“COMEDY SMART AND CHARMING”
Starring: Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum and Patrick Wilson
Directed by: Roger Michell
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue.
Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 1hr 42min
Release Date: November 10, 2010
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
By John Delia
If Rachel McAdams ever needed uplift in her career, Morning Glory does the trick. The very funny well-acted script puts McAdams in the thick of things and she shines. The chemistry among the star-studded cast keeps the laughs coming all the way to its touching ending. It may be a bit predictable, but most comedies are these days.
The film finds small town TV producer Becky Fuller (McAdams) out of a job mainly because she’s a little too aggressive doing local news. By chance she stumbles on a possible TV producing job in a larger market, but it’s not a dream position as this morning news show “Daybreak†is in last place and fading fast. Becky convinces station boss Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) that she can turn the show around and bring up the ratings.
After a mishmash of offbeat tries at change, Becky comes up with an idea to revitalize the morning show by bringing on as co-host legendary news TV
anchor Mike Pomeroy (Ford). Unfortunately Pomeroy has his mind on retirement, not a show about gossip, weather and fashion. To add to Becky’s problems current co-host, Colleen Peck (Keaton), doesn’t want to be upstaged by the popular Pomeroy. Thus begins a hilarious clash of personalities, job reform and a fight for higher ratings in a quest to save the show.
McAdams, Ford and Keaton are a stitch together. Their characters are so real you could compare them with some of today’s Daytime show hosts. The fun is finding the three in situations created from their characters personalities, crazy ideas and competitive nature. Morning Glory certainly proves itself as a well worth seeing adult film that succeeds with a mix of smart comedy and charm.
Strong direction by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Changing Lanes) keeps the A-list stars from over acting their parts. He crafts Ford as a conceited curmudgeon putting Becky in a pickle and Colleen laughing inside at Pomeroy’s possible fall from dignify. It’s this conflicting personality triangle constructed by Michell that spins the laughter from character to character enabling a fun filled hour and 42 minutes of situation comedy.
Morning Glory is rated PG-13 for sexual content including dialogue. Please take this into consideration when deciding whether to bring immature children to a showing.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A smart lovable film with charming characters.