Morning Glory

Morning Glory is one of those upbeat comedy drama films that come along every now and then, in which a young attractive and upbeat individual attempts to further their career and inevitably learns valuable life lessons. However, when directed by Roger Michell of Notting Hill and Venus fame and scripted by Devil Wears Prada scribe Aline Brosh Mckenna, there seems good reason for hope, especially when it features a cast that includes Rachael McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton.

The story follows socially inept but incredibly enthusiastic and ambitious TV producer Becky Fuller (McAdams) who lands a job running Daybreak, a breakfast show sinking slowly into the abyss. It is therefore up to her to pull it back from the brink by coercing bitter but brilliant news anchor Mike Pomeroy (Ford) to join the show. Both of them inevitably learn valuable life lessons along the way, leading them to become better people as they learn, and both actors are perfectly good in their roles. Becky comes across as a happy and cheerful individual who it is hard not like, and while Harrison Ford may mainly look gruff and scowling, at the end of the day you remember he is Indiana Jones and all is forgiven. The problem is that the rest of the cast are all perfectly fine, but their roles, including that of Diane Keaton, seem underwritten and somewhat like a collection a clichés rather than believable individuals.

This issue is something that underlines the movie’s fundamental problem, namely that the script is not very interesting, and the characters never put in particularly tough position, making it feel dramatically unfulfilling, which is particularly difficult when not just the entire plot of the film but also large sections of script and individual scenes are obvious from the outset – you know what conversations character types A and character type B are going to have and exactly how they pan out before they’re even introduced. This problem could easily be assuaged if this comedy had any real laughs, which is the result of a script that feels rather disappointing. Though the most awkward thing about the script is the central conflict, which involves Mike being angry about being forced to do what he considers a humiliating job that is beneath him – old and cantankerous as he is, it is hard not to see his point if not agree with him when a former Pulitzer prize winner is reduced to discussing pet psychics rather than the serious meaty journalism he loves.

Yet despite its flaws, Morning Glory does flow well. Although it is never particularly impressive, for what it is, it’s perfectly acceptable, providing in a nuts and bolts fashion everything necessary for it to be a watchable if entirely forgettable experience. For while its supporting characters may well be boring, and the script clichéd, its leads are very likeable and make for something satisfactory if by no means special or even particularly good.

See Morning Glory at City Screen York.

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