Help Cometh In The Morning - Morning Glory

4 out of 5 Popcorn Kernels

See Trailer Here

The Feel Good Movie...


There are very few movies that deliver on a much different level: no car chases, no CGI special effects, no monsters in the closet, no red capes or super-powers. They deliver good acting, a well-rounded story, and a smooth transition in character development and arching storyline.


This is what they would normally call, "A good night at the movies."

The Little Producer That Could

Those nights rarely exist anymore, but they are the movies you end up buying in the video stores and you can share with your whole family, and remind you of a time when good writing and good cinema went hand in hand. They also used to be in black and white. Morning Glory is that type of story. I wasn't overwhelmed, but I also wasn't disappointed either. This is a nice behind-the-scenes story that I enjoy from time to time, and I am sure you will too.


Morning Glory is the story about Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), a TV producer who is asked to leave one firm of high standing, to take the job of a lesser successful television network's morning show called Daybreak, owned by the always-funny-even-when-he's-not (Jeff Goldblum) playing Jerry Barnes. He takes on Becky, impressed at first at her references, and she starts off as a lion, making changes within the network to prove her worth - including the firing of a co-anchor. Fine - but then she meets the other morning host, Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton), who blends the right about of bitchiness and the right amount of arrogance to her role. She wants to be the star now, at least while the show is on the air. She is aware of the many TV producers that have attempted to raise the standards of the show, and isn't the least bit impressed with Becky. She challenges her in her attempt to get a real reporter to join her as co-anchor - perhaps the great Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) an almost-out-of-his-contract newsman who does only the serious stories. Becky eventually wins that challenge.


Becky also has a lukewarm affair with an evening news producer, Adam Bennett (Patrick Wilson), who lights up the screen with his charm, but could really have not been there. He is the only element of the movie that I thought was really not moving the story. And the story is a simple one, where a young woman has the chance to prove herself, and in that attempt, she shows others that they can improve and evolve as well. She tackles the many problems of the network, including the many attitudes within, and ups the ante on her skills, what she can do, what the audience wants, and where her loyalties lie.


Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton are great together, and I was always eager to see them on the screen. They have an amazing chemistry, and you love the banter they have with one another - just as their viewers seem to have. They are rather seasoned, and in the land of real television they would have long been replaced by a younger demographic, but their spirit is very youthful, and infectious.


Morning Glory has great actors doing what that they do best, in a story that allows them to have fun and enjoy their craft. I could begin to explain how the characters relate to each other in this film, and what they do to light up the screen, but really, you have seen it before - in some other film where they excelled in.


This movie could be seen when it comes to video, but I think if you want the experience of Being At The Movies, you should see it in the theatre - where you can at least feel that you have had a good night out, with a movie that you will like - come morning or night.


...and isn't that what going to the movies is all about.