Good Night, And Good Luck poster & wallpaper

Alex Borstein, David Strathairn, Frank Langella

In the mid-1950's Edward R. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, help bring an end to the tyranny of the blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee's anti-Communist hearings. With the...( read more  read more... ) platform provided by his CBS News program "See It Now," Murrow challenges Joseph McCarthy on his claims that hundreds of avowed Communists are working covertly as Soviet spies in the U.S. government, among other allegations, and that they have the power to destroy lives and careers.

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72% liked it

35,770 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

207 critics

PG, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: George Clooney

Release Date: October 7, 2005

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DVD Release Date: March 14, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (6,453)

  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    This is a story about how the world changed drastically in the 1950's. It?s subtle but this is one of the biggest things to have happened in the last 100 years. Government used to rule but now the press does, you can?t help but think that this story has a lot to do with that. Do ...( read more)you think Clooney released this during the problems in Iraq on purpose? I think this film says a lot more than you might think. It?s also beautifully filmed with some great performances.
  • sononothing
    April 5, 2009
    sononothing
    I'm sorry but the guy that was the crappiest Batman in history shouldn't be directing films this good. George Clooney has outdone himself with Good Night and Good Luck. The film is the story of Edward R. Murrow (David Stathairn) and his staff going on the offensive against Sen. E...( read more)ugene McCarthy's communist witch hunt.

    This film is Strathairn's film. As Murrow he is absolutely brilliant, puffing away at camels while trying to be above the mindless bickering and the decline of news and information to the likes of the $64,000 Pyramid. Murrow is the Babe Ruth of TV newsmen and Stathairn's performance captures that on screen. Clooney joins the fun as Murrow's producer Fred Friendly giving us a fine performance.

    After watching this film I wonder what Murrow would think of todays television with its partisan tickers scrolling on screen and women impregnating themselves to get on Dr. Phil. Yep, probably a good thing he's dead.
  • FangsFirst
    January 19, 2009
    FangsFirst
    I'm terrible at seeing Best Picture contenders. This is amusing only if one considers that I'm actually interested in them. This film was nominated four years ago, and only now have I gotten around to seeing it. Sure, there are plenty I haven't seen nominated forty years ago (or ...( read more)even seventy years, for that matter, hell, eighty), but I was alive, conscious and interested in film when this was released. I still haven't seen two other films from 2005 nominated (the winner, Crash, and Munich, and actually I've not seen all of Brokeback Mountain), nevermind 2004, 2006 or 2007. This is even despite the fact that things like McCarthyism fascinate the hell out of me--injustice perpetrated by the gloryhounds, overly powerful and the bigoted is a weakness of mine to see condemned. I did not go in knowing much about Edward R. Murrow, especially in light of my age, being far too young to have seen or heard the actual broadcasts for which he is known.

    Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) is speaking before the Radio and Television News Directors Association in 1958, leaving no confusion as to his feelings about the state of the television news industry. A slow fade brings us back to 1953, as Junior Senator from Wisconsin Joe McCarthy (played by himself in stock footage throughout) is at the height of his fame and notoriety, propagating what would later be known as "McCarthyism," his Communist witch-hunt in the United States Government. In a meeting with his coproducer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) and the writers for CBS News, Murrow brings up the case of Milo Radulovich, who had been ousted from the Air Force for refusal to denounce his father's alleged ties to the Communist Party. CBS Chief Executive Bill Paley (Frank Langella) is reluctant to air something that could risk damage to corporate sponsorship and government relationships, but reluctantly agrees to allow Murrow to air the program. The Air Force is displeased, but positive response encourages further shows--and encourages Murrow to take an open stand against McCarthy's methodology. Behind Murrow, writer Joseph (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Shirley Wershba (Patricia Clarkson) attempt to hide their illicit marriage from their coworkers, while fellow journalist Don Hollenbeck suffers by association, slammed by Hearst's Jack O'Brian, begging Murrow to defend him. Murrow is relentless though, and takes on the bill-paying celebrity interviews to supplement his ethics-driven journalism.

    I was always surprised when I discovered the running time of this movie--it's rare, these days, for a Best Picture nominee to run at only an hour and a half, but this film does. It's also less common for films to choose black and white and succeed on this without driving motivation being related to budget. It was a decision apparently made around the decision to keep McCarthy appearances purely from stock footage (thus requiring that all images be black and white, because those were), and it works. It doesn't seem pretentious or artificially chosen, it seems simply like a natural choice. The running time also doesn't seem to be an improper choice, however short it is in the modern age. The story is told economically, efficiently and with great care and skill. I've seen the other film Clooney had directed at that point (with Leatherheads subsequently added to his credits, but remaining unseen), and was quite surprised and delighted by the film, but recognized far more of Charlie Kaufman in it than Clooney.

    This time there was not a clear identity, but it was brilliantly assembled, with interesting transitions from scene to scene. Usually a slow fade to black and an abrupt return to image would mark a shift in scene, but it is never jarring. The more interesting ones are the montages that are placed between the sessions where a show is discussed and where it is aired. They don't feel like standard, run-of-the-mill montages, being somewhat more measured and interesting, probably enhanced by a slow jazzy score that brings down the pacing of such short cuts to make them feel more full. This kind of filming was interspersed with scenes that were filmed as reality, from speeches and words taken directly from Murrow's real life (including his actual address of the RTNDA), and with dialogue overlapping in an Altman-style. The sound is carefully engineered to bring the narratively important conversations into the forefront without sacrificing background noise and conversations completely, maintaining the feeling of a real news office (even if some of us, say, haven't ever seen such a thing). Most interestingly for the sound, the music is primarily live singing by Dianne Reeves and a small jazz combo doing standards, and this is occasionally used like some dialogue as a sort of "voice-over" through transitions to tie two scenes together. This kind of care in assembly is the kind that can melt my heart to a film and make me truly appreciate the interest, effort and desire to create that so obviously was put into this film.

    Strathairn's nomination for Best Actor was absolutely deserved, with my brain failing to recognize him and instantly associating him with the identity of Murrow despite having never seen Murrow before. I often found myself thinking of the character onscreen as the man instead of an actor portraying him, and even the more openly famous cast members easily ingratiated themselves to the idea of losing themselves in the background to Strathairn's Murrow, with Downey showing none of is typical quirks and Clooney never dominating, always working equally with Strathairn but easily taking on the command that the real colleagues claimed Friendly had, especially when he is seen dealing with the Air Force Colonels who visit to express displeasure with the Radulovich story. This, though, is where the film shines--even Strathairn's excellent performance doesn't draw attention to itself as a performance, just like Downey's, Clarkson's, Langella's or Clooney's. It enhances the film, rather than detracting, to have it filmed in this way that emphasizes the events, the images and the dialogue over all else, but with the dialogue and events carefully snipped, placed and stretched to fit exactly with the flow of the film. I am utterly impressed with Clooney's direction, and with the script he and Grant Heslov put together--as well as the original words of Murrow and his colleagues.

    Truly an excellent film.
  • smith44
    December 13, 2008
    smith44
    Historical Journalism At It's Best. An historical story of one man's struggle against evil, 'The only thing for evil to prevail is if good men do nothing'. A film that is neither Left nor Right, but rather about good journalism. The ultimate quest for TV to be informative not jus...( read more)t entertaining.
  • ironclad1609
    October 28, 2008
    ironclad1609
    Georgle Clooney's second film as a director gathers an excellent cast to tell the story of the CBS news team that took down communist hunter McCarthy in the 50s. Shot in black and white and almost filmed like a theater piece, mixed with real footage from back then, this is a rath...( read more)er calm and slow film, delivering powerful arguments between the political opponents. In the end it's a bit anticlimatic, but still interesting to see and with important messages concerning the power of journalism and free speech. I just expected a bit more.
  • mattbass83
    October 31, 2009
    mattbass83
    Solid screenplay, solid acting, great story. They really pulled this off, I thoroughly enjoyed it. George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr. the whole cast is great, I recomend it.
  • youthagainstfascism1
    October 21, 2009
    youthagainstfascism1
    great, engrossing if you are interested in such subject matter
  • Gaijindesu
    October 11, 2009
    Gaijindesu
    I was kind of hoping for some more direct conflict in this. Overall it was interesting but some parts were overly long and a little boring.

    Then they'd cut to this old-timey singing which I had very little interest in hearing, so I fast forwarded through it.

    It had the singing...( read more) several times, and everytime I was going: O_o wtf??? TELL ME ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED!

    Anyways, I've discovered I'm not a big fan of Clooney's direction...
  • allformat
    October 8, 2009
    allformat
    Doesn't go overboard and try to do too much. Clooney kept it fairly straightforward, matching Ed Murrow's character. For a black and white film, it has beautiful tones of gray. It ended a bit abruptly. I would have loved it had there been more of any part.
  • acknowledge101
    October 5, 2009
    acknowledge101
    simple and effective. good job clooney.

View All Good Night, And Good Luck Reviews

Critic Reviews

February 7, 2006
Kurt Loder, MTV

An admirable film; it tells an important story, and it's stoked with obvious conviction. full review

October 28, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Good Night, and Good Luck may be simplified history, but it's almost consistently well-crafted. full review

October 21, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Clooney's message is clear: Character assassination is wrong, McCarthy was a bully and a liar, and we must be vigilant when the emperor has no clothes and wraps himself in the flag. full review

October 14, 2005
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

As an actor, George Clooney is often compared with vintage stars like Cary Grant, but with his latest work he aligns himself with history's great directors. full review

October 14, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

See it, to see what the news once was -- and to see what movies can be. full review

October 7, 2005
David Edelstein, NPR's Fresh Air

A passionate and rousing piece of filmmaking -- a civics lesson with the punch of a good melodrama. full review

October 7, 2005
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

The most engaging, gripping and compelling movie of the year full review

September 30, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

In ninety-three tight, terrifically exciting minutes, Clooney makes integrity look mighty sexy. full review

September 23, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

This is serious grown-up entertainment with a sense of history and a sense of style, the kind of picture almost no one knows how to - - or, perhaps more accurately, can find the means to - - make anym... full review

September 22, 2005
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

George Clooney's film about the CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow is a passionate, thoughtful essay on power, truth-telling and responsibility.

View more Good Night, And Good Luck reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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  • This actor directed Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck.  Answer »
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