Review of Broadcast News (1987) by Brett C — 07 May 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

I may not have adored James L. Brooks' Terms of Endearment, but it was a well made film that made me care for it's characters and had me evoke a range of emotions. Terms of Endearment wasn't a film that appealed to everyone as it's overall tone felt too sappy and warm. Broadcast News is Brooks' second film and he has definitely taken a bit of that sappiness down but one can still feel it lurking in a couple of scenes. Broadcast News tries to bring us in the world of televised journalism but sadly fails in having me care for any of it, as Brooks' is more concerned with the film's characters rather than have us feel like a close spectator of what it would be like to work in a place like this. The film's characters don't feel as well written as compared to the figures found on Brooks' previous film. The complications that our characters face mostly fall under the romance between the three characters rather than their profession, which kind of made this film a let down. There were a couple of moments that had me excited, like the scene where they were quickly editing a piece and they only had a couple of minutes to have it back in the control room to be played, or the moment where Tom Grunick finally had a chance to be an anchor in order to provide the news about the Libyan plane. The reason I wasn't entirely disappointed with this film was because of it's small unique moments with it's characters, like in Terms of Endearment, that prevent them from seeming predictable. Moments like the argument between Jane and Aaron near the end of the second act, really had me completely engaged, caring every single word that comes out of their mouth.

The film's director of photography was Michael Ballhaus. He did a pretty decent job with this film, but it felt a little safe. It takes a style that I feel is very similar to many dramedy films that have been released in the last few decades. There were a couple of moments that tries to make the film feel and look impressive like the use of deep focus shots, but the problem was that it didn't do anything for the film's story or characters. There was a particular shot that I thought looked amazing when executed, which was the moment where the camera focuses on Tom head on and the camera glides gracefully around him and eventually giving us a view of Jane in the control room watching him.

Bill Conti's score for Broadcast News was good as it establishes the tone precisely what Brooks' was going for, though I would have appreciated it a lot more if the execution in the film's writing and direction was much better. Conti's score is light, sweet and upbeat, which is the type of composition I am very attracted to.

The film's features a fantastic cast that includes Holly Hunter, William Hurt, Albert Brooks, and a couple of scenes with Jack Nicholson and Joan Cusack. The cast brought a lot of personality to their characters, preventing them from feeling boring and simplistic, also they were able to balance the film's comedic and dramatic tones very well.

I really hoped to come out of this film feeling satisfied, like I did with Terms of Endearment. I am not sure how I would feel after another watch, as my opinion for Brooks' first film definitely improved dramatically after a rewatch as I was able to understand the film's characters a lot better. If you are expecting a film that truly captures the thrill and tension in televised journalism, then watch Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom.