Good Night, and Good Luck.

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Good Night, and Good Luck.

PG

Released Oct 7, 2005

1h 33m

History

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

225 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) dedicates himself to exposing the atrocities being committed by McCarthy's Senate "investigation." Murrow is supported by a news team that includes long-time friend and producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney). The CBS team does its best to point out the senator's lies and excesses, despite pressure from CBS' corporate sponsors to desist.

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Critics Consensus

A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.

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Zadie Smith

Daily Telegraph (UK)

In terms of historical content, the film is neither quite honest nor quite true. That's a shame, because it's a great film.

Feb 12, 2020

Full Review

Victoria Segal

New Statesman

Shorn of flash and dazzle in a way Murrow would appreciate, Good Night, and Good Luck practises what it preaches. It might be the result of wires and lights in a box, but it feels like a slice of life.

Sep 26, 2017

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Simon Crook

Empire Magazine

Provocative, principled and richly detailed, this is compelling stuff. Emotionally it(TM)s a little dry, but as brain-food, it(TM)s absolutely invigorating. George done good.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 27, 2008

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Matt Neal

ABC Radio (Australia)

Clooney has some good films under his belt as director but this is his tightest and most powerful.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 5, 2024

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Good Night, and Good Luck is both a masterpiece and a reminder that journalists have a responsibility.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 8, 2024

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

A powerful film for family viewing that could open the door to discussions about family, friendship, loyalty, politics, and a variety of other topics.

Rated: 4.0/4.0

Sep 9, 2020

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Mario V

Not bad but not my favorite. All star cast.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

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Adrian M

Educational, informational, should be shown at elementary schools. One of the finest Clooney's efforts. Great cast, a history lesson packed inside hour and a half time. Great jazz tracks, Reeves and company deliver excellent versions of jazz classics.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/27/24

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Rami A

Journalism at its finest. One of George Clooney's finest achievements.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

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Eric E

I had no idea what to expect from this--did not even know what it was about. That said, very illuminating. As we have been going through all the Best Picture nominees from 2005 on our podcast (The Best Picture Podcast), I can't help, but associate all their political themes with current events. This film was no different. Centering on a CBS news program and real life commentator Edward Murrow, this movie dramatizes when the host took on Senator McCarthy during the mid-1950s. I knew virtually nothing about this clash and the downfall of the Senator prior to seeing this so I found it all very interesting and a good starting point to conduct further research. The movie has a proto-Mad Men (series) feel to it. Very well shot and acted all around. My biggest shock was when end credits rolled and I saw the director was George Clooney.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/23

Full Review

Kai K

The movie showed the political climate of the 1950s very well, and the use of black and white helped set the mood. It had a lot of interesting topics, but some things were not explained correctly.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

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TDG Y

The movie's characters were interesting and dynamic portrayals of real life people, but the movie somewhat failed to keep interest throughout.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/18/23

Full Review

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George Clooney

Director

David Strathairn

Edward R. Murrow

Patricia Clarkson

Shirley Wershba

George Clooney

Fred Friendly

Jeff Daniels

Sig Mickelson

Robert Downey Jr.

Joe Wershba

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Synopsis

When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) dedicates himself to exposing the atrocities being committed by McCarthy's Senate "investigation." Murrow is supported by a news team that includes long-time friend and producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney). The CBS team does its best to point out the senator's lies and excesses, despite pressure from CBS' corporate sponsors to desist.

Director: George Clooney
Producer: Grant Heslov
Screenwriter: George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Distributor: Warner Independent
Production Co: 2929 Productions, Metropolitan, Warner Independent Pictures, Section Eight Ltd.
Rating: PG (Mild Thematic Elements|Brief Language)
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.5M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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