​Broadcast News is a tremendous example of what makes movies and tv shows about the news such an appealing medium for Hollywood. Network, The Paper, Anchorman, NewsRadio, Newsroom, etc. Much of the appeal to me seems that the principal characters (anchors) in real life walk that perfect fine line between normal person and celebrity that Americans love so much. I remember seeing a local Evansville weather guy singing smooth Karaoke at the Fox and Hound in the early 2000s and the college girls were swooning. If he wasn't on tv they'd have been clowning the old bald guy who couldn't sing. 

Broadcast News reflects the "these are real people with real insecurities" angle more than the celebrity angle and crushes it. Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks and William Hurt shine in their roles. For Brooks, when you add this movie to Taxi Driver he might be the all-time best friendzoned actor. William Hurt's biggest flaw is that he isn't handsome enough by modern standards to play the guy getting by with only his sexiness and charisma. Otherwise he nails it. Personally I partly wondered if he wasn't smarter than he let on and played that role enough in order to use the strengths of those around him to propel him farther faster. Holly Hunter was brilliant while playing the perfect producer and only slightly less so playing the bumbling personal life crying out loud in moments by myself lady. 

Best Writer/Director nom for the mediocrities from me for James L Brooks and Best everything else noms for the movie and cast. 

The only thing that kept it from A+ (this is an A) for me was I think they went too far in the polar opposites of Hunter and Brooks being perfect at what they do and completely worthless outside that zone. Brooks' sweating scene looked like it was from Airplane! and Hunter packing an entire box of condoms is a total rookie move.

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.”  Everyone should’ve heard this line at some point by now. I was waiting for it the entire film; it was the final line of dialogue.
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Ranked number 12 on the American Film Institute’s list 0f 100 best American films in 1998, and coming in at 16th on the 2008 list, Sunset Boulevard continues to stand up as a cinematic classic.

The film opens up with a dead body floating face down in a swimming pool. This was recently given a nod in the first episode of season seven of Archer. ​

The film is narrated by Joe Gillis (William Holden), a struggling screenwriter whose ideas get rejected and his car is threatened by repossession. While running from the repo men, he stumbles upon a run-down mansion, the home of washed-up actress Norma Desmond, played brilliantly by Gloria Swanson. Once learning that he’s a writer, she coerces Joe to move into her home and assist with fixing her intended comeback film script (think Stephen King’s Misery without the hacking off of limbs with an axe).

An Unmarried Woman chronicled the life of Erica Benton who struggled to find her place and herself after learning her husband Martin planned to leave her for a younger woman.

To put it bluntly, the film did not get interesting until the end.  To see Erica dating and finding herself were defining moments.  The reason they were defining moments were for the time of the film and Erica's role in the feminist movement.  Erica had moments where she could have stood down to the men in her life but she held her ground.

Despite the strength and sensitivity of Erica and her important role in the display of feminism in media, it was drowned out by the uninspired story of director Paul Mazursky.  The film lasted thirty minutes too long and the supporting cast was equally uninteresting as the story.

A boring story mixed with a tired supporting cast and a great last twenty minutes equals an average piece.

Grade: C