Morning Glory (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is an upstart TV producer for a New Jersey morning news show in 'Morning Glory', directed by Roger Michell. Called into her boss' office with what she hopes is a promotion, she instead is informed that she's fired! And the fact that she is "the best producer he's ever fired" doesn't make it go down any easier. Perky & relentless-to-a-fault, Becky sends out copious amounts of resumes EVERYWHERE until she's finally reeled-in by Jerry Barnes (the always funny Jeff Goldblum), an executive for the fictitious IBS network. His morning show, Daybreak, is 2 snaps from being cancelled & he's looking for an unorthodox exec. producer to shake things up & revive said show. Despite her youth (28 yrs. old), & her general inexperience, Becky is hired.
She gets off to a rocky start, however; not jiving with Daybreak's popular female anchor, Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), & hitting a real strident chord with legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Becky hired Pomeroy for some much-needed gravitas. But he refuses to cover morning show staples like weather, celebrity gossip, fashion, or cooking; let alone work with crusty Colleen; and he makes a concerted effort to not do anything that Becky wants him to do. The ratings take a continual nosedive, & Becky learns that she has 6 weeks to perform a morning news miracle before it's cancelled altogether. To save her life from going down the tubes completely, she pulls out all the stops - and that's when Daybreak actually starts winning viewers over. Will Becky's warring co-hosts settle down? Can she juggle the taxing morning show with a new romance (Patrick Wilson)? Boring plot points with intermittent hilarity ensue.
'MG' tries to do several things at once and kinda fumbles it. The movie wants to show us what it's like behind the scenes of a morning new show ... but there's not much of a revelation. It tries to jam in a perfunctory romance. It tries to exhibit a cantankerous father-daughter relationship btwn. Becky & Mike Pomeroy. It tries its hand at sentimental drama. It often goes for pure hysterics. None of this is executed awfully. It's just that the film is unevenly paced, & jarring in tone, at times. The film works best when it goes for laughs. The character of Becky may be annoying to some. But for the most part, she's a fun, goofy, overly cheerful woman who is so in-over-her-head with her job that comedy ensues from her inherently.
There are a number of outrageous set pieces in the middle of the film that had the theater rolling; and me pitched over in my seat from laughter. But like I said, those moments usually precede and are followed by flat scenes, and/or pop music-infused montages. Blech. What keeps 'Morning Glory' afloat is Rachel McAdams' effervescence & enthusiasm. She plays the type of person who - if given the chance - can rule the world, but lacks both finesse, as well as awareness of social graces (tripping, motor-mouthing, not having a clue when she's being hit on by a guy, etc.). She's funny, cute, & a stellar romantic comedy leading lady.
Diane Keaton is adequate; not really in the plot, too much. Harrison Ford is a bit too grumpy here, but I suppose it's what the role called for. His contentious back & forths with Keaton & McAdams are fun. And some of his brooding baritone line deliveries are quite funny. Patrick Wilson is fine as Adam, Becky's love interest. As mentioned, that storyline is weak; and yet, I get the impression that people in my theater wanted more of that storyline than the morning news show! Overall, 'MG' includes just enough clever lines, character interactions, & funny interludes to diffuse the bouts of tedium. 'Romantic comedies' are released every week. And while this film wouldn't be half as good without the ensemble cast at hand, it's still better than most that come down the pike.
She gets off to a rocky start, however; not jiving with Daybreak's popular female anchor, Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), & hitting a real strident chord with legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Becky hired Pomeroy for some much-needed gravitas. But he refuses to cover morning show staples like weather, celebrity gossip, fashion, or cooking; let alone work with crusty Colleen; and he makes a concerted effort to not do anything that Becky wants him to do. The ratings take a continual nosedive, & Becky learns that she has 6 weeks to perform a morning news miracle before it's cancelled altogether. To save her life from going down the tubes completely, she pulls out all the stops - and that's when Daybreak actually starts winning viewers over. Will Becky's warring co-hosts settle down? Can she juggle the taxing morning show with a new romance (Patrick Wilson)? Boring plot points with intermittent hilarity ensue.
'MG' tries to do several things at once and kinda fumbles it. The movie wants to show us what it's like behind the scenes of a morning new show ... but there's not much of a revelation. It tries to jam in a perfunctory romance. It tries to exhibit a cantankerous father-daughter relationship btwn. Becky & Mike Pomeroy. It tries its hand at sentimental drama. It often goes for pure hysterics. None of this is executed awfully. It's just that the film is unevenly paced, & jarring in tone, at times. The film works best when it goes for laughs. The character of Becky may be annoying to some. But for the most part, she's a fun, goofy, overly cheerful woman who is so in-over-her-head with her job that comedy ensues from her inherently.
There are a number of outrageous set pieces in the middle of the film that had the theater rolling; and me pitched over in my seat from laughter. But like I said, those moments usually precede and are followed by flat scenes, and/or pop music-infused montages. Blech. What keeps 'Morning Glory' afloat is Rachel McAdams' effervescence & enthusiasm. She plays the type of person who - if given the chance - can rule the world, but lacks both finesse, as well as awareness of social graces (tripping, motor-mouthing, not having a clue when she's being hit on by a guy, etc.). She's funny, cute, & a stellar romantic comedy leading lady.
Diane Keaton is adequate; not really in the plot, too much. Harrison Ford is a bit too grumpy here, but I suppose it's what the role called for. His contentious back & forths with Keaton & McAdams are fun. And some of his brooding baritone line deliveries are quite funny. Patrick Wilson is fine as Adam, Becky's love interest. As mentioned, that storyline is weak; and yet, I get the impression that people in my theater wanted more of that storyline than the morning news show! Overall, 'MG' includes just enough clever lines, character interactions, & funny interludes to diffuse the bouts of tedium. 'Romantic comedies' are released every week. And while this film wouldn't be half as good without the ensemble cast at hand, it's still better than most that come down the pike.