(1987) While I can do without the local news and rarely see the same film more than once, I've watched this movie twice. So skip your local news to watch this romantic comedy.

At a conference for local newscasters, after network news producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) out of Washington, DC, on the podium complaining that news programs are not serious about airing real news stories, giving too much attention to fluff and celebrities, isn't taken seriously by her audience, Tom Grunick (William Hurt) alone compliments her presentation, admitting: "I'm no good at what I'm successful at." As a child in Kansas City in 1963, Tom asked: "What can you do with yourself if you only look good?"

Unschooled, unqualified, incapable of writing his own material, nonetheless, he gets hired to anchor the network broadcast in the nation's capital where the obsessive, driven, Georgian Jane ("It must be nice to think you're always the smartest person in the room," Paul, an executive, says to her) and her trusted friend ("if needy were attractive"), Boston-bred reporter Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), work, taking their responsibilities seriously.

Jane cries a lot because she has a habit of repelling anyone she tries to attract or seduce by unconsciously editing her dates. While Tom tries to earn Jane's respect and affection, Aaron gets jealous and envious, desiring both Jane's love and Tom's anchor job.

I first saw this threesome romantic comedy from director/writer/producer James L. Brooks when I was teaching on the NATO military base (though I don't remember seeing anyone other than US military personnel during most of my four years there) at Comiso, Sicily, twenty years ago. I mention this because while Jane and her colleagues are enjoying themselves at a house party, word arrives of a breaking story, requiring a special live report, involving the three principal characters. Jane feeds information to Tom anchoring the report as Aaron supplies her with details from his knowledge of the region.

A Libyan MIG-21 has attacked the American naval base at Comiso. Brooks the writer apparently confused the new (I arrived in 1987 - the same year as the release of the movie - only a few years after the base went operational and left when the base closed in 1991 as part of the IMF Treaty with the Russians), inland, ground-launch-cruise-missile (GCLM) air station, under NATO's command with USAF (not USN) personnel and facilities, with another American base for the Navy, Sigonella, located on the eastern coast of Sicily near Catania. Since the main action of the story takes place eight years before the conclusion, which I assume is about 1987, then only Sigonella would have been a possible target for the Libyan jet.

Afterward, Tom says to Jane: "What a feeling having you inside my head." Tom modestly asks Aaron: "What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?," who answers, "Keep it to yourself." When Tom glibly says that he decided "never to pretend to know more than I did," Aaron asks him if he knows all the names of the Cabinet officers. "Yes," replies Tom. "All twelve?" "Yes." "There are only ten," Aaron sucker punches the anchor.

On his own with a cameraperson, Tom puts together a moving story about date rape, which wins Jane's professional approval and romantic ardor. With budget cuts at the network resulting in layoffs at the station - celebrity anchorman Bill Rorish (Jack Nicholson) makes a trip down from his perch in New York to DC to express sympathy but isn't willing to sacrifice any of his multimillion-dollar salary to help ease the pain - Aaron gets his chance at anchoring a weekend spot, taking pointers from Tom about "selling" oneself to the audience.

Digital technology has made one of the funniest scenes - Blair (Joan Cusack) racing through an obstacle course from one end of the building to the other to deliver a tape - obsolete.

My favorite scene has Jane late in the evening, intending to return to Tom for the rest of the night, over to see Aaron after his on-screen debut. "Tom, while being a very nice guy, is the devil," avers Aaron. "What do you think the devil will look like if he's around? … He'll be attractive, nice, and helpful. He'll get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation. He'll never do an evil thing; he'll never deliberately hurt a living thing. He'll just bit by bit lower our standards where they're important." (Remind you of anyone else?)

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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