MovieChat Forums > Broadcast News (1987) Discussion > Jane and Tom

Jane and Tom

posted 5 years ago by Misty (268)
2 replies | jump to latest

I thought that Jane was conflicted about Tom. She did not regard him as a serious journalist, almost from the start of the movie when he bared his soul to her. Is it fair to say that she saw him as an idiot? And yet on a physical level, she was attracted him. She sought to have her female colleague Jennifer sent away to cover a news story so that there was no competition.She even tells Aaron that she may be in love with Tom. For all her high ethical standards Jane falls this man who is a fraud despite his star charisma.

[–] ExTechOp (2770) 5 years ago

Yes. That's pretty much it.

I thought it was encouraging that she chose to work with him in the end; it showed maturity and self-awareness on her part.

[–] Druff (1845) a year ago

I don't think she saw him as an idiot. He wasn't an idiot. An idiot wouldn't be so self-aware as Tom was. He was articulate, even witty at times. He could be charming when he wanted to. His problem was that he was uninterested in pretty much everything. He didn't know things because he didn't care to know. He was obsessed with his own success, but not interested in putting in the effort. He looked for shortcuts. He was also sometimes aloof and manipulative. He obviously genuinely liked Jane, but on the other hand he wanted to use her for his own success.

Jane knew Tom was shallow and uninformed and disinterested. But she didn't think he was a bad person, so she let his finer points win her over. Then she finds out just how shallow and manipulative he's capable of being, and that's the end of the line for her, at least in terms of romance.