James L. Brook is one of those directors who always seems to take a quirky look at life. He isn't only the producer for "The Simpsons," he has some classic comedies under his belt -- "Broadcast News" is one of them.

Although it doesn't match his later effort "As Good As It Gets," "Broadcast News" is still a very clever, funny and witty movie about a television broadcasting station and all the problems they suffer. There's a great comedic sequence of physical humor where Joan Cusack is running around the building trying to rush a news tape to the editing room in a matter of mere minutes before it is to be broadcast live on TV.

This isn't only very truthful in terms of how hectic broadcasting stations are operated, but also a skillful and honest portrayal of human beings.

A low-key, subtle movie with good acting (especially from Hurt, who I don't always like so much) and apt direction.

Broadcast News is a sterling example of the right script and cast coming together in perfect harmony. A romance blooms between a green anchor (William Hurt; this was a great period for the actor),coming up from Sports, and television broadcast news producer (Holly Hunter; she has hardly ever been better) while both are rising professionally in their young careers in a DC station. Journalist Albert Brooks (proving he can tackle drama as well as comedy; melding both exceptionally) is stuck in a rut at the station, wanting desperately to progress, both in terms of broadcasting the news (his writing and reporting aren't disputed, but his anchoring the news is) and a relationship with Hunter. The whole point, besides emphasis on integrity in the news and being authentic and real as a person, is the love triangle that splits Hunter in two directions. Hurt proves to be less as sincere/ethical as she hoped (this pointed out by Brooks, in regards to a piece on date rape, through the use of a camera to capture crocodile tears),while Brooks can be so brutally honest with her in how he feels that she is sometimes taken aback by his reactions/replies to her acknowledgment of feelings for Hurt. Excelling as a news anchor due to his ability to broadcast and interview while in front of the camera with relative ease, skill, and poise, Hurt's career is on the uptick while Brooks' time at the station seems to be drawing to a close (a disastrous anchor night where he sweats profusely could very well be the death knell); these developments further add melodrama and tension to their relationship with Hunter. The love triangle dynamic isn't hard to digest because the characters are equipped with organic dialogue and situations determined by day-to-day factors faced every day in network news broadcasting (particularly, the messy process of putting together news packages and stories and sudden unemployment/layoffs),and rough transitional phases that happen when people fall hard for each other, trying the best they can to confront these feelings, often resulting in hurt and disappointment. My favorite scene has Brooks and Hunter discussing her feelings for Hurt and Brooks' feelings for Hunter; he tells her to get out of his house, then calls her back afterward (it's saying something out of anger, realizing that response is real but misguided, trying to rectify it immediately instead of allowing this to walk out the door without proper resolution). Hurt's first big anchor behind the news desk (a Libyan incident) with Hunter guiding him through it, and lots of busy activity behind the scenes is a real doozy. Robert Prosky is wonderful as Hunter's mentor; when Hunter must replace him, and he is "retired", it is crushing to her because she is supposed to be happy with such a promotion yet the anguish of his departure leaves mixed emotions, to say the least. Jack Nicholson is the big-shot main anchor whose place Hurt will be groomed to eventually take. The station layoffs, with several employees packing up and moving on, is really tough to watch. Joan Cusack, as Hunter's harried aid, is a delight. If you enjoy smart romantic dramedies and a look at the inner-workings of a news station, give this one a spin.

Broadcast News is the story of the selling of news broadcasting and the people doing the selling both behind and in front of the camera. The talent it takes to be a good reporter isn't necessarily what people want in front of the camera as everyone discovers in this cast.

Frankly they should have known already by 1987. When I was a lad I well remember the competition among the three networks when we did not have widespread cable stations with Walter Cronkite for CBS, Frank Reynolds for ABC, and the inimitable and alliterative team of Huntley and Brinkley for NBC. Just as the competition in the entertainment field remains fierce, each Network was looking for its share of the news audience as well.

All of these anchors who became celebrities in their own right were the product of exhaustive searches by their employers for the right person for Mr.&Mrs. America to feel comfortable with. Radio success did not guarantee television success. Gabriel Heatter was the most famous of radio newscaster did not score on television. And until he narrated The Untouchables, Walter Winchell who invented the phrase Mr.&Mrs. America was a total flop on television.

We demand of our anchors to be both calming and authoritative which the good looking William Hurt was able to project. His rival was news reporter Albert Brooks, a brilliant journalist but who was no good in front of the camera. They're not just rivals for a job, but also rivals for producer Holly Hunter.

Interesting that a woman is not yet a news anchor in 1987, today one would be considered if not hired. Hunter's glass ceiling is behind the camera. She despises the trend toward entertainment in television, but she both has a thing for William Hurt and knows that Brooks blows it when he gets his big chance as an anchor. Brooks in the meantime has a big old crush on Hunter which makes a strained atmosphere at the work place.

Hurt is introspective enough to know he's getting by on looks. He's a sports reporter when we first meet him and that's usually where people start. Some pretty important careers on television, radio, and the print media started with sports coverage. Hey, no one ever said Howard Cosell got by on his looks and charm.

Broadcast News got nominated for Oscars in seven categories including Best Picture, Best Actor for William Hurt, Best Actress for Holly Hunter, and Best Supporting Actor for Albert Brooks among them. It did not however cop one statue at the award ceremony. It is an entertaining and introspective look at some lives and careers of those who bring us the events of the day.