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Broadcast News
1987
James Brooks directs this satirical comedy about three ambitious TV newscasters. Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a rising anchorman, has plenty of on-camera savvy, personality and good looks but little in the way of brains. He may be dumb as a doornail but Tom's got the star presence his network needs. Then there's Aaron Altman (.. Read more
| Starring | William Hurt, Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, Robert Prasky |
|---|---|
| Director | James L. Brooks |
| Genres | Drama |
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Broadcast News
James Brooks directs this satirical comedy about three ambitious TV newscasters. Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a rising anchorman, has plenty of on-camera savvy, personality and good looks but little in the way of brains. He may be dumb as a doornail but Tom's got the star presence his network needs. Then there's Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), a less than good-looking newsman, who's dedicated, diligent and down-to-earth. Aaron would love to be an anchor but he freezes up the moment he's in front of the camera, sweating profusely. Smart news producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is excellent at her job but has difficulty handling the pressure. Can these workaholics mask their personal quirks long enough to jump-start their professional lives
| Starring | William Hurt, Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, Robert Prasky |
|---|---|
| Director | James L. Brooks |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 7 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 19 Apr 2004 Production year: 1987 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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It's Drop the Dead Donkey, stateside, as the self-serving natures of three Washington-based TV journalists form the focus of James L Brooks's sweet-and-sour comedy of superegos pursuing serious news, but ending up with spurious glamour. Undervalued William Hurt, as a newscaster who can bring phoney tears to his eyes, is one apex of a romantic triangle; the underused Albert Brooks, as a seasoned investigator, is another. But it's Holly Hunter, as the hard-nosed producer and object of their attentions — long before her Oscar-winning role in The Piano — who really provokes the sorrow and the pity of lives at the mercy of their careers, forever info-surfing and -searching.
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Writer/director Brooks is knowing about the wisecracks, back-stabbings, political shifts, and innate decencies of the... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Broadcast News - give us 133 minutes and we'll give you the world
People talk about how TV news has introduced the 'soundbite' culture - nothing over 15 seconds, nothing complicated.
But Broadcast News is the most old-fashioned type of film; a proper film about proper characters.
Compared to most films nowadays it looks slow - and if it were made today, it would look very different. But that's its charm. Its view of the television news world contains plenty of interesting truisms about the industry. But this is a film about the characters.
And there are great performances here - Holly Hunter is note-perfect as the behind-the-scenes producer; William Hurt good enough as the camera-friendly anchorman; Albert Brooks very good as Hurt's polar opposite, a man with integrity and intelligence but tragically all at sea in front of the autocue. But most of all it's a good script, by James L Brooks.
You'll see the name James L Brooks and it'll ring a bell; where have I seen that before? It probably sticks in your mind as James 'Hell' Brooks - because that's what he calls himself in the Halloween episodes of the Simpsons. He's one of the main people behind one of the smartest television programmes ever - and it shows in this quiet, subtle, unassuming, but thorough and involving film.
Overall? In a world where most films are tabloid, here's a broadsheet. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Is American TV Journalism really like this?
Scary! If this is based on real American TV Journalism, then it goes a long way to explaining the dire quality of their news output!
Nevertheless, a good film with an unpredictable (at least for me!) ending. -
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James Brooks directs this satirical comedy about three ambitious TV newscasters. Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a rising anchorman, has plenty of on-camera savvy, personality and good looks but little ... -