 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Good Night, and Good Luck
- Review Date: March 12, 2006
- PG
- Genre: Drama
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Compelling political drama won't engage most kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this drama includes some mild language and nearly non-stop smoking (Murrow's addiction is well known). The notorious Senator Joseph McCarthy appears in news footage, condemning people as "communists" in the HUAC hearings and on television, based on spurious or no evidence. A husband and wife employed by CBS must hide the fact of their marriage because it's against company policy. Coworkers drink at a bar after work. During Murrow's interview with Liberace, the famously gay pianist talks about wanting to find a good woman, something of an inside joke. A journalist is so unnerved by accusations that he's a communist that he kills himself (off screen, but other characters react to the news).
What's the story?
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK is George Clooney's admiring portrait of Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Murrow first appears in 1958 accepting an award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association for his remarkable work as a journalist, then cuts back to 1953, just as Murrow's measured, sustained response to McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee is getting underway. Murrow and See It Now producer Fred Friendly (Clooney) decide to air a story on a Navy pilot dismissed following false accusations by McCarthy that he's a security risk. The show, and Murrow's introduction and closing thoughts, catch McCarthy's attention, and CBS president William Paley (Frank Langella) calls him into his office and arranges a punishment: fewer documentary/opinion broadcasts and more episodes of Person to Person, the mostly celebrity interview program that Murrow detested. The film takes up a specific moment in Murrow's career -- his public battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy -- it sets up an opposition between righteousness and fear. But it also shows the political and cultural contexts for this opposition.
Is it any good?
Elegant, deft, focused, and shot in exquisite black and white, the film is partly reverential, partly probing. As Murrow reads from his award acceptance speech, you realize that this work is not only investigative or even resistant to the powers that be, but gorgeously written. If you come away from Good Night and Good Luck with nothing else, you will come away with renewed appreciation for luminous prose.
Selected images from the HUAC hearings are often riveting, as when McCarthy accuses Annie Lee Moss of being a communist, a charge so patently baseless that a committee member finally demanded that McCarthy and lawyer Roy Cohn produce proof of the charges. More artificial and so more provocative are inserts of jazz singer Dianne Reeves; apparently recording in a CBS studio some standards that comment on the action. While artists -- and here, no coincidence, a black woman artist -- might have and even pronounce insight into the bluesy world we all inhabit, the folks in the upper floor offices don't hear it.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the basic moral and political issues the film raises. What is the news media's role with regard to government corruption, error, and cover-up? How does the film incorporate images of black women -- one in footage being grilled by McCarthy, and another singing in a CBS recording studio -- as comments on the abuse of power by white authorities?
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AGE
Great movie
I'm a huge film buff, but I'm not afraid to admit that old movies DO bore me. Not all of them, I loved Psycho, Touch of Evil, etc. but some of them (especially the black and white ones) just make me feel tired.
This movie is filmed just like an old movie, probably because movies were old (and in black and white) when this film took place. But I found it interesting (once you got into it) and a great historical peace to talk to your children about when they're, say, 11 (if they find it interesting, which few will)
Although the movie features extensive smoking, you've got to hand it to Clooney: he made a movie that only some teens and adults are interested in, and he got it a PG rating, and no sex or violence even though he easily could have done that and gotten an R rating. We need more people like that in Hollywood.
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AGE
this is not for kids to see its for adlut or for teens only.
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AGE
Best film of the year, but not for young kids
Superb acting (especially by Strathairn, whose portrayal of Murrow is spot on), a fascinating, inspiring story, stylish cinematography (in B&W), and sumptuous jazz/blues music make this film a must see. For me, what put this movie over the top was its poignancy. Its themes of the evolving role of TV in our lives, social consciousness, civil rights, a govt that sees dissention as the same thing as disloyalty, are as relevant today as they were in the 1950s. The only reason I recommend this movie for older kids is attention span. While we have discussed many of these issues with our own kids (7 and 8), I just don't think they could've lasted through nearly 2 hours of talking heads, and to them the eloquent elocution would have just been a lot of boring "big words". However, what a wonderful history and civics lesson for your 5th graders or older!
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AGE
very well made and intellectual
great movie but you would have to be a politics lover to under stand the concept and villain, any one who says that taking someone down with force is the only answer is horribly mistaken
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AGE
A Complex and Interesting Portrayal of 50s Journalism...
When I learned that George Clooney directed this film, I was eager to see it. I had read positive reviews about it online.
I am glad I saw it. It was enticing and interesting; the script was decent and the acting excellent. But I didn't come away feeling wuite fufilled. The lessons of 50s history and the power of honesty are timeless and valuable, but I walked away wishing there was more to it. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty darn good movie, and George Clooney was impressive in his writing, acting, and directing, but I expected more.
Language is really the only issue in the movie, and it's mild. There are two "hells" and two "godd**ns". There is no sex, and no on-screen violence, though you hear brief talk of a troubled journalist who committed suicide. Everyone in the film smokes almost constantly and they drink a bit too, but smoking/drinking isn't promoted.
It's an impressive movie. It's okay for kids 11 and up, but the plot, despite the slow pace of the film, moves moves fast and it can be hard for kids to keep up.
Not a masterpiece or anything, but recommended.
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AGE
Revisionist History Lesson Continues
The facts are that many people in Hollywood in the '30s and '40s were, indeed, members of the Communist Party.
They were using their celebrity status to further an ideal that has cost many millions of people their lives, and has cost many more millions of people their dreams. Good Night and Good Luck conveniently ignores the facts in order to promote the idea that Hollywood celebs and the Press are always the good guys. The truth is that Liberty requires Vigilence, then and now.
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AGE
This is one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. It accurately and rivetingly portrays the sense of fear and oppresion that surrounded the McCarthy era, further accentuating the bravery of Edward Murrow and his crew. Artistically filmed in black and white, the film seems somehow "cleaner", no artificial hustle and bustle to detract from the actual plot of the movie. It also displays the darker part of the media's influence. A great friend of Murrow depressed by constant critisism of him in the New York Times, is finally driven to despair and suicide, including a very moving scene of him sitting in his living room with the gas turned on. From the high points to the low, the story is one of bravery courage, and the true power of the media, artfully rendered, beautifully acted, and masterfully directed.
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AGE
Such an important story
This is one of the great films of the year. The story is beautifully told. The cinemetography is magnificent, the acting superb. Most important, this is a story all Americans should see because it reminds us why the media, even with its flaws, is such a critical and essential part of a functioning democracy.
Younger kids are not likely to understand this and will be bored, but it should be required for teenagers and adults.
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AGE
Outstanding movie with an important message
This movie was beautifully made. Cinematography, casting, and directing brought this important story to life. Teenagers that are socially and or politically aware, will find this movie compelling. I recommend it highly for teenagers and adults.
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| Topics: | history |
| Studio: | Warner Independent |
| Director: | George Clooney |
| Cast: | David Strathairn, Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 7, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | March 14, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild thematic elements and brief language |
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