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Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) freaks out while meeting her hero, newsman Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), in the comedy “Morning Glory.” |
Roger Michell’s comedy “Morning Glory” could have easily assessed what’s happened to America’s TV news since James L. Brooks’ 1987 masterpiece “Broadcast News” showed us a trio of reporters so busy with their professional lives that their personal ones never intersected.
But “Morning Glory” botches a grand opportunity.
It wanders off into sitcomland where the ending feels phony and false, and all the emotions are CAPITALIZED, underscored and italicized for our benefit.
Every 15 minutes or so, Michell even pipes in an obligatory pop song with lyrics that beat us over the head with how Becky Fuller feels.
She’s the new, young, energetic producer of a faltering New York morning TV show called “Daybreak.” The vivacious Rachel McAdams plays Becky with spunk, charm and infectious enthusiasm bordering on some kind of mania, but she never crosses the line into Scaryville.
On her first day, she fires the foot fetishist co-anchor (Ty Burrell), then must locate a replacement to work with “Daybreak” host Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton).
She finds a dinosaur: opinionated, egocentric award-winning newsman Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford).
An old-school journalist (hey, he dines with Morley Safer, Chris Matthews and Bob Schieffer!) Mike despises the infotainment content of morning news shows and will have nothing to do with “Daybreak.”
Until Becky finds a loophole in his contract that will cost him $6 million if he doesn’t take the job. (Read more…)