Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Director:

George Clooney

Writers:

George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Stars:

David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 121 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Daniels	...	Sig Mickelson
David Strathairn	...	Edward R. Murrow
Alex Borstein	...	Natalie
Rose Abdoo	...	Mili Lerner
Dianne Reeves	...	Jazz Singer
Peter Martin	...	Pianist
Christoph Luty	...	Bassist
Jeff Hamilton	...	Drummer
Matt Catingub	...	Saxophonist
Tate Donovan	...	Jesse Zousmer
Reed Diamond	...	John Aaron
Matt Ross	...	Eddie Scott
Patricia Clarkson	...	Shirley Wershba
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Joe Wershba
George Clooney	...	Fred Friendly

Storyline

In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.

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Plot Keywords:

fear | reporter | paranoia | expose | cbs | 

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Taglines:

We will not walk in fear of one another.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Kinowelt [Germany]

Country:

USA France UK Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buenas noches, y buena suerte.

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$421,446, 9 October 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$31,501,218, 12 March 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), 2929 Productions, Participant Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The man introducing Edward R. Murrow's keynote address to the 1958 convention of the Radio-Television News Directors Association cites Murrow's reporting on, among other topics, the plight of migrant workers. In fact, Murrow did not report on the conditions of migrant workers until 1960. His documentary on the subject, CBS Reports: Harvest of Shame (1960), was the last project he worked on as a CBS broadcaster.

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Goofs

Murrow's cigarette grows longer (while the ash gets shorter) during the meeting where Paley reschedules his show to Sundays.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sig Mickelson: In 1935, Ed Murrow began his career with CBS. When World War II broke out, it was his voice that brought the Battle of Britain home to us, through his "This Is London" radio series. He started with us all, many of us here tonight, when television was in its infancy, with the news documentary show, "See It Now." He threw stones at giants. Segregation, exploitation of migrant workers, apartheid, J. Edgar Hoover, not the least of which, his historical fight with Senator McCarthy. He ...

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Crazy Credits

Even the rating band at the tail of the film is in black and white.

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Connections

Referenced in You're the Worst: Bachelor/Bachelorette Party Sunday Funday (2019)

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Soundtracks

When I Fall in Love
(1952)
Music by Victor Young
Lyrics by Edward Heyman
Performed by Matt Catingub
Produced by Allen Sviridoff
Matt Catingub appears courtesy of Concord Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Clooney's presentation of McCarthy

The film does not - as some have suggested - unfairly portray McCarthy as a sub-human monster. Its presentation of McCarthy is limited strictly to the thread of the storyline and never does it waver toward name-calling or character assassination. This is particularly striking given that MCarthy was a well-seasoned alcoholic and clearly suffered from a narcissistic personality disorder. He was ripe for parody because his eccentricities were so pronounced, but this film is remarkably even-handed about the Senator's deeds and behavior. There are no allusions either to his peculiar friendship with Roy Cohn, whose notorious homosexual relations with private G. David Schine eventually led to McCarthy's demented charge that the Army was infested with Communists. Some have even suggested that McCarthy was no stranger to gay trysts. All of this could have made for an explosive - and typical - "Hollywood" movie and would indeed have been propagandistic, shallow and simple-minded. Instead Clooney has made an intelligent, cogent, fair-minded film about ethics, high standards and integrity.