Network

1976.
#66 / #64
Winner of 4 Academy Awards.

After the UBS network informs its nightly news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) that he will be fired in a couple weeks, he goes crazy on live television, which earns him his own network show. When Beale begins to decry UBS's parent company CCA, the chairman of CCA convinces Beale that capitalism is key. Finally, Beale is assassinated by a terrorist group in order to provoke interest in their network variety show, "The Mao Tse-Tung Hour."

Eddie: How have we not already reviewed this movie? NETWORK is the most prophetic of all of the films on the AFI list. I wonder if director Sydney Lumet watches television today and thinks to himself, "If we had put this shit in our movie back then, no one would have believed it." In an era where Anderson Cooper has to interview The Bachelorette and Fred Thompson has to quit his TV show to run for president, it's startling to believe that there was ever an America that didn't so closely infuse news and pop culture. NETWORK, produced just as television was jumping the shark in search of higher ratings, accurately predicted the depths to which television has sunk.

Sarah: As Eddie said, this movie is eerily modern. I think it only becomes more relevant as time goes by. This was one of the biggest surprises on the list for me. I had seen the famous "I'm mad as hell" scene, so I thought I knew what I was in for. But I did not.

Not only is the movie prophetic, but it is also unconventional. It does not follow contrived story arcs. It continually goes for the unexpected, and never gets hollywood on you - which is admirable since it's key theme is selling out. With all the commercialism in films, I don't think we'll get another film like NETWORK, so you must see it. Plus you can't miss Faye Dunaway as the manipulative unfeeling skeleton, Dianne Christensen. Or the scene where Max Schumacher (William Holden) tells his wife (Cindy Grover) he is leaving her. Amazing performances.

Why You Should See It: The Board Room Scene where UBS Chairman Arthur Jensen (Ned Beatty) tells Beale:

There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of the world today.

True then and truer today.

Tootsie

1982.

#62 / #69

Winner of 1 Academy Award.

Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is an out-of-work actor who dresses as a woman in order to get a part on a soap opera. He falls in love with his co-star (Jessica Lange) before revealing himself on live TV.

Eddie: I had never seen this movie until we started this little venture, and I was pleasantly surprised. TOOTSIE had more heart than I'd expected it to. Dustin Hoffman and the supporting cast do an admirable job of keeping the plot grounded in reality. They don't let it jump the rails into absolute yonkerville. TOOTSIE is the standard-bearer of "drag films," because it earns laughs from having Hoffman dress as a woman, but the movie treats the situation as seriously as it can.

Sarah: I also did not see this film until we started this project. I loved it. It's a pure delight. While I would say that SOME LIKE IT HOT is the standard for "drag films," Hoffman's performance takes it to a new level.

This film isn't just hilarious, it's damn sharp. Before Michael Dorsey becomes Dorothy, his life is incomplete. After his transformation he is a whole person. As a woman, Michael learns how to treat women, be responsible, stand up for himself, share with others, and listen to his own emotions. By getting to really know his feminine side, Michael becomes a fully developed human. That's what's great about the film. It doesn't just rely on the gags of a man walking in heels (which will always be funny). In between making us laugh, it teaches that instead of judging the difference between the sexes, we can learn from those differences. This is a must-see!

Why You Should See It: Watching Dustin Hoffman fight off his male suitors is funnier than watching Robin Williams ignite his décolletage.