I can’t stress enough how well cast this is. Keaton gives a dynamite performance in his third film with Howard, after Night Shift and Gung Ho, and Howard does what he does best, letting the movie develop naturally and placing most of the responsibility on his trusted star, who doesn’t disappoint. Close, too, is very effective as a dragon lady we’ve heard a lot about before we finally see her, and when she does appear, Howard gives her a terrific entrance, presenting her so the first frame tells us everything we heard about her is right on the money. Funnily enough, Alicia was written as a man named Alan, and when Close came aboard, the screenwriters changed the name and kept every line the same.

Henry and Alicia are like oil and water, and eventually, years of bitter resentment boil over into one of the film’s best scenes, a fine moment of acting for both, especially Close, who looks radiant here even as she hides a massive wall of self-doubt and sadness. Henry knows this and pushes her buttons because of their long history together, but this isn’t the day for anyone to test anyone else, and they both learn that the hard way.

Duvall and Tomei also turn in fine performances, navigating some cliché material with ease. Watching Quaid’s McDougal now comes with an extra layer of insider knowledge, since Quaid’s own headlines have long since outrun anything his character could dream up. There was his 2010 run to Canada to escape what he called the “Hollywood star whackers,” and the long extradition fight that ended when a Vermont judge set him and his wife free in 2015. And just this past July, a California appeals court upheld a $3.5 million judgment against the couple over their claims to a Santa Barbara property that once belonged to them.

Aside from the above-the-title leads, Howard once again shows his strength in casting by filling the newsroom and the world outside it with strong character actors like Jason Robards, Jason Alexander, Spalding Gray, and Catherine O’Hara, the kind of colorful supporting turns that lend the whole thing its authenticity, and many of them make one-and-done appearances that are still felt several scenes later. The late, great Lynne Thigpen has a small role as Henry’s secretary, Janet, but makes the most of her scenes, and that’s what true renaissance acting is all about.

You can’t forget Roma Maffia as an eager reporter always trying to get the human angle, or Jack Kehoe as a hypochondriac who’s sure he’s being conspired against, and Amelia Campbell’s rookie photographer, Robin, is a bundle of nervous energy desperate to get the right shot, though she’s the kind of person who would forget to take the lens cap off. Pause any scene in the newsroom, and you’ll catch someone doing something interesting on production designer Todd Hallowell’s wonderfully fussy set.

Keep an eye out for the real thing, too. A whole roster of New York media names play themselves, from columnists Pete Hamill and Mike McAlary (who inspired Quaid’s McDougal) to Bob Costas, Kurt Loder, and Graydon Carter. Howard also made it a family affair, with his brother, Clint, his parents, Rance Howard and Jean Speegle Howard, and his wife, Cheryl, all turning up in small roles, along with co-writer Stephen Koepp.