I easily could have given this 8 out of 10 stars, but for this remake of "His Girl Friday" , an excellent variation of "The Front Page", the presence of Burt Reynolds giving a very smug performance prevents that from happening. What works are the performances of Kathleen Turner, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty and Henry Gibson in an otherwise excellent film with a terrific script. A different actor in the role that Cary Grant hysterically portrayed would have added the Romantic conflict. Just needed to make the triangle work.
Turner and Reynolds reporters are at odds over there professional differences. Turner is now engaged to Reeve and comes in to work for her last shift, ending up involving the potential executive of convicted murderer Henry Gibson. Executing the gentle Gibson (who shot a drug dealing cop responsible for the death of his son) is like purposely leaving Gilligan stranded on the island forever, and the audience routes for him to somehow get out of this crisis. Governor candidate Ned Beatty wants to score votes from the upper class and beat current Governor Charles Kimbrough who wants to give Gibson a pardon. Turner has an interview with Gibson that aligns support in Gibson's favor, but Beatty arranges an earlier execution that ultimately causes Gibson's escape.
It's ironic to see Kimbrough in this, just as he started "Murphy Brown", and Turner is the perfect choice to essay the Rosalind Russell role, character who was the Murphy Brown of the early 1940's. Her chemistry with Reynolds isn't bad, but he seems to have no heart, even on screen obviously condescending to her. Reeve is the perfect stooge, and his elevator breakdown scene is a classic. Gibson is touching, and Beatty is equally as nefarious as he was in "Network" which makes him a fascinating and truly memorable villain. The minor characters are cats so brilliantly that it seems almost to be a pastiche of the world of Television journalism and that rises this up even more. Had it not been for the disappointing performance of its leading man, I would have ranked this as a modern classic.
Turner and Reynolds reporters are at odds over there professional differences. Turner is now engaged to Reeve and comes in to work for her last shift, ending up involving the potential executive of convicted murderer Henry Gibson. Executing the gentle Gibson (who shot a drug dealing cop responsible for the death of his son) is like purposely leaving Gilligan stranded on the island forever, and the audience routes for him to somehow get out of this crisis. Governor candidate Ned Beatty wants to score votes from the upper class and beat current Governor Charles Kimbrough who wants to give Gibson a pardon. Turner has an interview with Gibson that aligns support in Gibson's favor, but Beatty arranges an earlier execution that ultimately causes Gibson's escape.
It's ironic to see Kimbrough in this, just as he started "Murphy Brown", and Turner is the perfect choice to essay the Rosalind Russell role, character who was the Murphy Brown of the early 1940's. Her chemistry with Reynolds isn't bad, but he seems to have no heart, even on screen obviously condescending to her. Reeve is the perfect stooge, and his elevator breakdown scene is a classic. Gibson is touching, and Beatty is equally as nefarious as he was in "Network" which makes him a fascinating and truly memorable villain. The minor characters are cats so brilliantly that it seems almost to be a pastiche of the world of Television journalism and that rises this up even more. Had it not been for the disappointing performance of its leading man, I would have ranked this as a modern classic.