely.

In the end, Murrow's broadcasts were a victim of the TV ratings wars, as more and more people started preferring entertainment instead of "propaganda" styled news reports, and the rest as they say is history. This was an extremely well made and well shot film in all aspects, and if it would have been just a bit longer, I think it would be a serious contender for Best Picture.

A-

Agreed, I don't making longer would have been better, but I say this alot now. Alot of hte films i have nejoyed lately, i enjoyed them because they new when the end, and they didn't dwell were it wasn't required. The entire Clarkson/Downey Jr storyline could have been cut, but both actors did so well I didn't mine and it didn;t take up much screen time.

Perfect. GNGL is, hands down, the best movie of the year to date. Full review coming later.

A.

i liked it. A
glad it was in black & white.

God, I reallllly want to give this a B+, but I know that it deserves an A-. Kudos to the cast for being so spot on with their performances, and to the crew for giving the movie an incredible sense of time and history. I think I should have seen it on it's own and not after coming out of Capote though, as that film's raw power and elegance may have eclipsed Good Night and Good Luck's strengths. As is... I'm gonna give it that A-, although I think a second viewing would be a very good idea considering I didn't get as into the movie as I normally would have.

as ive mentioned, i have a strange fixation with modern black and white films, so i was definitely really looking forward to this...

and i really cant complain...content wise, its one of the finest of the year.

my only complaint, for now, is the contrast...perhaps it was this theater (but i doubt it, great theater)...it just seemed far, far too "black and white". i dunno. like its a colored film greyscaled...the whites were to white, the blacks to black...the greys too grey. not much of a complaint, per se, but the brights and darks kinda turned off my eyes (in the begining, to the point of headache and tiredness)...

i dunno...just...yknow.

A

As soon as I saw the trailer with all those 'smoky newsrooms' and typewriters and that black and white cinematography, I knew I was going to love this. It didn't disappoint.

I loved the relationship between Murrow and Friendly. It's so understated, yet we can feel the history and camaraderie between them. Wonderful.

Furthermore, as soon as it was over, I immediately wanted to start a 4-pack-a-day smoking habit.

awesome awesome awesome movie! i didn't want to see it because i hate george clooney but i had to due to all the awards attention.

really well made! and the the guy who plays ed burrows did an awesome job!! the best actor race is truly a great race this year...


loved the jazzy music, the pace, the political message and how it resonates with current events.

Only criticism is that I must have missed something but I don't get the relationship netween Robert Downey Jr and Patricia Clarkson.. was this just in there to provide some distraction from the main plot?

A-

A good film that told the story well, but turns out to be not that great.

Clooney made a lot of admirable choices by using original footage and sticking close to the original story, but in doing so he made the proceedings a teeny bit dull. It's a damn good political film, but as entertainment it's a bit... meh.

B-

A-

A really great film. I was actually surprised that although it's a film of this type of genre, it still managed to keep me entertained and involved throughout. It also goes rather deep, and it Clooney lets you into the mindset of Murrow. This is particularily highlighted near the end, when one of the main characters commits suicide, due to the recent turn of events. Brilliant direction by Clooney of course, and the acting was top notch on the behalf of Straitharn, Clooney, Langella, Downey Jr.(who was actually realllyyy good. I was not expecting that from him), Clarkson, Daniels, Donavan, you name it. The entire ensemble sparkled, and like xiayun said it felt like a real newsroom with real people with the way they interacted with each other and such. Cinematography, top-notch. I felt that if it had just a bit more zing and fire, it could've entered masterpiece area. Unfortunatly it didn't, but it was still a fantastic film. And I didn't mind the length one bit, I felt they wrapped things up nicely and everything came together in a satisfying way. I thought one of the best scenes in the movie was at the very end, with Clooney and Straitharn walking through the halls discussing their upcoming shows and such. It was very reminiscent of the classic send-offs in classics like Casablanca, among others. Overall, the movie just misses my top 10 of 2005 list, as it sits at #11 as of now. But yes, this is a film that I recommend everyone should most definitley see.

What a bore. Though elegantly filmed and edited, Clooney fails to deliver with this one. Of course, everyone's loving it, because it dares to make a statement for freedom of the press and every critic wants to be an upright journalist who changes the world. They could do a movie about a porn producer, sell it as a statement for freedom of the press and get enthusiastic reviews for it (oh wait, they've done that already).
Beside its great look and the nice implementation of jazz tunes, there's not much substance. The movie drags along without getting the main story resolved. Instead Clooney gives us a sidestory about two secretly married journalists, which has absolutely no connection to the main story. Its sole purpose is to get the runtime up to 90 minutes. Clooney never manages to tell a straight story, sidesteps here, sidesteps there, before returning to his main focus. The result is an uneven picture that, had it been about anything else than freedom of the press, no one would talk about being an Oscar frontrunner. Go get yourself the Controversial Classics Vol. II on DVD (All the President's Men, Network and Dog Day Afternoon) instead of watching this style, but not enough substance flick...

C+

I have to agree with half of the reviews. I think the film is well-made, and well-acted (Strathairn, obviously), but I wasn't as engaged in the film as I would have hoped.

Grade: B/B-

That's funny. I didn't think it was nearly as much about Freedom of Press as it was a scathing criticism of how media and the public is frivolous, isolated, and self-congratulatory. Murrow opens with an achnoweldgment his activity will be his downfall not because he'll trample politician's toes, but because ultimately his audiance, and media conglomerates, would rather be watching celebrities talk about their new luxury houses.

I'm with you here, but it's hard to think of the whole movie as a "scathing criticism." In parts it feels like a twist on the classic underdog story (with a different tone, etc), which makes it easier to see the Freedom of Press point.