SOME PEOPLE EXPECT THAT THEY GO TO A MOVIE, THEY'RE GOING TO SEE A MOVIE ENDING: The Criterion release of Broadcast News on DVD has yielded a wealth of good writing about one of my favorite films. Dan Kois calls it the smartest romantic comedy of the past 25 years; Scott Tobias properly notes that while it's clear where James L. Brooks's sympathies lie, he doesn't vilify the William Hurt character; and our good friend Carrie Rickey calls it "a comedy that takes values seriously".
It's that second point I want to elaborate on for a second. It would be very easy to bias the movie's triangle and making Tom more knowingly devious, as opposed to a generally well-meaning guy who knows he's slightly out of his depth. And Aaron could have remained more noble and sympathetic, yet instead he gets that awful, bitter dig at Jane at the end (the "it's not nice to point at single fat women" speech). Instead, they're both flawed, both recognizably human. I love this film.
