Morning Glory

Morning Glory
Directed by Roger Mitchell; written by Aline Brush McKenna
With Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, and Patrick Wilson

  If you like your movies served light with lots of charm, a touch of romance, plenty of laughs and featuring actors you know and love, you will be very satisfied watching ‘Morning Glory.’ This is a tart but formulaic comedy geared to tug at your emotions and your funny bone, but offering few surprises along the way. Nonetheless it is worthy Hollywood entertainment.
The film begins as the very perky Becky Fuller(Rachel Mc Adams) is being downsized from her job as a producer at a New Jersey TV morning show. Not one to take a breather for even a moment, the determined Becky lands a job at the IBS Network. She manages to convince the skeptical Station Manager Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) to hire her to revitalize the studio’s understaffed and under-funded show Morning Glory. The show is a failure, its ratings abysmal, trailing way behind NBC, ABC and CBS.
  Becky begins by firing one of the co-hosts who happens to be a shoe fetishist and all around jerk.. She seeks to replace him with legendary Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), a veteran news anchor who has won several Peabody awards, some Emmys and a Pulitzer. The arrogant Pomeory wants nothing to do with this type of mindless morning show, which focuses on recipes, celebrities, fashion and so on. However, because of a loophole in his contract with the IBS station, Pomeroy is strong armed into taking the job. He is not happy about it.
  Curmudgeon Pomeory hates everything, especially his co-host, Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), an aging former Miss Arizona. Becky fares no better in his esteem. This job is beneath him, and he makes her life as unpleasant as possible.
  The hyper-caffeinated Becky hurries about, constantly on her Blackberry, doing everything in her power to get grumpy Pomeroy to be less dour and more engaging onscreen. He does not cooperate. The viewer knows that somehow things will work out. And they do.
  Director Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill, Enduring Love) has assembled an impressive cast. Rachel McAdams is a natural as the adorable but manic up-and-comer, obsessed with her job. Her role calls for her to be super perky and that she is. Almost as perky is Diane Keaton, the anchor who will do just about anything for laughs and for ratings. Harrison Ford is thoroughly believable as a surly, uncooperative and unhappy has- been.
  The film manages to portray the behind the scenes turmoil and split-second decisions needed in broadcasting. The pace is lickity-split. However, a contrived affair between Becky and co worker Adam Bennett (Patrick Wilson) is unnecessary and does nothing to enhance the film.. It feels as if it was added on so the movie could be called a ‘romantic comedy.’
  Should news programs have substance or should the news be entertainment? The morning shows (and much of TV) have been dumbed down to get ratings. Mike Pomeroy is from the old school where newscasters reported timely and serious events. This kind of newscaster has become an endangered species. “Morning Glory” does have something important to say about news as entertainment, but this message is concealed by its upbeat and witty script written strictly for laughs. It is an upbeat spoof of the TV news industry that has good performances by its leads, but little substance. Still, watching this film is a pleasant enough way to spend and hour and a half. See it if you are looking for some sit-com type of fun on the big screen.