Blu-Ray Review: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford Carry ‘Morning Glory’

CHICAGO – Rachel McAdams comes closer to achieving the star status that we’ve all thought she would one day achieve with “Morning Glory,” a likable variation on “Working Girl” that could have and should have been better but offers enough simple entertainment to make for an enjoyable rental. With its cast and crew pedigree, one would have hoped for more than “likable,” but it’s not bad for a Saturday night.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

The stunning McAdams (who has yet to quite live up to her potential as the next female star that we thought she would be after “The Notebook”) plays Becky, a working girl who struggles in a field that’s constantly eating young professionals alive — the world of the morning news. She’s first fired from one gig only to get a job at Daybreak, a 4th place variation on “The Today Show” with egocentric anchors (Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton) and daily difficulties, not the least of which are that everyone wants to be on their competitor’s programs first.

Morning Glory was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 8th, 2011
Photo credit: Paramount Home Video

Becky’s first move is to fire the obnoxious Burrell and replace him with the irascible Mike (Harrison Ford), a Dan Rather-esque dinosaur who clearly considers morning news beneath him but has no choice contractually. Oh, he also has a drinking problem and serious issues with his new co-anchor. This should be fun. As Becky is trying to keep her new job from falling even lower in the ratings, she meets a charming young man played by Patrick Wilson and romance blooms.

There is a lot to like about “Morning Glory.” None of the performances are bad and Ford actually does his best work in years, using that low-key scowl to the character’s advantage this time as opposed to just feeling like laziness. McAdams and Wilson are two of the most likable stars alive. And the film has some decent laughs. I just wish I didn’t know where it was going at every turn. The cover really tells you all you need to know. Becky’s story is just too predictable. I wanted a left turn or something, even just a character detail, that surprised me. There’s something comforting about predictable comedies like “Morning Glory” if you’re in the right mood, just don’t expect too much from this trip behind-the-scenes of daytime TV.

Special Features:
o Commentary by Director Roger Michell and Writer Aline Brosh McKenna
o Deleted Scene

[15]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [16] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [15]