Broadcast News

Name: Broadcast News
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: December 16, 1987
Duration: 133 min
Rating: 84
Cast: Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, William Hurt

1987

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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Broadcast News

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: December 16, 1987 | R

Starring: Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, William Hurt

Summary: Tom Grunick, 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, a less than good-looking newsman, who's dedicated, diligent and down-to-earth. Aaron would love to be an anchorTom Grunick, 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, 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. Spunky, smart news producer Jane Craig 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? (20h Century Fox)… Expand

Director: James L. Brooks

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 133 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

Broadcast News has a lot of interesting things to say about television. But the thing it does best is look into a certain kind of personality and a certain kind of relationship. Read full review

100

Michael Blowen

Broadcast News grows in your memory. It recalls an era when movies were made by, for and with three-dimensional characters you cared about. Let's hope it doesn't take James L. Brooks another four years to make another one. We can't wait that long. [25 Dec 1987, p.53]

Sheila Benson

Broadcast News is so diabolically clever that you rather expect it to be heartless, in the way that so much surface cleverness can be. No such thing. Heartless is the wrong word for this movie: It's insightful and understanding and marvelous fun, while giving up none of its thoughtfulness. [16 Dec 1987, p.1]

Gerald Nachman

Love has become a tired movie theme, but rarely is it relegated to a subplot as it is in Broadcast News. That's just one of the reasons that makes James Brooks' ingenious film a different sort of movie. Another is how it subtly reveals the complex mingling of work lives and love lives, showing how they feed each other and, indeed, feed off each other, careers devouring entire relationships in hungry 30-second sound bites. [10 Jan 1988, p.17]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

A film whose "TV movie" feel is at once incredibly appropriate and a notable drawback, Broadcast News is nevertheless worthy adult entertainment. Read full review

Vincent Canby

Mr. Brooks's screenplay overstates matters both at the beginning of the film and at the end, with a prologue that strains to be cute and an epilogue that is just unnecessary. In between, however, the movie is a sarcastic and carefully detailed picture of a world Mr. Brooks finds fascinating and also a little scary. Read full review

Jay Scott

I'll personally toast the buns of anybody I hear saying anything good about the movie Broadcast News. Broadcast News is for boobs. It doesn't apply to us. Anyone who thinks otherwise is invited not to think, because thinking is for statues. [16 Dec 1987, p.C5]

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User Reviews

LeoTs3181983

Sep 5, 2010

William Hurt,Albert Brooks,and Holly Hunter are what makes Broadcast News the masterpiece it is.William Hurt, Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter are hilarious. It's a great movie. Don't miss it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

MovieGuys

May 2, 2014

Broadcast News is more of a character study of about 4 news people in their professional and personal lives than an expose about how life in the news is run, but the movie works. It is at times hilarious, although a bit overrated.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Nov 5, 2016

Broadcast News was a great satirical film when it first came out in 1987 and this still applies 29 years later in 2016. This a real testament to both how news has always been bad and the accuracy of the criticism tossed at the news. A truly biting satire, Broadcast News takes a look atBroadcast News was a great satirical film when it first came out in 1987 and this still applies 29 years later in 2016. This a real testament to both how news has always been bad and the accuracy of the criticism tossed at the news. A truly biting satire, Broadcast News takes a look at ethics, entertainment, and "real journalism", as well as the role of each within the news. The end result is a funny and truly witty film with terrific acting and writing.

Led by William Hurt in the acting department, Hurt's Tom Grunick is a moron. Yet, he is charismatic and knows how to read the news well. Thus, he rises quickly within the news world and women trip over themselves to meet him. Grunick, however, is clueless as to what causes his success and has no idea what he is doing minute-by-minute. Hurt expertly captures this aloof quality of the character and it is the basis on which his entire performance is based. In every moment of his life, Grunick is lost and a mere look at Hurt's face clues you into the degree of his confusion. This is why his performance is so good.

As producer Jane Craig, Holly Hunter is also tremendous, however. The exact opposite of Grunick, Jane is the smartest person in the room. She knows it and expects everyone else to know it, yet she finds it burdensome that she can be so overbearing to those around her. There is also a significant chip on her shoulder for being a woman in a man's world, which certainly shows. Through Jane, writer/director James L. Brooks explores what it is like for a woman entering this scenario and Hunter really brings her to life. At every turn, she feels as though she is being challenged or tested by those around her and the end result is a certain neurosis she appears to be plagued by. It is as if she is about have a mental breakdown due to the chaos she attracts due to her demeanor. Hunter does a great job balancing the brilliance of Jane with her challenge to fit into this unknown world.

Albert Brooks is also quite good, though often upstaged here. Yet, he really shines through in one scene with Jane in which he expresses his feelings for her. Here, Brooks reveals the true nature of his character, Aaron Altman. Always the smartest in the room as well, Altman is unlike Jane in that he never fulfilled his potential. He was book smart, but not street smart. As the opening shows, he has always said the wrong thing at the wrong time, no matter how old he was. He certainly expects the world to cater to him and he is not afraid to show it, even when it comes to Jane. Yet, his brilliance is clear and he is very talented at his job. Brooks does a great job at making the character truly funny at times, especially with his delivery. At the same time, he balances this terrifically with his superiority complex at work and inferiority complex in love.

The romance here is also incredibly well developed, even if there is no pay-off, which is fine. Though the characters have incredible chemistry, the film would have been disingenuous if it had that big pay-off at the end of every romantic film. Tom Grunick is a jerk. Aaron Altman is a jerk. Jane is better off on her own without either of them and James L. Brooks is not afraid to end his film in this fashion, which certainly takes a lot of guts in the world of film. However, much like her approach to journalism, Jane must stay true to herself and not compromise her own values for the sake of somebody else. This shines through and even if it feels unsatisfying because we have been trained to expect a certain thing from romances, it is the correct ending for the film.

Funny and full of criticism of the news media, Broadcast News is a terrifyingly true film, both in its criticism of the journalists in this country and of romance.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

pgmark

Dec 16, 2010

Great movie and lots of fun. Albert Brooks is hilarious as are the others. I have watched it many times unlike most movies I see.... says something to me right there.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Compi24

Jan 9, 2014

If one's looking for a charming, quirky, romantic dramedy with an unbelievable performance from Albert Brooks, "Broadcast News" is that movie and more. Yet another winner for James L. Brooks.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Apr 14, 2022

I think I'd wrongly assumed this would be more of a drama than a rom-com. It didn't interest me very much. There are some cringey moments relating to the female colleague - how the male colleagues talk to and treat her. I was hoping for more of a thoughtful look at the nature of press andI think I'd wrongly assumed this would be more of a drama than a rom-com. It didn't interest me very much. There are some cringey moments relating to the female colleague - how the male colleagues talk to and treat her. I was hoping for more of a thoughtful look at the nature of press and media interest but this doesn't contain much of that. There are some mildly amusing moments but it didn't really interest me for the most part. No, I wouldn't recommend it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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