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Network

Play trailer Poster for Network R Released Nov 27, 1976 2h 1m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 78 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In this lauded satire, veteran news anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) discovers that he's being put out to pasture, and he's none too happy about it. After threatening to shoot himself on live television, instead he launches into an angry televised rant, which turns out to be a huge ratings boost for the UBS network. This stunt allows ambitious producer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) to develop even more outrageous programming, a concept that she takes to unsettling extremes.
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Critics Consensus

Driven by populist fury and elevated by strong direction, powerful acting, and an intelligent script, Network's searing satire of ratings-driven news remains sadly relevant more than four decades later.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) Everything about the movie is thrilling and flawless. Rated: 5/5 Jun 28, 2024 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Like John Updike, Chayevsky and Lumet are here giving us Memories of the Ford Administration -- only they weren’t memories at the time. This was America as it was happening, suicidal ideations born of a scotch hangover, beamed live into every home. Rated: 5/5 Jun 26, 2024 Full Review Pauline Kael The New Yorker The film looks negligently made; the lighting bleaches the actors' faces, like color TV that needs tuning, and the New York views outside feel like blown-up photographs. Jan 20, 2024 Full Review Rich Cline Shadows on the Wall Sidney Lumet's quick-paced direction feels remarkably fresh nearly half a century later. It also says something powerful about the state of the media today. And with their pointed personalities, the charismatic performances still zing. Rated: 5/5 Jul 2, 2024 Full Review Ian Kane Epoch Times “Network” is both a highly entertaining drama with lots of laugh-out-loud humor and a film that carries some very timely messages, ones that are extremely prescient in modern times. Rated: 4.5/5 Feb 13, 2023 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Its awfully entertaining, thanks to the self-conscious theatrics of Paddy Chayefsky, the terrific performances, and Lumets steady eye keeping the real world in perspective as the circus comes to town and stays. Apr 22, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Fer S I thought it was way too slow. Not much happens in the movie. The ending is quite good though, but I do not think it is worth it. Should have been a shorter movie maybe. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/22/24 Full Review Roger C Don’t do it, it’s a ling and agonizing film! Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review Stefano L Beyond the perfect casting, acting, and script - not enough accolades are given to the amazing editing and pacing of this syperb film, which gallops and glue’s one’s interest to the screen much more than many modern movies do! And Network has a lot more to say about America than the majority of modern films do! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review stephen b Ahead of its time. Imagine what they would have thought of the Internet. About 2/3 into the film it starts to drift before finally coming back to a conclusion that fits the absurdity of what they're trying to portray. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Julian S Morally, it’s a tough watch, but if you can get through it, you’ll find some golden moments scattered among the rotten parts. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/12/24 Full Review David G Riveting performances by Dunaway, Finch, Holden, Duvall, Beatty take this amazing screenplay to the highest level. This movie is still absorbing 50 years later. The visuals of refrigerator sized computers and the menacing clacking of the newsroom teletype machines are harbingers of the disinformation mess we’re in today. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/03/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis In this lauded satire, veteran news anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) discovers that he's being put out to pasture, and he's none too happy about it. After threatening to shoot himself on live television, instead he launches into an angry televised rant, which turns out to be a huge ratings boost for the UBS network. This stunt allows ambitious producer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) to develop even more outrageous programming, a concept that she takes to unsettling extremes.
Director
Sidney Lumet
Producer
Howard Gottfried
Screenwriter
Paddy Chayefsky
Distributor
United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
United Artists, Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
2h 1m
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