A good cast sells “Morning Glory”
With “Morning Glory,” Aline Brosh McKenna tries to pull another “The Devil Wears Prada” out of her writer’s hat, and while it comes up short in the warmth and depth department, it is notable for a modest comeback of sorts for Harrison Ford.
Ford is at his irascible best as Mike Pomeroy, a crusty once-prominent evening news anchorman who’s been demoted but is still under contract and who passes his time hunting game birds and growling at anyone who dares to cross him.
That doesn’t stop Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), the overactive, driven and just-hired producer of “Daybreak,” a barely breathing morning show she hopes to rescue from certain cancellation. Finding a loophole in his contract, Becky aims to convince the gruff Pomeroy to come down from his serious news snobbery and make nice with a sparring partner, in this case seasoned co-host Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton). No surprise, Mike and Colleen don’t like each other, and the film gets a lot of mileage out of their comedic confrontations-and the two have the star power to pull it off.
For her part, McAdams is neurotically perky alright, and it’s no wonder she struggles in a relationship with a hunky love interest (Patrick Wilson) that is never quite developed. As fluffy as it is funny, “Morning Glory” can’t be taken seriously for the way it presents broadcast journalism, but as a modern-day screwball comedy it has its moments. Most of the film’s best scenes involve Ford, who perhaps has found a late career niche as a lovable curmudgeon, and “Morning Glory” is at its best when his character is at his worst.
Adding to the film’s excellent casting is Jeff Goldblum, who brings his usual quirky intellectualism to the part of as Becky’s boss. Why he doesn’t get better and bigger parts in more movies is a mystery.
And give “Morning Glory” credit for relentless energy; like Becky, it hardly slows down. That’s a good way to avoid more critical inspection.
Grade: B
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, language and brief drug references.