Review of Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) by Evan D — 31 Mar 2011
At only an hour and a half, this film still feels incredibly padded; Clooney finds every opportunity to unnecessarily prolong the archival footage, add full-length period commercials that have nothing to do with anything, and add odd musical transitions (that also seem to add nothing to the film).
Subplots also seem to be added for no real reason. There's one about a journalist who eventually commits suicide and two co workers who get fired because they're married. These characters add nothing to the main plot, and I have no idea why they're included.
The movie is also oddly devoid of tension. I never felt like Murrow was in any danger of losing his job or of anything else for that matter. He never looks stressed or upset--he just goes about his job with very little resistance.
My final gripe is a stylistic one. Clooney constantly has the camera close-up on the characters giving the movie a claustrophobic feel. Also, the shots continually go in and out of focus as if they employed people who had never used a camera before.
Despite all this, it's not terrible. The performances are good, the dialogue is well-written, and it has a good message. It's biggest problem is that it's underwhelming; there is an amazing story behind the events, and this film settled on just telling a mediocre version of it.
This review of Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) was written by Evan D on 31 Mar 2011.
Good Night, and Good Luck. has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
