Runtime: 108 minutes
Directed by: Mel Smith
Starring: A great cast
From: Universal/Lucasfilm
RIP Ned Beatty
I realize it may seem absurd to see a movie for the first time in more than 25 years because you recall it featured a great actor that just passed away. I've already watched Beatty's most famous work... whether it be Deliverance (which is much more than just the Squeal Like a Pig scene), his bumbling henchman Otis in the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, his small yet incredible role in Network-where he delivered what has to be one of the best soliloquies in motion picture history-and his voiceover as Lotso in Toy Story 3. Other films could have been selected-I decided upon one that I had watched before, albeit on VHS and practically all of it was forgotten long ago.
This is infamous as a passion project for George Lucas; he wanted it made right after American Graffiti but it languished in development hell for 20 years before he finally had the opportunity. This evoked the era (late 30's) where radio was the main way people could have entertainment beamed to their homes. In Chicago, WGN... er, excuse me, “WBN” launches a national radio network with an extravaganza that included live musical performances, a talent contest, radio shows of all genres, & more... unfortunately, it is utter chaos with various people at the station feuding w/ each other and that's not even factoring in the person who is murdering various people at WBN. Now, in hindsight perhaps there were warning signs; after all, this was a product of people who gave us Howard the Duck. But there's also a George Lucas story in a movie where yes-man Rick McCallum was a producer. With 2021 eyes, this should have been a warning as to how the prequels would turn out!
As for this movie's demerits, they are notable. It has quite the fast pace; sure, so do the screwball comedies of yore this attempts to emulate. However, those typically gave us characters we care about and were more successful at being funny than this was. Radioland Murders in contrast felt exhausting too often and that's a shame as this has an all-star cast (everyone from George Burns to Joey Lawrence), great production design and music that did sound good. It's a movie I should have enjoyed and thought was better than just “meh”; alas... Beatty was fine in his role but lead girl Mary Stuart Masterson was the highlight both in performance and role. She was certainly more tolerable than the buffoon that Brian Benben played. Yet to everyone's chagrin, something that had the likes of Brion James, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffery Tambor, Christopher Lloyd, Rosemary Clooney and many others only had sporadic laughs and sporadic entertainment value. This is probably why I barely remembered anything about this from that initial viewing oh so long ago.
Having seen movies of its type between '95 and now, that only makes this look more inferior. There are even mystery comedies from the late 30's through the early 40's set in radio stations that I've never seen but might be better; that includes Abbott & Costello's Who Done It? One last note: while I won't reveal specific information, a Letterboxd mutual actually was a background extra in the movie and you can spot them several times throughout. They enjoyed the experience and as someone who has never been on a film set, I do envy this person for having that sort of work in a few motion pictures, no matter the end result of those productions.
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