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VHS : Broadcast News


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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301066167
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6301066162
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 09, 1996
Running Time: 133 minutes
Sales Rank: 20441
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: December 16, 1987


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Editorial Review:

Description:
In James L. Brooks' quirky, romantic comedy, three ambitious workaholics are set loose in a network TV newsroom where their professional and personal lives become hopelessly cross-wired. Tom (William Hurt) is the modern anchorman, smooth, handsome and a bit dumb. Jane (Holly Hunter) is his driven, brilliant producer, determined to turn Tom into a real newsman. And Aaron (Albert Brooks) is a seasoned, totally uncharismatic reporter who can't stand Tom's instant success on-camera or with Jane. It all adds up to one explosively funny romantic triangle.

Amazon.com essential video:
Holly Hunter plays a network news producer who, much to her chagrin, finds herself falling for pretty-boy anchorman William Hurt. He is all glamour without substance and represents a hated shift from hard news toward packaged 'infotainment,' which Hunter despises. Completing the triangle is Albert Brooks, who provides contrast as the gifted reporter with almost no presence on camera. He carries a torch for Hunter; she sees merely a friend. Written and directed by James L. Brooks, this shows remarkable insight into the people who make television. On the surface it is about that love triangle. If you look a little deeper, however, you will see that this behind-the-scenes comedy is a very revealing look at obsessive behavior and the heightened emotions that accompany adrenaline addiction. It is for good reason this was nominated for seven Academy Awards (though it did not win any). There are scenes in this movie you cannot shake, such as Hunter's scheduled mini-breakdowns, or Brooks's furious 'flop sweat' during his tryout as a national anchor. Watch for an uncredited Jack Nicholson as a senior newscaster. --Rochelle O'Gorman



Customer Reviews
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - The truth, and nothing but the truth...
Wildly witty and richly textured with raw human connection; James L. Brooks' comedic masterpiece `Broadcast News' is most definitely one of a kind.

Well, talk about spilling it all in the opening sentence. I don't even know how to follow that up.

The film centers around three working bodies. You have Tom Grunick, the pretty boy turned TV-Reporter who is embittered with himself for being too good. He has a knack for something that he doesn't quite understand and it causes ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A Classic--Excels In Every Way
I saw this when it first came out in 1987, and remembered liking it. Watched it again last week, and liked it even more. Its achievement is that it is able to tell a compelling personal story (a love triangle of sorts) at the same time that it takes a snapshot of a pivotal moment in time in an industry critical to American democracy. It's very different from Network, which mixes black humor and over-the-top satire with a couple of personal stories and a cheesy, poorly realized romance, but the two taken ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Never forget, WE'RE the story...
The only movie worthy of being paired with Paddy Chayefsky's Network. Yes, James L. Brooks is brilliant (isn't that a given?), but the man's a prophetic wizard, too, because in this single film, he correctly predicted the downard slide of our modern news business.

Of course, Chayefsky did this years earlier in Network (news as entertainment; hijacking of "objectivity" for political agenda; ratings ruling and overruling everything; news "stars" in front of cameras mattering more to "corporate" ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - One of the 80's Best
Every once in a while Hollywood hits one out of the park. See this movie.

In a decade mostly unremarkable in terms of cinematic history, "Broadcast News" stands out like a polished gem. There isn't a single aspect of the film---acting, writing, directing---that can be faulted.

Too, it is a rare Hollywood offering which is actually ABOUT something---in this case, the gradual transforming of a television news department into just another cache of profits and entertainment. All of ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - intelligently written and wonderfully acted
This is a triumph of insight. The actors have meaty parts - all written in heartbreakingly real facets - and they bring the characters to life in a multitude of ways.

This is not a "light" comedy - although it is funny.
This is a real look at the business of news, and some of the people who might populate it in real life. It is a treasure...thoughtful, provoking, and satisfying.

enjoy this on a night when you want to sit back, think, and enjoy.




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