Morning Glory

Isn't TV News Cute?

         
 

12 November 2010| No Comments on Morning Glory     by Sean Chavel

 

Diverting and easy to watch, alternately cute and relevantly satiric, but unmistakably sitcom-y. Morning Glory doesn’t have the worst of soft-baked screenplays when it comes to satirizing television a.m. news programs, but despite some stinging humor it goes for broad laughs and the often used montage. If it succeeds in entertaining it’s due to Rachel McAdams’ (“The Time Traveler’s Wife”) adorable workaholic performance as the youngest of news producers and Harrison Ford (gruff like “Hollywood Homicide”) as a dead serious news anchorman who loathes that his contract requires him to work for fluff news. Diane Keaton (“The Family Stone”) is the bubbly TV personality who lacks chemistry with her new co-host, but it’s a surprise how thinly written her character is. If the idea of McAdams being an over-working spazz but loveable girl at heart and Ford as the grouchiest of old pros sounds good, then it could be worth your time.

The token boyfriend role is supplied by Patrick Wilson (“Little Children”), who embarrasses McAdams with his earlier flirtations before roping her in. They get around to lovemaking, but work gets in the way – in all hours of the night. McAdams is on the verge of losing her job, with Jeff Goldblum (“Independence Day”) in a small sharp role as an executive who gives her a short leash. Fundamentally, she has just a little bit of time to work up the ratings.

McAdams’ revamped “Daybreak” program depends a lot on saccharine feel-good stories, cooking segments, human trick follies and throwing its bald reporter (Matt Malloy) into dangerous situations. Ford is not amused, increasingly crabby, and frowns his way through the end credits of every taping. Eventually bored, he goes out and pursues his own news reports and corals McAdams to bring her camera crew. But the tension of the movie is the feeling that McAdams wants to progress her career while Ford could care less if the show folds. Humor is engendered in McAdams coaxing and begging him to do his job.

“Morning Glory” as said wants to put on an edge, but its ultimate goal is to make a sweet movie, which it is, only because McAdams is irresistible in her supply of that. As for Ford, the bigger of a foul S.O.B. he is, the funnier he is. As a whole package, it works as not-too-demanding light fare.

110 Minutes. Rated PG-13.

COMEDY-DRAMA / SATIRE / MILD & CHARMING / SNUGGLE THURSDAY NIGHT

Film Cousins: “His Girl Friday” (1940); “Network” (1976); “Broadcast News” (1987); “Working Girl” (1988).

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Sean Chavel

About The Author / Sean Chavel

Sean Chavel is a Hollywood based author and movie reviewer. He is the Executive Director of flickminute.com, a new website that has adapted the movie review site genre by introducing moodbased and movie experience based reviews.

 

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