I have long been a fan of Aaron Sorkin’s. He first caught my attention with a smallish
television drama-comedy called Sports Night, a fast-paced, fast-talking show-within-a-show
piece about broadcasting sports news. In
Sorkin’s hands, the main characters had an uncanny ability to multi-task their
thoughts and actions while producing quality programming, handling industry
ethics, and completely twisting up their personal lives. The show made stars of Peter Krause
(Parenthood), Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Josh Charles (The Good
Wife), and Josh Malina (The West Wing).
Most people know Sorkin for his fabulous film scripts, not
the least of which are A Few Good Men, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Social
Network, and Moneyball. He is a famously
messed up human being with a dark personal life. His scripts, however, take a dark jumble of
personal and professional foibles and bathe them in light. In the end, his stories capture the true complexities
found under his scrupulous lens and wrap them with a hopeful prayer for
humanity. Constantly, I find myself
saying, “If only that happened in the real world.”
The latest gift from Aaron Sorkin is a Sunday night HBO
feature called Newsroom. Like Sports Night,
it once again shows us the goat rodeo that goes on behind producing a nightly
broadcast. This time, however, we are
treated to Sorkin’s take on real world events, as the show is set approximately
one year ago. On display is the
give-and-take between politics and the media, and the effect this has, ultimately,
on public opinion. It is a poignant
commentary on where we find ourselves in an election year, how candidates and
other sensations are made and unmade, and how far technology has taken us from
the “journalism” of a generation ago.
Sorkin does all this by allowing us to see the world through the eyes of
a few pointed characters, each with enough personal failings for us to trust in
their humanity, yet each possessing an unfailing commitment to the integrity of
the news. In the end, we are called upon
to askourselves how much of what we think we know about what happens in the
world is truth. The characters break
barriers and a lot of glass, and once again, I find myself saying, “If only
that happened in the real world.”
Like most Sorkin projects, this one has also drawn a great
cast. Just when I was wondering what
happened to Sam Waterston, he shows up as the grizzled network boss, much
crustier than his Law and Order Jack McCoy and, thanks to his new HBO home,
showing off his license to drop F-bombs.
Jeff Daniels, the news show’s anchor, managing editor, and (used to
dramatic effect) a proud Republican, is filling out a role that will no doubt
be a high water mark in his acting career.
His quest to reveal truth on the air, and the many business conflicts of
interest that challenge that mission, become the true plot of the show. Like other Sorkin projects, there is the
star-crossed young couple whose love is apparent to everyone except them. And the occasional appearance of Jane Fonda
as a Ted Turner-inspired media mogul named “Leona” of all things, is casting
genius.
Unfortunately, as this show completes its premiere season
run tonight, we won’t have Aaron Sorkin to squeeze Newsroom’s mix of truth and irony out of the upcoming Presidential election.
We will have to live in the here and now with the reality of our own
making. We will let media outlets and
social networks parse the sound bites, turning well-meaning candidates from true patriots into circus clowns
and rodeo animals. We will place our
bets on symbolic gestures and then take a leap of faith. We will hope that whoever prevails will shock
the pundits and turn out to be a pleasant surprise.
Again, I find myself saying, “If only that happened in the
real world.”
No comments:
Post a Comment