MORNING GLORY
US, 2010, 107 minutes, Colour.
Rachel Mc Adams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, John Pankow, Matt Malloy.
Directed by Roger Michell.
When you can advertise ‘From the writer of The Devil Wears Prada and the director of Notting Hill’, you have a guaranteed audience. With the attractive Rachel Mc Adams starring and the added presence of Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum, then more audiences will turn up. And enjoy Morning Glory.
For integrity’s sake, I should declare a special lack of interest in the topic! My radio is fixed on Radio National (and BBC Radio 4 in the UK) and, definitely, definitely, not fixed on popular breakfast programs. Morning Glory is about one of those TV shows that people glance at as they are getting dressed, cooking and eating breakfast and getting ready to go to work, shows which rely on pop and popular stories, celebrities and weather personalities and so on. This film tries to have its frittata (cooked by Harrison Ford) and eat it as well. It offers criticism of the breakfast show genre but then more than endorses it. (So, perhaps, Radio National listeners and ABC 24 Hour News viewers need to lighten up – only, perhaps, perhaps!)
The writer of The Devil Wears Prada (Aline Brosh Mc Kenna, who also wrote 27 Dresses) offers the same humorous and sardonic tone to the business world and communication world of television. The director of Notting Hill (Roger Michel who also did the serious Changing Lanes) brings the same (rather British) tone of humorous observation of human nature.
It is Rachel Mc Adams’ film. Since she was one of the Mean Girls (actually, the leader) in 2004, she has had a series of good roles (The Notebook, Red Eye, State of Play, Time Traveller’s Wife and Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes) and is able to carry this film as a workaholic, overly ambitious morning television producer.
But, the pleasant surprise of the film is how Harrison Ford can do curmudgeonly and yet make it funny, sometimes appalling, with expert timing. He is the Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who is, according to Patrick Wilson (the love interest here) who was his producer for many years, the third worst person in the world. Ford does sardonic, arrogant, detached, petty, obnoxious (and that is all in front of the TV camera as he co-hosts the morning show). Also along for the ride is Diane Keaton as the on-screen ditzy-merry host who can chortle at even the most absurd of stories or humiliating stunts for the weatherman (Matt Malloy). Offscreen, she is in the Harrison Ford vein.
Jeff Goldblum has the more serious role of company boss – where ratings mean everything.
Actually, a lot of the action is quite trite, as are the stories aired for undiscriminating viewers, who tend to perk up when the co-hosts begin sparring. But, as light entertainment which doesn’t bear too much thinking about, it is a comedy of errors, comedy of upsets, with dialogue which is sometimes spiky, sometimes sparkling.
1. The light touch? The soft satiric touch? An entertainment?
2. Audience responses to breakfast television shows? For and against? The type of news, reporting, pop stories? The dumbing down of television or not?
3. The title, morning television, the irony of the lack of glory, Becky and her aim?
4. The New Jersey background, the poor television station, the New Jersey atmosphere? The contrast with New York, Manhattan, the skyscrapers, the television studios, apartments, Rockefeller Centre? The feel of New York? The musical score?
5. Becky and New Jersey, her job, the 4.30 arrival, her mother caring for her, her lack of a father, her mother’s questioning her ability? Becky in action, the stories, the presentation of the weather, the traffic? The staff, the boss, the staff supporting her, her expecting to be given a raise, her being fired, her reaction?
6. The collage of her attempts to find a new job, continually checking the phone, going to the boss of the station, Jerry Barnes? Dressing up, the ferry, the interview, her pleading, talking too much, the elevator and meeting Adam, seeing Mike Pomeroy? His reaction to her? The phone call – her accepting the job?
7. The first day, arriving, the concierge and his pessimism, the rooms, the tour of the station from Lenny? Meeting Colleen, her attitude, sardonic, expecting Becky to be fired? Meeting the host, his feet fetish, his trying to get Becky into the room? The rest of the staff, the meeting, the stories, her firing the anchor, the applause, her response to each executive’s story? The role of the executive producer? The ratings, Jerry Barnes, her mistakes, the morale situation?
8. The need for a new anchor, looking at the tapes, the interest in Mike Pomeroy? Studying his contract, accosting him while he was hunting and shooting, his negative reaction? His turning up? His opinionated attitude his dislike of Colleen, the tropical fruit, the newspapers? The comedy of the photo shoots for the promotion? Laconic, monosyllabic? His lack of responses on air? Each trying to say goodbye more than the other? His overall attitude to breakfast television?
9. Mike Pomeroy on his career, fired, Adam calling him the third-worst person? His reports, sneering at the breakfast stories, the mistake with the label of Jimmy Carter as a sex offender? His drinking, Becky trying to get him back to the station to start the show, cooking the frittata? The contrast with Colleen, her laughing, chortling at every story, her interactions with Mike leading to the insults and the increase in ratings?
10. The character of the weatherman, their putting him on the rollercoaster and his suffering – and the variety of comic stunts?
11. Adam, his reputation, working with Mike, in the elevator, calling Mike the third-worst person in the world? Coming to congratulate Becky, inviting her for a drink, her going, her being upset? Another occasion? Their passion, the apartment? Her being busy, watching the TV? Offering his support? (His role as the equivalent of the girlfriend in the background in former films?)
12. Jerry Barnes, his observations of Becky, hiring her, the issue of the ratings, closing the station? His girlfriend and her need to get better vocabulary?
13. Becky and her desperation, pleading to people, talking with Mike, his being a father figure?
14. Mike and the tip, his change of attitude, getting the news, the governor, abducting Becky, going to the mansion, Becky deciding when it was to go live – and the success with the ratings?
15. Becky and the offer from NBC, the clash with Mike, her going, the interview, watching Mike make the frittata?
16. Mike, his acknowledgment of his harsh attitudes, the frittata? Becky and her return?
17. The station being saved, everybody happy? The final jokes about on-air comments? And the mixed messages about the value and lack of value of breakfast television?
