“Morning Glory” stars Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Patrick Wilson. Telling the story of a workaholic morning show television executive Becky Fuller (McAdams) and her efforts to save her declining show, “Morning Glory” is likeable. Harrison Ford is Frank, the curmudgeon news anchor who can’t stand the fact that he’s on a show that isn’t focusing on hard news stories, instead of the soft news he’s saddled with. Diane Keaton is neurotic as always, playing opposite Ford’s anchor, trying to make the best of a failing show.
The story begins with Becky being fired from one job, frantically searching for another. She lands a job as the executive of “Morning Glory,” the number four show falling behind the likes of “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America.” Understaffed and underfunded, Becky fights to keep the show on the air, all while dealing with her non-existent love life and the extremely difficult Frank, who refuses to say certain words like “fluffy” because they are “offensive” to him. Patrick Wilson plays Becky’s love interest, who somehow manages to put up with her extreme neuroticism and workaholic tendencies.
McAdams is always cute in whatever role she plays. Becky does starts to grate on your nerves slightly as she runs around, waving her arms, and stressing out constantly. Harrison Ford was very enjoyable as Frank. He still has that mischievous sort of sparkle in his eyes as he delivers his lines, even when he insults everyone around him, including Becky. Diane Keaton is Diane Keaton. As wonderfully charming she was in “Annie Hall,” her perpetual need to play neurotic characters is getting increasingly more tired.
The moral of this cute story arrives when Becky has to make the choice between working for “Good Morning America,” or continue working for “Morning Glory,” which by the film’s end, has seen a steady increase in viewers and a breakthrough with Frank, who covered a story that he wanted to cover but had the entertainment value that Becky was looking for in the show’s stories. It’s pretty easy to guess what Becky’s choice was.
We don’t ordinarily see the stresses and pressures faced when working in the field of broadcast journalism, so it is interesting to see a film set in this type of work environment, but everything else about the film is tired. We practically know everything that is about to happen before it does. It’s another harmless, bubblegum type of film. Call me a cynic, but I’m sick of these types of films. Rachel McAdams does breathe a breath of fresh air into this film, certainly. If she wasn’t in it, perhaps, it would not have been as good.
This is a film that is bright, happy, and full of sunshine. There is no doubt all of the problems won’t be solved by the end. This is a film not worth your eight dollars, but enough to watch on a rainy day or a movie night when you’re looking for something to put you in a good mood. A fresher plotline and maybe a couple of risks would set this movie apart from the rest of the films like it.
Where to Find It: In theaters, 11/10
Rating: 2 ½ stars
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