MORNING GLORY (Paramount, 2010) D: Roger Michell, w/ Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford. Rating: NNN DVD package: NN Rating: NNN
This could have been a fairly funny farce about the chaos of live TV broadcasting and the desperate hustle for ratings. But it’s sabotaged by a romance and crisis centred on the office family that feel like sitcom leftovers shoehorned in to satisfy someone’s lust for the warm fuzzies.
Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is a character made for farce. She’s energetic, enthusiastic and smart, but socially and physically inept and blind to everything but her own drive to succeed. Hired as the executive producer for a low-rated network morning show, she brings in once-great reporter Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), who loathes his co-host (Diane Keaton) and everything the show stands for.
McAdams pumps out the goofiness and charm for all she’s worth, but Ford blows her off the screen with his dry, slow delivery and obvious relish for playing a nasty snob. His scenes with Keaton are the comic highlights.
Director Roger Michell and writer Aline Brosh McKenna’s commentary offers a nothing-special mix of production details and script changes.
EXTRAS Commentary, deleted scene. Widescreen. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.
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