3418. Up Close & Personal (1996)

Starring: Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stockard Channing

Director: Jon Avnet

Running Time: 124 mins

Up Close & Personal is an American film about an up-and-coming news reporter who develops a relationship with a veteran producer, who helps her rise the ranks to stardom.

This is such a wonderful movie. I’m always intrigued by a behind-the-scenes look at nightly news shows, whether that be in the vein of Network, Broadcast News or even Anchorman, but Up Close & Personal really brings another level to the story with a healthy does of romance.

Featuring Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer at the height of their powers, the pair work beautifully with one another in the vein of a Star Is Born-esque tale of a veteran and ingenue working together to take on the world of news broadcasting.

Though it may seem a little sappy at times, Pfeiffer and Redford have such wonderful chemistry that you really do fall for them as a couple, willing them on together in their best moments, all the while supporting Pfeiffer individually when the inevitable comes, as she outgrows the place where she began her career and met Redford.

Up Close & Personal certainly shares parallels with Broadcast News in its use of romance as the anchor for a behind-the-scenes look at newscasting, but the big difference is that Up Close & Personal is able to integrate that romance almost effortlessly with its look at the professional side of affairs.

Again, that’s why the film feels so much like A Star Is Born, as you follow the meteoric rise of Pfeiffer’s young character to the heights of the news industry, going from local stories to tackling the big issues on network television. It’s a lovely and uplifting story, and her romance with Redford only adds to the emotional depth behind it.

Bolstered by sweet humour, nice parallels to Redford’s starring role in All The President’s Men, and above all a calm, relaxing pace that allows you to bathe in the joy of the central romance, Up Close & Personal really delivers strongly on all fronts, and had me smiling right from start to finish. So, that’s why I’m giving the film a 7.9 overall.