Howard Beale, a network newsanchor, is given his two weeks notice due to poor ratings. This, combined with a number of other unfortunate events in his life, lead him to announce his decision to kill himself live on TV on the night of his final broadcast. Instead of getting Beale the help he so obviously desparately needs, his job is reinstated and his prophetic ramblings are exploited to gain viewers for the dying network. Predictably, it works, and Beale becomes an overnight sensation. But what goes up must come down, and such success has a lofty price.
Lumet and writer Paddy Chayefsky called Network a "reflection" of American media. Although it comes off as a satire to some, they were merely presenting the harsh truth behind what we see on the 6:00 news. This film is as relevant now as it ever was. Especially considering the reality TV explosion of the past decade, Network still rings all too true. What shocked me most of all was the things that the news was covering back then (recession, high oil prices, Russia, unemployment, etc.) are the same things we hear about constantly now. 32 years later, it's still the same old shit.
This is probably one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. I never thought I would like a movie consisting mostly of a bunch of old white guys so much! The acting is so powerful, and the monologues in this movie are so moving, I had a lump in my throat during a few scenes. I seriously can't believe it took me 23 years to watch this movie, especially since it's on cable all the time!
(I'm not even going to bother with a "Best Line" for this movie. I would have to copy and paste the whole goddamn script. )
Grade: A+
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