Network

R

Now Playing

2 hr. 1 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

91%

76 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Jonathan K

So far ahead of its time in terms of content, it's scary how accurately this captures and foretells how money would forever change the news and entertainment industry. Even if this was already beginning to happen in the 70s it feels utterly prescient given the state of media today. Boasts an excellent script and great acting, in particular Faye Dunaway. Sometimes acting doesn't really translate to later eras given form and style -- for example, I don't think Peter Finch's performance will connect as well with modern audiences; it's a bit too over the top in a stage performer sort of grandiosity -- but Dunaway stands the test of time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

Alejandro E

What best spices up this satire is its sinister resemblance to reality: television, which uses the most Machiavellian means to engage the public. The character played by Peter Finch is one of the most difficult to forget.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

Full Review

Jeff M

I get so excited on those extremely rare occasions when you come across a motion picture that is an obvious all-timer - a film that transcends all time and space, a film that you will quote and daydream about and revisit for the rest of your life, and a film that you will forever regret not watching for the first time even one day earlier. This is movie heaven, and proof positive that a truly great film is more timeless than timely. It's mind boggling that this cinematic experience is almost 50 years old, as the themes portrayed are more apropos than even before - it feels almost prophetic. The screenplay has to be one of the finest ever written - smart, clever, challenging and as satirically biting as any film I've ever seen. The events here feel initially outrageous, but then you contemplate what's going on in the world today, it immediately becomes almost documentary-like in its accuracy. The cast is unmatchable, featuring career-best work from the entire ensemble. This is easily one of the best films of its decade, and when I re-evaluate my all-time list, which I do every couple years, this will be on my notepad to consider. Absolute brilliance!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

jeanieforever

Timeless so far, unfortunately.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/05/23

Full Review

Alec C

Television has never been more satirical or philosophical like this before! An emotional journey of Howard Beale, as he begins as a prophet on the airways only to become a rating in a long number of channels. With its talented cast members playing characters trapped in the studio, we suddenly feel as though we're trapped as well!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/23

Full Review

Donald J

A fantastic piece of cinema, Sidney Lumet's classic "Network" is riveting and hilarious from start to finish, and Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay is among the greatest ever crafted. The entire cast plays their part without a single error, bringing to the screen a dark and tense but completely believable film. In 1976, this film might have been a satire. Today, it is a documentary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Faye Dunaway

Diana Christensen

Peter Finch

Howard Beale

William Holden

Max Schumacher

Robert Duvall

Frank Hackett

Beatrice Straight

Louise Schumacher

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Pauline Kael

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

Arthur Knight

Hollywood Reporter

No performance is less than brilliant, with Dunaway particularly effective in the film's showiest role. Holden, Finch and Duvall, as always, contribute bed-rock-solid performances.

Sep 26, 2016

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

This tale of a failing network that feeds on the mental breakdown of one of its anchors, cannibalising itself for ratings, feels as savagely relevant now as it did when it was released nearly 40 years ago.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 27, 2015

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

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

In the war between cinema and television, Network remains an atomic bomb.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 14, 2022

Full Review

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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
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

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