Movie Review: Morning Glory

Rachel McAdams plays executive producer Becky Fuller. Photo / Supplied

Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: Fun, frivolous and forgettable.

From the writer of The Devil Wears Prada, Aline Brosh McKenna, comes another story set behind the scenes of the media: this time the subject is the wonderfully superficial world of American morning TV.

Morning Glory is the feel-good story of TV producer Becky Fuller (McAdams). An insomniac news junkie and newly redundant, Becky gets her life back on track by scoring the job that no one wants, executive producer on New York-based Daybreak, the lowest rating national morning news show.

She's given 12 weeks to get the ratings up, or the show is pulled off the air. Her team is low on morale, money and material and, after she fires the male host on her first day, staff as well.

Becky's bold idea to revive Daybreak is to hire legendary TV anchor Mike Pomeroy (Ford) who is still under contract to the network but no longer on air.

Not quite the valuable asset, Becky dreamed he'd be, Pomeroy turns out to be a difficult, unhelpful sourpuss, both on air with his co-host Colleen Peck (Keaton) and off the air as Becky and Pomeroy battle over the relevance of news-lite verses serious journalism (something McAdams also did with Russell Crowe in State of Play).

It's not really a topic Morning Glory pursues with any real passion; after all this film isn't for those interested in hard news, but for those who are already happy converts to their morning news being delivered with celebrity gossip, cooking and craft lessons.

There's a touch of romance thrown in here as well but, just like Becky, this film doesn't really have time for a relationship. We see so little of her love interest Adam (Patrick Wilson) you're never too sure at any point in the film if they're still an item of not.

Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) encourages his cast to be as physical and over the top as they like, and except for the wooden Ford who often forgets he's in a comedy, they all enter into this spirit.

You get the feeling they're having fun, especially McAdams, Keaton and Matt Malloy as the weatherman Ernie, and - although there are only a few really good laughs to be had, and you'll be hard pushed to remember the ending in a week - their enthusiasm is just a little infectious and charming.

LOWDOWN
Cast: Diane Keaton, Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams
Director: Roger Michell
Running time: 107 mins
Rating: M (offensive language & sexual references)

-TimeOut