Let's be realistic.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie was written by the main character and his heroic battle for good, ethical journalistic coverage in the outbreak of a war. He's portrayed as movie-flawed (likes vodka) but a good person and goshdarnit, a damned fine journalist. That's how the writer portrays himself. And that indicates the veracity of many of the other "factual" events in the movie. Others have spelled out the errors so I will not reiterate. Funny that a journalist who apparently thinks that he's among the best and the bravest chose not nonfiction to tell his story, but made up a story to tell us. I also have a minor issue with women wearing more make-up than drag queens in impossible situations like wars. I mean, I thought we left that silly movie practice in the 80s. What if the story broke and you had only one eye finished????

This film is a well-written and acted live-action documentary of Robert Wiener's experiences working as a CNN correspondent in Baghdad during the Gulf War. Overall, it is pretty good. The speeches all resonate, and it is good to see some of the atrocities committed by Saddam's army brought to light again; revisionist Americans love to paint the Gulf War as a "quest for oil", just as they love to browbeat America for using the atomic bomb during WWII. Obviously there are many sides to any story, and for the most part "Live from Baghdad" does a good job of showing what was really happening in Iraq, along with serving the Americans an occasional slice of humble pie for their brashness and xenophobia.Interestingly, the weakest part of the movie is the director. Mick Jackson has a lot of experience (I'm amazed to find out that he directed Steve Martin's "L.A. Story"), but his work here falls into two distinct categories: workmanlike and/or irritating. The workmanlike scenes aren't so bothersome. But occasionally he'll pull a trick out of his hat, and it's always hackneyed - particularly his fascination with long shots of people staring. This is one of those art house things that you just have to suffer through, along with the excessively talky relationship between Wiener and Ingrid. It is a distinctly American conceit, as seen in such dreck as "Pearl Harbor", to take something as colossal as a war and use it as a backdrop for a hamfisted love story. I also found it a little unsettling that the reporters were laughing and slapping each other on the back after the bombing, while outside their relatively safe hotel people were picking their loved ones out of the rubble.It is definitely a gigantic commercial for CNN, but you know that going in. The guy worked for CNN. If you watch a documentary about Colonel Sanders, you have to expect some fried chicken.Some people have dismissed the film as propaganda; I must point out that while it does paint our involvement in the Gulf War in a positive light, it makes no reference to the modern situation except to state that Saddam Hussein is still in power. If you were against the war, then of course there's no way you will like this film. But if you were against it without knowing anything about it except some friend of yours said "we're doing it for oil!", then you should do quite a bit of research ... and this film is as good a place as any to start.

"Live From Baghdad" is all about CNN producer Robert Weiner in the days leading up to the US bombing of Iraq from his behind-the-scenes Baghdad perspective. The film sticks little known Weiner out front and tries to build drama around his character but fails to deliver a human story as it ricochets off such issues as the emotional bond with a professional kindred (Bonham Carter); the blurring of the line between journalistic ethics and professional fervor; a producer's egotistical self interest endangering other correspondents and crew; and the whole Iraq perspective. What could have been real meat on this skeleton succumbs to shallow dramatic flair, lots of busy work, Keaton's too glib cuteness, etc. leaving just so much couch potato carrion. Nonetheless, this commercial for CNN from corporate sibling HBO will likely prove an adequate watch for the weary cable viewer. (C+)

"Live From Baghdad" is an excellent first person account of CNN's place in history as the news organization permitted by the Iraqi government to broadcast during the Gulf War.That being said, I do have complaints. Mainly that the movie leaves the impression that CNN was the only network on the air when the bombing campaign began. In fact - and printed transcripts back this up - former ABC News correspondent Garry Shepherd was the first western journalist to report that the bombing campaign had begun, beating out CNN by about 6 minutes. ABC's World News Tonight dumped out, in the middle of a report on the mood in Baghdad, to air Shepherd's phone account of the bombing campaign. He was allowed to continue for about 5 to 10 minutes before the Iraqi government cut the phone lines to the Al Rasheed Hotel, where the journalists were staying.If they had not been watching ABC that night, most viewers of this movie would not know that ABC broke the story of the bombing campaign. The movie implies that on 1/15/91 all other western journalists were trying to get out of Baghdad. Only later when we see that ABC producer in the bomb shelter is there any evidence that ABC was still there.I understand this is Robert Weiner's story to tell, and to that extent it is an excellent docudrama of his and CNN's place in history.