Morning Glory Film Review + Ticket Giveaway!

From the director of the successful Notting Hill, comes the romantic comedy Morning Glory. The film follows Becky (Rachel McAdams), an ambitious television producer on a morning “news” program. Note my use of the inverted comas, because the debate on whether morning shows should be classified as “news” is explored in the film. Through various comedic montages, Morning Glory seems to ultimately highlight the lack of significance placed on the news over sensationalised stories, and Harrison Ford’s character comes up with the astute metaphor for whether people prefer “bran” or “sugar” in the morning.

The film opens with an interesting shot as the camera slowly zooms into Becky who is clearly on a first date, and the audience becomes immediately aware that work is her primary focus in life. When Becky is hired to work on a struggling program called Daybreak, she is also given the seemingly impossible task of significantly boasting its ratings. If she doesn’t succeed, the program will be cancelled. Becky sets out to hire the prominent news reporter (and her child hood hero) Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) who reluctantly takes the position of co-anchor with Collen Peck (Diane Keaton), but their personalities instantly clash. Ford is certainly cast as the complete opposite of Keaton’s character who is overly lively throughout the film. Despite the calibre of these actors, Rachel McAdams takes the reins – the film is primarily about this hard working producer who is determined to succeed, painting a strong representation of the modern day woman.

While bright colours dominate the set design in this light-hearted workplace comedy, the film also examines the harsh realities of the television industry and the pressures of maintaining ratings. And although a substantial amount of laughs are generated throughout, the ending becomes overly cheesy, falling into the formulaic romantic comedy trap (unlike the more  sophisticated Notting Hill).

But if you’re out for a laugh and an insight into the workings (and dilemmas) of the live television industry, then check this film out – it’s perfect for the holiday the season.

Thanks to Paramount Pictures, the first five readers to send a brief message to [email protected] outlining your thoughts on morning “news” programs, will win a double pass to the film! Don’t forget to include your name and postal address! Happy holidays.