What a pleasure it is to watch a well-cast, well-written comedy for grownups. Morning Glory has a smart premise and just the right people to carry it out: Rachel McAdams, as an overeager TV producer who locks horns with her new host, a once-respected news anchor played by Harrison Ford, as well as his co-host, a prima donna played by Diane Keaton. The parts might have been written with these actors in mind; that’s how perfectly they inhabit them and play off one another. McAdams is delightful in an all-too-rare comedy role, and works well opposite the men she encounters: her boss, Jeff Goldblum, her colleague and possible lover, Patrick Wilson, and best of all, her recalcitrant star, Harrison Ford. What a pleasure to see him in—
—a role that he can really sink his teeth into.
The script, by Aline Brosh McKenna, whose credits include The Devil Wears Prada, is filled with sharp dialogue and is built on a believable foundation. Roger Michell’s direction reinforces that credibility, with Mark Friedberg’s production design evoking the look and feel of a dilapidated newsroom along with a typical TV control room and stage. The people seem genuine—or only slightly exaggerated—so we’re able to invest in the movie. As a result, the laughs come naturally and never seem forced.
It’s a pleasure to recommend Morning Glory, and root for its success, so Hollywood might be inspired to make more films just like it.
