Provided you’re not perversely nostalgic for Joseph McCarthy’s reign of blacklisting terror, you probably won’t gain much in the way of an ideological epiphany from George Clooney’s new drama, “Good Night, and Good Luck.” You might learn a thing or two about gleaning a sharp, compelling bit of moviemaking from a somewhat isolated historical event. Either way, it’s the perfect date movie for an apprehensive film studies major looking to break the ice with that cute, albeit nubile, political science major.

Don’t get me wrong, the theme “Good Night” espouses is a banal one – ethical journalism is good, McCarthy’s unverified slander is bad. However, it’s delivered with a dexterous m