Broadcast News 1987
James L. Brooks, who briefly worked as a news reporter on CBS television, wrote and directed this film about three ambitious individuals working at a major television channel as news reporters, whose story revolves around a love triangle. Based on his own experience, the film follows Jane Craig (Holly Hunter), a workaholic, ambitious, disciplined, and even obsessive news producer at a major television channel’s Washington DC office. Her closest friend Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) is a very intelligent and talented news reporter, but he struggles with being in front of the camera. These two individuals, who are chasing after real journalism, are disturbed by the fact that television news is turning into a show every day. Meanwhile, the channel hires a new news anchor. Tom Grunik (William Hurt), while not very intelligent, plays by the rules of the game and represents all the new values that Jane and Aaron oppose. The film was nominated for several awards and ranked 51st on the Writers Guild of America’s “101 Greatest Screenplays of All Time” list.
