Good night, and good luck staying awake

Rating: 5/10 (26 April 2009)

I love George Clooney, love American history and love journalism; so why was this movie such a bore? There was barely enough dramatic material to fill 90 minutes (did we need three or four musical interludes?!), and the static direction was too self-conscious. Perhaps this would have better been presented as a stage play of some kind.
The only memorable performance was by Frank Langella as William Paley, but David Strathairn had the thankless task of playing Edward R. Murrow as a man of marble. By the time of his final on-stage monologue at the RTNDA function I was squirming in my seat. I can certainly understand why most Americans preferred Auntie Miltie after a while.
Very little dramatic tension, and no messages about politics and the media that we haven't already heard.