Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

Summary

Journalist Edward R. Murrow exposes the injustice of Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusade.

Director

George Clooney

Downey Factor

Medium. His is a supporting role.

Character

Joe Wershba, a CBS reporter who is keeping a secret from his co-workers.

Looks

Nice, classic, well-dressed.

Performance

Good solid performance, but Strathairn's intensity takes center stage.

Love & Sex

Patricia Clarkson plays his wife, Shirley.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No, no, no.

Cast

David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Frank Langella

Connection

David Strathairn in Home for the Holidays.

RDJ Says

At the end of the day you can't really care too much or you're going to blow it. [George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov are] very close to the material but also have a healthy dose of detachment and levity considering the subject matter is not light ... [Joe Wershba is] just a great guy. [When we met] he really only had one note for me and just said, "We were really aggressive. Don't forget that, kid, we really loved what we were doing." ... Good Night and Good Luck was a drag. I was tired and stressed and had stopped smoking, but the whole fabulous boys club aside, George Clooney really rolls up his sleeves and knows how to direct.

Time & Place

1950s New York.

Availability

Released in theaters 7 Oct 2005. Available on DVD in region 1, 2 and 4; also on Blu-Ray.

Foreign Titles

Argentina: Buenas noches, y buena suerte (Good Night & Good Luck)
Brazil: Boa Noite e Boa Sorte (Good Night & Good Luck)
Finland: Hyvää yötä ja onnea (Good Night & Good Luck)
Germany: Good Night and Good Luck: Der Fall McCarthy (The McCarthy Case)
Greece: Kalinyhta, kai kali tyhi (Good Night & Good Luck)
Turkey: Iyi geceler, iyi sanslar (Good Night, Good Luck)

Rotten Tomatoes

94% Fresh | 213 Reviews

Critical View

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: In ninety-three tight, terrifically exciting minutes, Clooney makes integrity look mighty sexy.

Ken Tucker, New York Magazine: Clooney may be a specialist in embattled camaraderie but there's no depth to these characterizations, and Downey and Clarkson are squandered in a goes-nowhere subplot about their secret marriage.

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Good Night, and Good Luck is a curio: an energized sliver of history, smart, sharp, and lively, staged with enjoyable panache, yet so tidy and hermetic and limited in scope that it's like a one-hour PBS documentary stretched into dramatic form.

Does It Hold Up

Yes. It's one of those movies that got a lot of Oscar buzz in its day. It's not something that people will be talking about forever, but it's a quality film done in a very timeless way.

2 Reasons to See It

1. To prove that you're smart and cultured.
2. Frankly if you don't see it, you're probably a communist.

Overall

Competent black-and-white film infuses life's subtle humor into an intense story. Very nicely done, but lack of excitement may not appeal to all fans.

If You Like It

You might also like The Last Party (1993), Oppenheimer (2023)

Photos

Video