Network
An aging news anchor’s public breakdown becomes a ratings sensation that exposes the ruthless merger of television, corporate power, and popular anger.
Overview
A gripping exploration of media manipulation and the human psyche in a world driven by ratings.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sardonic
- furious
- theatrical
- political discussion night
- classic film night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Network as a brilliantly acted, sharply written, darkly funny satire of television and American society, while acknowledging its hectoring speeches and occasional excesses.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
UBS executives repeatedly treat news, outrage, and Howard Beale's instability as monetizable programming.
Howard Beale's on-air crisis is converted into a ratings-driven television format rather than treated as a human emergency.
Beale's populist broadcasts energize viewers while Diana Christensen and UBS package the anger for commercial success.
Studio broadcasts, control-room activity, and emphatic on-air performances blur journalism, performance, and spectacle.
Films like Network, and why
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
shared black comedy, institutional corruption, and cynical critique of American power
The Player
shared media satire, corporate manipulation, and darkly comic social criticism
Glengarry Glen Ross
shared workplace power struggles, moral compromise, and sharply written dramatic satire
Broadcast News
shared television-industry setting, caustic humor, and critique of commercial media
Movie Details
- Director
- Sidney Lumet
- Release Date
- 1976-11-27
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (2126)
Cast
- Faye Dunaway
- William Holden
- Peter Finch
- Robert Duvall
- Wesley Addy
- Ned Beatty
- Arthur Burghardt
- Bill Burrows
- John Carpenter
- Jordan Charney
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- 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 Network about?
- An aging news anchor’s public breakdown becomes a ratings sensation that exposes the ruthless merger of television, corporate power, and popular anger.
- What is Network like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Network as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Network violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Network as mild.
- What did critics think of Network?
- Critics broadly regard Network as a brilliantly acted, sharply written, darkly funny satire of television and American society, while acknowledging its hectoring speeches and occasional excesses.
- Which films are like Network?
- Films with a similar feel include Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Player, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Broadcast News.
- How long is Network?
- Network runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch Network?
- In United States, Network is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
