Since the 1970's every decade has offered up a film about the television news business. Network took up the argument that news divisions should be like entertainment and turn a profit. Broadcast News stated that network news was becoming more about style than substance. The Insider looked at how far the news media would go to expose the truth under corporate pressure. Good Night and Good Luck took a look back at 1950's journalism when a network had to make a moral choice about opposing a politician. And now for 2010 we have Morning Glory a light, "fluffy" look at the morning news biz.
Rachel McAdams stars as Becky Fuller a young career woman who operates in hyper-drive. She is the producer of a local New Jersey morning news program. her day starts at 1:00 AM and is almost completely about her work. She is so involved with her work that she finds it impossible to have normal conversations with men, so her dating life is rather empty. When Becky is laid off due to budget cuts she lands a job as executive producer at Daybreak on the fictional IBS network. (I thought it would have been cool if they used UBS from the movie Network.)
Daybreak is perpetually in last place in the daytime ratings and the crew knows it. Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum) Becky's boss warns her that she needs to get the show out of last place, or else.
Daybreak is hosted by Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) and Paul McVee (Ty Burrell). When Becky fires Paul on her first day she turns to legendary newscaster Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Pomeroy was a contemporary of Dan rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings. He is no longer on the air, but still under contract to IBS. In order to maintain the financial terms of his contract he must agree to appear on Daybreak, but his sensibilities about the importance of news prevents him from actively participating.
Becky needs to find a way to get this motley group together and improve the ratings or corporate will can the show. In the meantime she may have also met the one man who understands her, if only she can get five minutes away from the show to talk with him.
I didn't know what to expect from Morning Glory going in, but the thought of seeing Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton working together was enough for me to buy a ticket. What I discovered was a warm and charming comedy that relies on the emotions of the characters for laughs, rather than outlandish situations. McAdams plays Becky a little to hyper, but she makes it work in the latter half of the film when she is at the breaking point. The film meanders a bit before Keaton and Ford appear on screen together but when they do the chemistry works. Ford grumbles through the picture, almost as if he didn't want to be there, until you realize that is exactly what is character is feeling. Everything he believed in in life has changed and he has had no coping mechanism until Becky came along. The romance between Becky and news magazine producer Adam Bennett (Patrick Wilson) works because its not forced and not the primary relationship in the film.
Morning Glory does not tackle the network news business in the same way as the other films I mentioned, but it has it's own unique charms and works well as a dramatic comedy.
At The Movie House ***
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