Movie Review: Morning Glory

There's something truly refreshing about a modern comedic film that isn't either targeted solely to the 16-21 demographic or can be classified a romantic-comedy (possibly starring someone like Katherine Heigl). Furthermore, there's something refreshing about a comedy that has real, mounting stakes that propel the plot forward in an organic way. Somehow, all of these things came together in a film that wasn't really on my radar due to a somewhat unimpressive trailer, namely Morning Glory.

Morning Glory was written by Aline Brosh McKenna, who also brought us the excellent script behind 2006's The Devil Wears Prada. In a similar way to how the latter film was executed, Morning Glory earns much of its keep by forming excellent characters. Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) is an aspiring producer of daytime television, going to sleep before nursing home tenants in order to wake up at 1:30 in the morning ready for the job. However, the depression comes in and essentially sweeps Becky out of her post at a local news station for no good reason.

After shoving her resume in any available orifice at any possible news station, she gets a call from IBS, a well-known national brand that has the fourth best morning news program titled Daybreak. Given a job that has jumped from young upstart to young upstart like popcorn, Becky is forced to make some big changes in the program, the biggest being the hiring of pretentious, "serious news" reporter Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) as the anchor on the big show. Unfortunately, Mike usually gets what he wants and he certainly does not want to cook pancakes or pet parakeets on national television.

The performances of these principal actors as well as those of all of the peripheral characters is the glue that holds Morning Glory together. The dialogue is especially well written, producing a dynamic between Becky and Mike that'll hold your attention and certainly make you crack a smile. Rachel McAdams cranks out a performance that really takes her to the next level, proving that she can maintain the playfulness of a younger actress while having the ability to be taken seriously at the same time. Beyond that, Harrison Ford easily performed his best in years, tapping into a segment of his scrappy, smirking persona that hasn't been seen before.

One of the best things about Morning Glory is the fact that McKenna wrote the screenplay with total reverence for the art of morning television. The earnestness with which the setup and format of these programs is considered is truly admirable, as Daybreak could have been an over-the-top parody of The Today Show and still earned itself a spot as a B-comedy. Instead, McKenna clearly researched the mechanics of producing a broadcast that's entertainingly light yet respectable.

Nowadays, a character-based comedy that doesn't pander to those seeking the brazen sexualization of college life is practically a cinematic unicorn. In this way, Morning Glory succeeds on broad level, breathing some fresh air into an otherwise repetitive genre of film. Beyond that, the characters and plot are actually very well written, taking an outlier and making it something much more. If this movie wasn't on your radar, it's about time you give it a shot.

Score: 4 out of 5
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