It's Drop the Dead Donkey, stateside, in this sweet-and-sour satirical comedy from James L Brooks. In an environment where superegos pursue serious news, a romantic triangle develops between three self-serving Washington-based TV journalists. Vying for the affections of hard-nosed producer Holly Hunter are undervalued William Hurt, as a newscaster who can bring phoney tears to his eyes, and the underused Albert Brooks, as a seasoned investigator. But it's Hunter - long before her Oscar-winning role in The Piano - who really provokes the sorrow and the pity of lives at the mercy of their careers.

A high-strung news producer finds herself in a love triangle between a talented but self-doubting reporter and a charming news anchor who embodies the growing trivialization of news that she is determined to fight against.