Rating: 
Summary: Boomers
Review: I can't see watching this movie more than once every few years at the most. The three main characters here (Hunter, Hurt, Brooks) are why I won't be reaching for my checkbook real fast when the Boomers hit old age. Each of the three are self-obsessed, gazing at their navels and using an increasingly superficial profession as a reflection of their "value system". Hunter and Brooks seem to think network news is a valuable resource worth saving - because they work there, and decades of identity and illusions are wrapped up there. Hah! Read a magazine, journal, or book... and know that network news has nothing to offer except a quick sampling of what's fed to the "masses." And the three main characters do the feeding. I felt no tension that news "standards" were being driven down by Hurt or anyone else. What else is new?! Okay, so maybe the film and Hurt's character are a metaphor for Reagan -- reading the teleprompter and grudgingly accepted by media due to looks, charm, a certain talent, and popularity. And I guess Hunter and Brooks are metaphors for integrity, mixed with being career-minded and unsatisfied... and how hard is it for really smart people to fit in, not to mention be popular? So is the public so dumb (from the movie view) that they prefer Hurt's smooth, simple, and "mythy" to Brooks-esque brains or Hunter-esque integrity?
3 stars for raising all these questions... and that I can't help but like Hunter... and that it's so smart... and a sign of the times.... And not a fourth or fifth star because these characters (I lump as Boomers) are unlikable, deeming the romantic triangle boring... and the film is no Network (yes, unfair comparison). If you like media themed movies, I'd recommend Wag the Dog, with its great extras and director commentary.
Rating:
Summary: Boomers
Review: I can't see watching this movie more than once every few years at the most. The three main characters here (Hunter, Hurt, Brooks) are why I won't be reaching for my checkbook real fast when the Boomers hit old age. Each of the three are self-obsessed, gazing at their navels and using an increasingly superficial profession as a reflection of their "value system". Hunter and Brooks seem to think network news is a valuable resource worth saving - because they work there, and decades of identity and illusions are wrapped up there. Hah! Read a magazine, journal, or book... and know that network news has nothing to offer except a quick sampling of what's fed to the "masses." And the three main characters do the feeding. I felt no tension that news "standards" were being driven down by Hurt or anyone else. What else is new?! Okay, so maybe the film and Hurt's character are a metaphor for Reagan -- reading the teleprompter and grudgingly accepted by media due to looks, charm, a certain talent, and popularity. And I guess Hunter and Brooks are metaphors for integrity, mixed with being career-minded and unsatisfied... and how hard is it for really smart people to fit in, not to mention be popular? So is the public so dumb (from the movie view) that they prefer Hurt's smooth, simple, and "mythy" to Brooks-esque brains or Hunter-esque integrity?
3 stars for raising all these questions... and that I can't help but like Hunter... and that it's so smart... and a sign of the times.... And not a fourth or fifth star because these characters (I lump as Boomers) are unlikable, deeming the romantic triangle boring... and the film is no Network (yes, unfair comparison). If you like media themed movies, I'd recommend Wag the Dog, with its great extras and director commentary.
Rating: 
Summary: A great, all-around movie
Review: I rented this movie after being told by a reviewer that it was a better exploration of the three-way love affair than "Keeping the Faith" and since I loved "Keeping. . ." I decided to give it a try.Besides being a great story about unrequited love and what happens when the emotions between 3 people get tangled, it's a great story regarding broadcast journalism and workplace comedy. The pace of the movie, particulary the scenes inside the workplace, is quick, and the side story of boy loves girl who loves someone else is fantastic. This movie cemented Holly Hunter as one of my favorite actress (you must see her in "Living Out Loud" and "Home for the Holidays") and Albert Brooks (as the guy who loves her) plays his character as goofy with an underlying seriousness -- I was completely charmed by his performance. But the best part of this movie is the ending, which I won't discuss, except to say that it's one of the few movies where I walked away feeling everything worked out EXACTLY as it should (i.e., not your typical romantic ending, but a satisfying one nonetheless). In sum, definately a must-see movie.
Rating:
Summary: So True to Life....Perfect Research
Review: I saw this movie for the first time 7 years ago when I was a freshman in highschool. Now that I'm working in the newsroom of a network affiliate I have come to realize just how real to life this movie is. Whoever researched the script on this either worked in television news or spent a lot of time in a newsroom. If you want realism...this is it. Especially the scene where Joan Cusak is running with a video tape (one of the funniest scenes, but also one of the most accurate). I can tell you, that in just the first few weeks of working in a news room I had run like that countless times, and been totally bowled over by someone doing the same twice. A must watch for anyone interested in the business.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful
Review: I should say that I really enjoyed the movie. This is a kind of movie that you will enjoy watching with your girlfriend. Also it is a great movie if you have a beer and watch it alone and think about the relationships. It is not the type of movie you watch before a footbal game or with your friends who think money and alcohol are the MOST important things in their lives. This movie should touch your soul:)
Have fun watching it.
Rating:
Summary: Not that sappy; but definitely that good!
Review: Much to recommend here: skewering of style-obsessed media; brutally funny script ("Well, I certainly hope you'll die soon."); note-perfect performances from lead (esp. Brooks) to supporting (esp. Joan Cusack) cast; etc. What really makes this movie special, however, is how it allows the main characters to be soulless jerks when the pressure's on! Jane unflinchingly sends a rival for Tom's affections to Alaska. Tom crosses the line on ethics and hits the career jackpot. Meanwhile, Aaron's barbs--single fat ladies, members of the cabinet, the big joke--are effective primarily because of their gratuitously cheap-shot nature. It's refreshing to confront a film that does not ask us to empathize with unrealistically good and decent folks. Despite the "happy" ending, the characters' humanity is found in their very real shortcomings. Very well done!
Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorites
Review: Romantic comedies don't get much better than this! "Broadcast News" focuses on three likeable, interesting people trying to decide what they think of each other in the midst of the controlled chaos of a national TV newsroom. William Hurt shines as a rising star reporter, being groomed for an anchor slot, who knows he isn't bright enough to understand the news he's reporting. Albert Brooks is, well, Albert Brooks, always a delight to watch, and here very effective and funny as the antithesis of Hurt's character: a sharp and intelligent reporter who doesn't exactly exude charisma on camera. It is Holly Hunter's portrayal of a frenetic, neurotic producer which steals the show, however, as her character is torn between her high professional ideals and her attraction to a man who is himself the very "style over substance" she finds so threatening. An enjoyable time with people you'd like to have as your friends, even if they'd sometimes drive you crazy.
Rating:
Summary: Real news verses entertainment...
Review: The media as purveyors of sensational 'news' in the spirit of good 'salesmanship' and entertainment as opposed to actually reporting unbiased, important events and issues to inform the public, that is journalism, as it was meant to be, is represented in this charming and witty film from the genius of James L. Brooks. (Terms of Endearment, As Good as it Gets) To be fair, some television news organizations attempt to report important events as they happen, avoiding sensationalism, the need to entertain, and maintain a modicum of integrity. But television news is more and more about the dazzling visual, the shocking three- minute sound bite between the all-important advertisements. This film cleverly addresses the question on what is 'real' news and what 'sells'. In the past we sort of had a clue or at least a choice as to what news source was credible, i.e., tabloid-ism and/or serious journalism. It all seems now to be blurred - sensationalism, gossip, opinion, selling and the so-called 'facts' of an event or issue has now appeared to all have melded together in the pursuit of market share and the almighty dollar. The character, Tom, (William Hurt) is a striving newsreader, and after reading sports at a local station, manages to land a job at one of the big networks. He is a little slow, can't write, and wouldn't know a real story if it dropped on his head, but he's good looking, personable, can at least read, and above all, has the innate ability to sell the birds off the trees. Here is the new force in television journalism - news anchor as television star. Then there is Aaron, (Albert Brooks) the reporter's reporter - brilliant, serious, idealistic and wholly uncharismatic in the popular sense. Although a writer with Pulitzer Prize ability, he attempts to read the news one Sunday night and almost drowns in his own flop sweat. Aaron is not a newsreader but a true writer and investigative journalist, a man who believes in the integrity of his profession. Then, of course, there's Jane, (Holly Hunter) a highly-strung, also brilliant, obsessive news producer, who shares this same idealistic integrity about journalism as her co-worker and best friend, Aaron. The film is about these three diverse and colourful individuals, who are drawn together for the same reasons, ambition and the news, but whose ideas about the news, their values concerning integrity, at least for one, are so different. This film is also about love, relationships and how the passionate desires of the heart do not necessarily match the logic of the head. At the time of it release, this film was acclaimed as the best romantic comedy to come out in years. It continues to be enormously entertaining and the issues it raises are relevant today. The film truly depicts the world of television news, how its standards have slowly dropped from reporting the events and issues to entertaining us with gossip, sensationalism and that all-important dazzling visual - news is now about entertainment and selling. This is a film that should be pulled from the shelf occasionally and watched to remind us about integrity, maintaining a high standard in our values, and what great movie making is all about. Five Stars.
Rating:
Summary: Intellegent and Clever Comedy!
Review: This is a great behind-the-scenes inside-look at the news, and a great character study. Great performances by the three leads, Holly Hunter is as great as always, William Hurt brings warmth and intelligence to an other-wise hollow character and Albert Brooks gives one of the best and funniest performances of the 80's. James L. Brooks wrote an extremely clever screenplay with nicely-drawn characters. Inmensely entertaining and funny, while not a laugh-out-loud comedy, it has drama and a bit of romance. Great stuff. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!
Rating:
Summary: A Stupendous Movie / Aaron Altman Was A Twinkie
Review: This is a great movie, explaining why Rolling Stone Magazine named it one of their Top Ten Films of the 1980s. The behind-the-scenes portrayals of newsroom activities and personnel are pricelessly entertaining and interesting, though I have no way of knowing whether it was realistic. I do know, however, that some of the plot details which touched upon journalism principles and practices were substantively accurate, thus it's appropriate to extend some credence to the rest of the material. The character Aaron Altman, however, was an absolute simpering sniveling twinkie pantywaist from the word Go, and it's no wonder a dynamo like Jane Craig (albeit she was a tad flaky) kept finding other guys upon whom to focus her attraction. And William Hurt's anchor-star Tom was a fine snapshot of the sorts of fifty-dollar-haircut, five-dollar-brain men our major broadcast TV networks put in the anchor spots for their evening news programs. Hurt completely nailed that role to the wall.
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