Morning Glory

First Hit: Actually funnier and better than I expected.

Rachel McAdams plays Becky a very ambitious television producer who is well liked by her colleagues because she is hardworking, compassionate and willing to work with almost anyone. She is ungraciously fired from a job where she thought she was going to be promoted. She beats the pavement and finds a new job on a show that will soon be replaced if they don’t get higher ratings.

Jeff Goldblum plays Jerry Barnes, a prickly sarcastic VP of the studio that decides to give her a chance. The production team and talent on this morning show are odd balls and they work in a congested basement like mess of a studio.

Becky sets the tone and gains admiration of her staff in her first staff meeting when the entire staff tells what they want to work on all at one time, but then in this welling of confusion, she responds to each of their ideas right after she fires the head male talent because he is a pervert. However, all her work gets her nowhere until she comes up an idea to hire on a veteran hard news reporter the studio has on contract.

This reporter, Mike Pomeroy (played by Harrison Ford) is grumpy, arrogant, hates anything that isn’t what he considers “hard news” and declines her offer. However Becky points out that if he refuses he will lose the last two years of his lucrative contract with the studio. He’s paired on the set with the current long standing hostess Colleen Peck (played by Diane Keaton) who would like the show to do well and will try new stuff.

However, Colleen and Mike do not get along and some funny lines are written for these two as they squabble on air. Of course the film ends in a Hollywood way and the show is saved.

McAdams is intense in this role and almost feels like she as pressing the character. However, there are some very funny moments with her bringing some funny comedic timing with her lines and cute physical characterizations (like her walk). Keaton is low keyed and she brings out a strong character that isn’t going to be fooled with. Ford is a good grump. He can screw his face up in a very convincing way. When his character is to be a little bit open and vulnerable he carries this off without making incongruent with the overall wizened and grumpy character. Aline Brosh McKenna wrote an amusing script, however there wasn’t enough in the script to really bring a depth to Becky as to why she was such a workaholic. There was some stuff about her mom and dad but it lacked realism. Roger Michell directed this and for the most part did a wonderful job of keeping it all moving in the same direction with drama and comedy from many different characters.

Overall: Not a great film but there were some very good laughs and it was enjoyable to watch and I left the theater feeling better than when I walked in.

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