Year of Release: 1987
Director: James L. Brooks
Starring: William Hurt, Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, Robert Prosky, Joan Cusack, Lois Chiles, Jack Nicholson, Peter Hackes, Christian Clemenson, Ed Wheeler, Stephen Mendillo, Kimber Shoop, Leo Burmester, Gennie James
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:
After the celebrated and award winning "Terms of Endearment", Writer/Producer/Director James L. Brooks returned with another winning film, the very well received "Broadcast News". The film takes place in the arena of broadcasting and news reporting, and centers itself around three main characters: Tom Grunik, a handsome but filled with self doubt anchor, Aaron Altman, a talented correspondent and Jane Craig, a news producer. While Aaron and Jane have worked together for quite some time, and Aaron has secretly kept a crush for her during that time, their relationship changes once Tom gets hired into their office. Tom represents much of what Jane in particular despises: showmanship without depth (or knowledge), without conscience, ultimately manipulating audiences to elicit a response. They also have a strong personal chemistry between each other, and as they try to navigate the world of news, and their own personal relationships, Jane has to decide if pursuing that potential relationship is worthy of her giving up on her principles and all she has always stood for.
James L. Brooks has always been able to write terrific characters, ones that are deeply humane, where they can't be easily categorized, since they're essentially multi-dimensional. "Broadcast News" is the perfect example of that, where all these three leads, while vying for each other's attention also showcase where their vulnerabilities and insecurities lie, and some even show how far they'll go in the pursuit of their own ambitions. These characters aren't judged or labeled "good" versus "bad": they're just characters navigating life, trying to make sense of it, and ultimately making decisions based on where they stand as individuals with principles, ethics and morals. It's a film that has warmth, humor, sexiness, and allows for the situations to fully expand, not shying away from awkward or even confrontational moments. It also has a terrific cast, led by the fantastic William Hurt, with iconic turns by Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks, with the always phenomenal Joan Cusack and Jack Nicholson showing up for fantastic support. The cinematography from the late Michael Ballhaus is impeccable, as is the score from Bill Conti. A modern classic, always worth revisiting.
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