Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is a young and accomplished TV show producer. She is all about her work, so she doesn’t really care that much when her obsessive work habits scare off her dates. She is crushed, however, when she gets replaced by another producer. So she frantically sends out resumes and desperately hangs on to the one interview she manages to score: producing the morning show at IBS. Her enthusiasm persuades her desperate boss Jerry Barnes (Jerry Goldblum) is hired.
But soon she realizes that she has more problems than a low paycheck and current low ratings of the show: The female host Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) is pretty sure Becky will soon be replaced, and the male host (Ty Burrell – Phil of Modern Family) is a complete jackass. She fires him, but now she has to find a new male host. Unfortunately, the network has no budget for a good, new host. Desperate, Becky decides to go after her idol, legendary news personality Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), who has a contract at the network but not much reporting to do.
It will be excruciating to try to persuade him to co-host. And it will be even more frustrating to be able to handle Colleen when he is being all conceited and difficult. After all, according to his former colleague Adam (Patrick Wilson), Mike is the third worst person in the world!
It takes all of Becky’s energy to try save the show without losing her mind. And she also has to deal with the fact that Adam is interested in her, and her relationship with him might be worth the hassle. Can Becky handle it all?
**
Morning Glory is a lovely comedy with some emotional moments. The plot is pretty good, and the cast is even better. I love a movie where I can gather a lot of my favorite actors in one place. It was also really fun to see John Pankow, Episodes’ jackass network producer Merc, play a really nice guy in this movie. He is friendly, helpful and loyal. And he is a family man. Quite a nice contrast.
And as opposed to most Harrison Ford fans, I enjoy him more in comedies, and this is no exception. He is as the perfect grumpy old bastard.
Morning Glory is a must see, especially for people who really love their careers. It is a lovely tale on saving your job, making friends with the most unlikely people and having a good relationship on the side. Strongly recommended.
Written by Aline Brosh McKenna (Three to Tango, Laws of Attraction). Directed by Roger Michell (Changing Lanes, Persuasion).
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