hockey475 The other reviews say it all but watch Treat Williams for his awe inspiring speech to David Letterman. I wish someone said that to me sometime.And Bob Balaban may be Littlefield's clone-He tells Helen Kushnik to " F you and the horse you rode in on."It's amazing how the actors captured the essence of the book characters by Bill Carter.Higgins portrayal of Letterman is spot on...When he refers to his CBS contract, he says "It would put a smile on Jack Benny's face... and that's in the condition he is now."You can watch this over and over again.

knucklebreather This movie is a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the book, so if there are any inaccuracies they trace to the book, not the movie. The only thing that I noticed was left out of the movie was some of the background that took place in the 80s and even 70s - the book opens by explaining that Carson wanted Letterman to follow him, and going into why Leno was so loyal to Kushnick. The film gives very abbreviated versions of this background two thirds of the way in, which I think would be confusing to viewers who hadn't read the book, making them wonder for most of the movie why people were behaving the way they were.Sequencing aside, the movie is a quite good job of adapting the book. I do wish the film had done a better job of explaining Carson and Letterman's friendship, and the rather vile emotional manipulations the book alleges Kushnick used on Leno. However, most of what was left out wouldn't really have worked in film formanyway. In so far as the book was an accurate story of the late night wars, the movie is too. If you're wondering what happened with Leno and Letterman, this movie will do in a pinch if you don't want to read the book.If you don't care about Leno and Letterman, this is a decent drama full of intrigue that probably would be worth your time if you catch in on TV, but it's not really worth renting or buying, the movie kind of assumes you already know and care about the Leno and Letterman saga. Only Leno's background is hinted at, and again, not until late in the movie, and I think the entire movie manages to not mention Letterman is from Indiana, had a long-time friendship with Carson, and it fails to really explain why Letterman was even worth fighting over in the first place, mostly he comes off as an egotistical jerk in this movie.This movie is mostly for fans of either of the late-night shows. It didn't have to be, with some better editing this could have been a fascinating story even if you'd never heard of El Chinno or the Gap-toothed one.

Floyd Maxwell Leno talks through his punch lines. This spoils the joke, for those of you who haven't figured it out. His show is held in a micro sized studio for a reason, or two reasons -- the small amount of laughter will be amplified, and few want to see him. Letterman's set is the polar opposite -- Ed Sullivan would be proud and the balcony is always full.NBC, tacky NBC, will never get it. Founder David Sarnoff's megalomaniacal enterprise continues to be all about the money. At least CBS has a bit of a family feel to it.Leno collects cars, or is it stamps, while Letterman races cars. The difference is informative.When I chatted I used to ask other chatters to email me if Leno _ever_ said something that was funny. I never got a single email. Letterman has superb timing. He also can re-use the most unfunny joke in such a way that it becomes one of the funniest things in that night's show.Letterman has built other careers. Paul is now well known and respected in his own musical right. Even Paul's other band members get recognition and career boosting. Biff Henderson has become a name America knows of. Even the businesses in the same block as the Ed Sullivan theater get a boost. What has Leno ever done for anyone else? Personally, I am glad that Dave moved and Leno got the Carson gig. I never watched NBC shows before and had no reason to after.The Top Ten list is an American icon. So is Letterman. Leno is a caricaturist's dream, nothing more.

sorabji I remember this movie getting a lot of flak from reviewers when it was new. Letterman and Leno themselves had objections. Letterman called it (paraphrasing) the biggest waste of film he'd ever seen, and Leno objected to the simpleton portrayal of himself. But Letterman had John Michael Higgins as a guest on his show so it seems he didn't take anything too personally. A DVD re-release, with opinions and such from those involved, could be interesting, though I suspect the days when late night talkshow wars captivated the nation are gone and not returning soon.I preferred the Letterman impersonation to the Leno, but could never buy in to either. They never rose above caricature, and I never simply accepted them as actors. For comparison: Paul Sorvino as Kissinger in Oliver Stone's "Nixon" comes to mind as an impersonation which may have seemed laughable in the first few moments but which seemed at least plausible after the first moments of amusement wore off.The highlight of the show for me was Treat Williams as Michael Ovitz. Williams' speech to Letterman was not as great as but reminiscent of Alec Baldwin's entrance (and quick exit) as Blake in Glengerry Glen Ross. They could have done more with Johnny's role in all this. I know he was mostly uninvolved in the events portrayed in this movie, and most audiences will be familiar with his reputation such that Johnny Carson needs no introduction. But more context about why Dave and Jay and all comedians revere Johnny would have given this flick the substance it lacks in being a gossip film.Guess I should read the book...Rich Little imitating Johnny Carson, unfortunately, came across as nothing more than Rich Little imitating Johnny Carson.I tell you what, after watching this movie, then watching either the Letterman or Leno show, all I want to do is crack open my Johnny Carson DVDs and see the real thing.