[4]

George Clooney directs, co-writes, and co-stars in this examination of famed broadcast newsman Edward R. Murrow’s attempts to thwart McCarthyism at CBS. David Strathairn brings his usual nonchalance to the role of Murrow. Clooney plays his right-hand man, Fred Friendly. McCarthyism was scary and Murrow’s victories were important, but Clooney keeps Good Night, and Good Luck so restrained, it teeters on becoming a snooze fest. Clooney’s decision to keep this controversial subject so subdued is puzzling. The soundtrack is sparse, but when it comes into play it’s the music you’d hear while falling asleep in your beer at a night club around three in the morning. Strathairn is a wonderful actor, but his even keel is yet another factor contributing to the monotonous tonal plateau of the film. While I love black and white photography, here it serves as just another tool of restraint, insurance that absolutely nothing in the movie ‘pop’. The supporting cast is tremendous — Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella, Ray Wise — but none of them have enough screen time to leave much of an impression. There’s a dead-end subplot involving Patricia Clarkson and Robert Downey Jr.’s secret marriage, and while those characters threaten to be the most interesting thing about Good Night, and Good Luck, their story is wholly tangential the film. I know this flick was Oscar-bait and I feel like I should appreciate it more, but dammit — I was bored.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Strathairn), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction