Unlike the MPAA we do not assign
one
inscrutable rating based on age, but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE
and PROFANITY on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest,
depending on quantity and context.
Historical drama taking place during the 1950s and depicting the real-life and very public conflict between television journalist Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. David Strathairn stars as Murrow, and George Clooney (who also directs) as his CBS producer Fred Friendly. Also with Rose Abdoo, Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson. [1:30]
SEX/NUDITY 1 - A woman wears a full slip that reveals cleavage, bare shoulders and upper back while dressing, with her husband nearby. Women wear low-cut evening dresses in a couple of scenes that reveal cleavage, bare shoulders and backs, and a woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. ► A woman kisses a man on the cheek, and a man and his wife lie in bed together and talk. A man makes a remark about two attractive people being alone in a copy room.
the review continues below...
VIOLENCE/GORE 1 - There is a constant sense of menace combined with helplessness throughout the movie. ► We hear that a man committed suicide by turning the gas on in his stove. Three men speak sternly to and with one another.
PROFANITY 2 - 2 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for African-Americans, 3 derogatory terms for Communists, 2 religious profanities. [profanity glossary]
SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes at a gathering/dinner, and several men drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes in a bar scene. ► People (mostly men) are shown constantly smoking cigarettes throughout the movie. Men smoke cigarettes and pipes in meeting rooms in several scenes. We see advertisements for cigarettes on television.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Senator Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, Edward R. Murrow, Apartheid, segregation, political complacency, television's role in society, Communism, Socialism, national security, suicide, loyalty, honesty, guilt, proclaiming guilt without trial, Annie Lee Moss, heresy, the ACLU, Communist sympathizers, patriotism, corporate interference in news reporting, celebrity, sponsorship, political cover-ups, conspiracies, secret marriages, the role of the news media, unbiased reporting, the Constitution of the United States, anti-American propaganda, civil liberties, censorship, coercion, fear, freedom, exploitation.
MESSAGE - The role of the press is to expose political malfeasance and the violation of the tenets of the U.S. Constitution by politicians. Disagreement with a government policy or political position does not imply anti-Americanism.
A CAVEAT: We've gone through several editorial changes since we
started covering films in 1992 and some of our early standards were
not as stringent as they are now. We therefore need to revisit many
older reviews, especially those written prior to 1998 or so; please
keep this in mind if you're consulting a review from that period.
While we plan to revisit and correct older reviews our resources are
limited and it is a slow, time-consuming process.
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