Overview
A journey through the wilds of Texas reveals the power of storytelling and the search for belonging.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- reflective
- bittersweet
- sincere
- quiet weekend
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly found it a well-acted, visually vivid, and emotionally rewarding western whose grounded performances and landscapes outweigh a somewhat soft or thin dramatic script.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kidd and Johanna cross hundreds of miles of dangerous Texas wilderness while building trust and searching for a home.
Kidd is a Civil War veteran traveling through a Texas still shaped by violence, instability, and loss five years after the war.
Kidd must escort Johanna, who was raised by the Kiowa, to biological relatives in a society she does not recognize as home.
Kidd reads and interprets newspapers aloud for isolated townspeople who rely on his lively storytelling for access to distant events.
Films like News of the World, and why
True Grit
shared postwar western setting, moral redemption, and a guarded adult protecting a displaced child
The Homesman
shared frontier journey, father daughter bonding, and reflective western drama
Hostiles
shared western landscapes, historical displacement, and emotionally restrained character development
The Searchers
shared road-movie structure, wilderness peril, and themes of belonging and human connection
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Greengrass
- Release Date
- 2020-12-25
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (1994)
Cast
- Tom Hanks
- Helena Zengel
- Michael Angelo Covino
- Ray McKinnon
- Mare Winningham
- Elizabeth Marvel
- Fred Hechinger
- Bill Camp
- Thomas Francis Murphy
- Gabriel Ebert
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is News of the World about?
- A war-weary news reader escorts a fiercely displaced girl across post-Civil War Texas, discovering fragile companionship amid a hostile frontier.
- What is News of the World like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of News of the World as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is News of the World violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in News of the World as moderate.
- What did critics think of News of the World?
- Critics broadly found it a well-acted, visually vivid, and emotionally rewarding western whose grounded performances and landscapes outweigh a somewhat soft or thin dramatic script.
- Which films are like News of the World?
- Films with a similar feel include True Grit, The Homesman, Hostiles, and The Searchers.
- How long is News of the World?
- News of the World runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch News of the World?
- In United States, News of the World streams on Peacock Premium, YouTube TV, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus.
