While we didn't have a television at home I do remember the newspaper and movie newsreel coverage of the McCarthy hearings. It was a time when things got a little crazy as they were driven by a Senator who thought he was doing the people's business. This excellent film provides an inside look at how a group of journalists at CBS recognized their obligation to the public and risked everything to tell the story. Unfortunately, Murrow was right in his closing remarks where he expressed his concern that the medium would become "nothing but wires in a box". Good Night, and Good Luck has much to say about the times we live in.… Expand

I'm 22 and thought the movie was incredibly powerful. I really think cinema must have died around the time of my birth (maybe at the hands of an increasingly mentally incapable audience) because people nowadays can't handle anything that functions on a more intellectual level (I'm not saying the movie went over the naysayers' heads, just that they demand more in-your-face entertainment - the kind of people who would prefer "Transporter" to "Taxi Driver." Oh God, I feel sick...) What this movie is about is the power of the medium of television: how it can be used to shift the course of human history at its best, or serve as an amusing distraction for the masses at its worst. Oh yeah, and Strathairn was great as Murrow. Murrow's character was incredibly moving and makes you wonder if journalism and the media will ever be used for such a high cause again. His jokes were funny (these might have gone over naysayers' heads since they didn't involve feces or sex). Also, how was this movie liberal? You conservative critics need to cool it with the "L" word. Logical doesn't equal liberal.… Expand

Murrow is one of my heroes. I thought he came to life so vividly in this depiction. Clooney masterfully created an era for the view of many young adults that have not touched the 50's. I've been there and my father was a news man. This movie caught the guts of the era and the need for the woman's rights movement. This was an era of male domination and Clooney does not miss a beat. Many social movements a rose from this era. It reminded me how far I have come.… Expand

One of the best films this year.. As involving and entertaining as the Godfather.

Every American should watch this film and pray that somewhere in the television, radio and print swamp of journalism that exists today an Edward R. Murrow will arise with the guts to take on 'the big boys' and the injustice they wreak upon the rest of us.

Very unique and interesting movie. I found the black&white format quite lovely and sumptous and very evocative of a certain time/place. And the acting was truly suberb. I think it's a compliment that so many people say that this feels like a documentary - it's because the acting is not overwrought. You could be watching real people in real time. As for the so-called liberal slant: I've noticed that many conservatives find that the *truth* has a liberal slant. lol. Get over it.… Expand

Saw it at a screening with David in attendance. He was Murrow down to every gesture in this film. Magnificent!!! The story was spellbinding.

Awesome. David Strathairn's lead performance shone through and showed the crucial role that good journalists play in holding our governments to account. Excellent supporting performances all round. The clever use of McCarthy footage and the mood created by the black and white filming created an authentic and powerful message that seems all the more relevant in today's politicial climate. Outstanding.… Expand

I'm curious about the people who found this film wanting. My guess is that they're under 50 and have no sense of the time this film accurately portrays. So, to them I say: Ask not what a movie can bring to you, but what you can bring to a movie. Know your history, folks. You're living the results of it.

Although it runs a little short, it is still an excellent film. What is most extraordinary is that Murrow fortold the future of the medium quite accurately. In Murrow's vision of infotainment, it is a rewarding experience to see and even imagine what real national media must have been like in an earlier time and seemingly on a different planet given the state of things today.

Every citizen should see it before they ever vote again. The Bush administration would not have happened if top journalists were as brave as Murrow and his associates.

"It's over already?" murmured some lady behind me, and yes, "Good Night & Good Luck" seems a little short. But then again, George Clooney appears to have done his job and showed everything that's relevant to Murrow's stance against Ann Coulter's hero. What's quietly brilliant about the screenplay is that all of its domestic scenes are handed to its supporting players. As Joe & Shirley Wershba(Robert Downey Jr. & Patricia Clarkson) lay down at night, "Good Night & Good Luck" gives you the impression that Murrow is burning the midnight oil, and not making little Edward Juniors and Edwinas with his wife. This film is about journalistic integrity. To show a man balancing his personal and professional life is extra fat that could've brought "Good Night & Good Luck" closer to two hours, but Clooney decided to keep it lean, probably wisely. The black & white photography is, of course, appropriate. It gives "Good Night & Good Luck" a "you are there" feel to David Strathairn's readings, so why not dramatize the McCarthy hearings? Strathairn is very good, but it's Frank Langella as William Paley that makes the John Sayles player seem real.… Expand

Excellent; thoughtful, informative, interesting.

I'm surprised to see any negative reviews. I felt like I was actually in the studio in the 50s, and experiencing things firsthand. I thought the acting was well done, and the sets suberb. The original footage from the 50s blended in seamlessly. I think that some of the issues the movie addresses (such as the an edited media bias, the push television made/makes to create tv shows with lower cost and more entertainment but little content (think reality tv), and the responsibility we have to stay informed about the news) are very important today. The paralells between the communist scare and the current terrorist scare make this a very timely subject matter to reflect upon.… Expand

Above all: the B&W time warp to the 5o's, the exceptional acting (Strahairn and Langella excell), it was a cinamatic civic lesson that is more relevant today than ever, and you were breathless ever one of the 93 minutes. forget about any minor flaws, every American must see it, lest we forget . Bravo Clooney you are following the director's path of Robert Redford.

A film shot with superb eloquence and sophistication - and so rich with details as any praiseworthy docudrama. The message, it brings, rings clear and loud, and so seemingly endless with time. Great cast and performances! The film never stops in forcing me to face the ugly and shocking realities of the McCarthy era. A very intense movie that succeeds in keeping me trembling in my seat. Definitely a solid, powerful and unforgetable film to keep me cheering for Democracy and Freedom!… Expand

Really I don't want to preach to the choir. I just hope Clooney recieves the recognition that he deserves for this film at the end of the year. Yeah.. he isn't subtle with his themes, but I must say, the fantastic execution of them are astounding! Bravo Mr. Clooney, Bravo!

Extremely engrossing. Hell of a debut from Clooney.

Amazing film. Anyone who says this film is boring has absoluetly no attention span. This movie had such a great feel to it. Great acting, great everything. One of the few films that truly deserves all the praise that's been given to it.

confims George Clooney's Status as his generations Robert Redford....a truly encapsulating marvel of a film

Very engaging and impeccably shot. David Strathairn's performance is amazing!

The best film of 2005, hands down. Clooney does more in and hour and a half than other filmmakers can achieve in three. Lyric cinematography accents the really fine acting by David Strathairn. Brilliant.

Hands down the best film of the year. Better than Crash, far better than Brokeback, better then Capote, better than anything else out there. This is a monumental masterpiece of filmmaking.

One of the best films of the year. And my personal pick for Best Picture

This movie is a fantastic portrayal of the behind-the-scenes view of the courage of Ed Murrow and the media's role in such a crucial time period. This is by all means my favorite movie of all time. I am seventeen years old, so it is hard to find people who write movies that actually have relevence or some substance today. Ed Murrow's actual words were used in this movie, which I am thrilled about, and also the real footage of the McCarthy hearings are also fantastic. This movie is so close to looking at the real thing it gives me chills. Thank you to all the wonderful people who made this movie.… Expand

This film might not be for those too young to appreciate it, but they should watch it just the same. An important AND relevant piece of history. It makes you feel like you're right there. Brilliant acting all around; along with the screenplay and directing. Clooney has become a huge Hollywood powerhouse and deserves it.

Extremely relevent.

A tour de force of journalistic integrity and courage, highlighting a dark chapter in American History, one which we should never forget, lest we revisit it.

Just...wow. George Clooney has made a masterpiece. "Good Night, and Good Luck" left me astounded, wanting to stand up and cheer not only for Clooney and his amazing movie, but for Edward R. Murrow, who had the guts to stand up to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, and for his stern warning of the power of television as a tool to educate and enlighten, or to dull the masses into a fat, complacent crowd of simpletons. Simple, powerful, unnerving, and frighteningly, urgently relevant. This is one film everyone should see.… Expand

Excellent, one of the best films of the year!

A great interesting movie, maybe the best one of the year.

"Movie goers don

Clooney did an average job of presenting the story, but the story has so much relevance to our time period that it makes this movie that much more inspiring. Talk of the red scare, and tv losing its intelligence find its way to our particular social situations. (i.e terrorism, and america becoming increasingly stupid) David Strathairn carries the entire movie and message. This movie should not be missed.… Expand

Solid entertainment and a work of art that asks questions of the soul.

Great movie - the best I have seen all year. Really captures the feel of the times (yes I was alive then) and central issue that has returned to haunt us -- the equation of dissent with disloyalty. Only now, instead of a junior senator, we have the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld axis challenging our constitutional rights. A chilling wake up call.

One of the best films of the year. Very timely in that it's the right movie at the right time.

I knew I was going to drown in this movie at the moment the opening rolled with no credits just actor's faces and the jazz soundtrack.