Broadcast News (1987)

Meet the neurotics: Jane, a TV news producer, and Aaron, her best friend and a reporter for the same network. Their standards are unwaveringly high.

Then Tom joins the network as anchorman. Tom personifies everything they hate about the business—he’s a beautiful, ignorant, talking head. He tells Jane, “Half of the time I don’t ‘get’ the news that I’m talking about.”

These characters are so realistically drawn that it’s impossible not to care for each of them and hope that good things happen for them all. Brooks, in particular, is a stand-out as Aaron, the talented reporter and social misfit. “Wouldn’t this be a great world if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive?”

The writing never rings false and is often laugh-out-loud hilarious. The cast is perfect.

A

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Danny Rose is a small-time theatrical manager whose client list includes: a blind xylophonist, a one-armed juggler, piano-playing birds, balloon folders, and a one-legged tap dancer. If no other manager will touch an act—Danny’s there to take them on, mother them a little bit, and pour his heart into finding them work. When trying to book one of his acts he says, “A year from now, my hand to God, she’s gonna be at Carnegie Hall. But you, I’ll let you have her now at the old price. OK? Which is anything you wanna give me. Anything at all.”

The film focuses on his most promising client and an adventure Danny has while attempting to do whatever he can to keep the talent happy.

Sweet, funny and original if a bit too low-key.

B