--- title: "Good Night, and Good Luck.: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck" critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005): what the critics said Critics' score 79 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to George Clooney’s restrained account of journalists confronting McCarthy, with praise centred on David Strathairn’s controlled performance as Edward R. Murrow. The black-and-white photography and recreation of the CBS newsroom draw consistent approval, while the use of archive footage gives the confrontation particular force. The reviews also value the film’s attention to reporting as patient, collective work, and its concern with television journalism’s responsibility to challenge power. Reservations concern emotional distance and dramatic scope more than performances or visual craft. Several critics find the austerity limiting, citing thin character development or a subplot that adds little. The Telegraph praises the pacing and ensemble while noting historical inaccuracies and omissions. The AV Club offers a more qualified response, finding the film charming but too brief and breezy to achieve much tragic weight. The spread is largely favourable, with disagreement over how much the restraint costs it. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2005. The film depicts a team of CBS journalists methodically confronting and exposing Senator Joseph McCarthy through precise reporting and integrity. It praises David Strathairn's performance as Murrow and the innovative use of actual McCarthy footage. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/good-night-and-good-luck-2005) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 4/5. An understated ensemble piece about journalists confronting McCarthy, anchored by Strathairn's magnificent performance as Murrow. Gorgeously shot in black and white, it establishes Clooney as a director and comments on the post-9/11 media landscape. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dqx6y1/good-night-and-good-luck/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 February 2006. The film is a downbeat, handsomely shot recreation of Murrow's standoff with McCarthy, adoringly evoking 1950s TV and using real footage effectively. It is austere and docudrama-like with outstanding performances, particularly Strathairn's controlled Murrow, though emotionally restrained. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2006/feb/17/2) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2005. Clooney's black-and-white drama captures the thrill of unflinching 1950s journalism and features a heroically severe performance by Strathairn. It is let down slightly by a needless subplot but praised for Langella's turn as the network president. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/good-night-and-good-luck) ## The Telegraph — Zadie Smith Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2006. The film is beautifully made, coherent and effective with expert pacing, ensemble casting and control of verbal material; Clooney directs maturely and edits himself out as an actor. Historical content has inaccuracies and elisions, but it remains a great, stylish political docudrama. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3650300/Clooney-lectures-in-black-and-white.html) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2005. Clooney's film lovingly captures the romance of crusading journalism and Murrow's stand against McCarthy through strong performances and elegant black-and-white visuals. It is a charming but ultimately lightweight effort that falls short of tragic or epic dimensions due to its brevity and breezy pace. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/good-night-and-good-luck-1798201134) ## Empire — Simon Crook 27 January 2006. The critic praises Clooney's direction for its artful monochrome style, jazz score, and urgent recreation of the 1950s newsroom battle against McCarthyism using archive footage. It calls the film provocative and stimulating as brain-food, though emotionally dry with limited character development. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-night-good-luck-review/) ## Screen Daily 1 September 2005. Festival review. An austere drama of political and journalistic ethics that consecrates Clooney as a serious director, with elegant black-and-white cinematography and a memorable performance by Strathairn. It may prove too dry for some but effectively argues for civil liberties. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/good-night-and-good-luck/4024180.article) ## Sight and Sound — Geoffrey Macnab Festival review. Clooney's film celebrates professionalism and a lost era of journalism through Murrow's stand against McCarthy. It features intense performances, especially Strathairn's, and evokes 1950s TV drama style. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49166) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager 12 September 2005. Clooney shifts to a restrained, workmanlike style that reveres facts and period detail, using crisp monochrome cinematography and strong performances, especially Strathairn's dignified Murrow, to explore contrasts between truth and deceit. The film eloquently highlights television news's duty to challenge power while drawing timely parallels to contemporary politics. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/good-night-and-good-luck/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Ray Bennett 2 September 2005. Clooney's docudrama offers a snapshot of Murrow taking on McCarthy, lovingly recreating 1950s CBS journalism in black and white. It will resonate with those who know the history but may disappoint viewers seeking a more entertaining political drama like All the President's Men. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/good-night-and-good-luck-review-movie-george-clooney-1236045980/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby 3 October 2005. Clooney's film is an elegant and stirring account of Murrow's team at 'See It Now' courageously taking on McCarthy amid commercial pressures at CBS. It praises Strathairn's accurate portrayal of Murrow's manner and the newsroom atmosphere while noting the film's relevance to contemporary media. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/10/10/getting-the-story) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 23 September 2005. Festival review. The film is a passionate essay on journalistic power, truth-telling, and responsibility, reconstructing the era in black-and-white with a cinéma-vérité style focused on the Murrow-McCarthy conflict. It singles out the documentary integration of McCarthy footage as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/movies/news-in-black-white-and-shades-of-gray.html) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2006. The critic praises the film as a serious, topical work for adults that informs without being boring and entertains without condescending. They single out its elegant black-and-white visuals, strong performances especially by David Strathairn as Murrow, and its resonance with contemporary issues of media and civil liberties. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/good-night-and-good-luck-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Digital Spy — Daniel Saney Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 February 2006. The critic praises Clooney's accomplished filmmaking for its focus on the issues of McCarthyism and the role of journalism, highlighting the film's contemporary relevance and expert acting. The black-and-white production and use of archive footage add authenticity and claustrophobia. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a29335/good-night-and-good-luck/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/good-night-and-good-luck.md