Good Night, and Good Luck Review
by news.west.earthlink.net (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)October 25th, 2005
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
One of the most controversial and most often referenced events of the last century in the U.S. was the hearings that gave birth to the dreaded word of "McCarthyism." GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK chronicles the successful attempt by "See It Now" host Edward R. Murrow to bring Senator McCarthy down. In probably the year's most wildly overrated movie, director George Clooney takes an extremely exciting piece of history and sucks all of the life out of it. The movie is about as flat as the Pillsbury Doughboy after being run over by an 18-wheeler.
The movie does work at times, thanks only to its extensive use of archival footage, especially the clips of McCarthy making a fool out of himself in front of a camera. In a performance which undoubtedly will earn him an Academy Award nomination, David Strathairn takes great pains in getting Morrow's unusual speech cadence just right. The movie itself is a real smokefest, which again is very authentic. And the film works hard in getting the costumes and the tacky 1950s furniture just perfect.
Murrow, who had been famous and revered ever since he did his "This is London" radio broadcasts during World War II, hated McCarthy and used his "Set It Now" program to call attention to McCarthy's slimy tactics. But it was Murrow's more popular "Person to Person" programs that really earned him his salary. He is shown in one of them, interviewing Liberace and asking him when he was going to get married.
One of the interesting parts of the story shows how concerned that Murrow and all the rest of the people at CBS news were with opinions of other journalists about "Set It Now." A negative opinion by a single newspaper journalist is claimed to have driven one of the television newscasters to commit suicide. Of course, until the advent of cable and the internet, network television had been used to having one consistent political philosophy, even if the advertisers and upper management might have some reservations about the opinions expressed.
Although most critics are heaping praise on GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, calling it one of the best films of the year, I found it at best okay. What it did do was remind me of what an overlooked and excellent actor David Strathairn is and how much I would love to see an in-depth documentary on McCarthy.
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK runs 1:33, but feels more like three hours. The film is in black and white. It is rated PG for "mild thematic elements and brief language" and would be acceptable for all ages, although most would be bored.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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