Review

Review Date: 23-October-05
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

"Good Night, and Good Luck." is essentially a reminder more than a story, but writer/director/actor George Clooney makes it a potent one. Playing TV producer Fred Friendly (a name so goofy you know it's real), Clooney stars opposite David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow, the CBS newsman who challenged Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s. In demonstrating how McCarthy's fanatic hunt for communists led to the unjust persecution of American citizens, Clooney clearly invites the audience to compare that era with the present day and to identify Murrow as the type of hero this country currently needs. It's a message wrapped up in a history lesson, complete with funny old clips and newsreels, yet it stands as entertainment thanks to smart acting, a good soundtrack, and wonderful black-and-white cinematography.

One thing that surprised me (in addition to the length and breadth of McCarthy's eyelashes) is a recurring reference to television's responsibility to offer conscientious and meaningful journalism. As someone who stopped watching TV a couple years ago out of sheer disgust, I tend to forget that it was ever or could ever be regarded as a medium for positive social change. Leave it to Clooney, the son of a reporter who owes his career to TV, to keep the faith in the potential of this mighty institution. (A recent study showed that the average American household watches over eight hours of television a day.) Seems to me that the hope for responsible TV is wishful thinking at best, but it would be hard not to acknowledge the value and power of movies such as this.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.