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Good Night, and Good Luck.

I first came across George Clooney when he played "George" a recurring character that joined the cast of "The Facts of Life" in the seventh season, the season the entire cast inexplicably decided to start sporting mullets. I hadn't been so jolted by a sudden hairstyle switch in a sitcom since all the Brady males got perms.

Let's all stop for a moment and ponder the fact that "Facts of Life" was on the air for nine seasons. Nine. That is two less then "M*A*S*H". This was a show with a main character named "Tootie". Think about it.

Anyway, George Clooney, he's come quite a ways since then. From being the guy I worried would start wooing Jo (that's right, I had a crush on Nancy McKeon-though with that haircut my interest was rapidly waning), to being the heartthrob of "ER", to People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive", and now he's winning Best Supporting Actor Oscars and garnering Best Director nominations for his sophomore directorial effort Good Night, and Good Luck.

Only here at DVD Fodder will you find a segue from a cheesy 80's sitcom, to a film that follows Edward R. Murrow's attempts at thwarting the witch hunts of the McCarthy era.

I really liked this movie, and I'm not just saying that because I think everything looks cooler in black-and-white. The cast is outstanding, notably David Strathairn's portrayal of Murrow. The story is extremely well told (Clooney co-wrote the screenplay, is there anything he can't do? I hate him) and the cinematography is excellent. It really gave you a claustrophobic sense of the fear and paranoia of the era. The use of commercials from the time period was also a great touch.

Everyone's hair looks great too, not a mullet in sight. It's all brylcreemed, neatly trimmed, and shiny.

Here are the DVD details, which are as sparse as the set of "See It Now":

• Audio Commentary with George Clooney and Grant Heslov (who also co-wrote)
  
• Theatrical Trailer
  
• Good Night, and Good Luck companion piece - a behind the scenes documentary on the film. All the principal cast members are shown, as well as the real Joe Wershba (played in the movie by Robert Downey Jr.) who was a consultant on the film.

Honestly I would have liked to have seen a little more features on this DVD. It's possible that George Clooney is so perfect he only filmed what he needed, but I would at least have expected some deleted scenes. I also would have expected some actual Edward R. Murrow footage, but CBS probably wouldn't grant permission for this because they want you to buy their own DVD of Murrow footage. (I don't know that for a fact, I'm just guessing)

Good night, and good luck. --Matt Callahan



Photo: © Warner Independent Pictures

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Posted by on March 15, 2006 7:22 PM
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