Rachel McAdams has danced around stardom for the past decade. Despite appearing in hits like Mean Girls, The Notebook and Sherlock Holmes, she's never landed as a leading lady, relegated to execrable romances and lame comedies. Roger Michell's Morning Glory (2010) is typical, a silly waste of time and talent.TV producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) lands a job producing the IBS morning show DayBreak. After firing its cohost, she hits on the idea of pairing veteran Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) with journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). Pomeroy refuses until Becky entraps him through a contract clause; Pomeroy sleepwalks through the show, infuriating Becky. Her boss (Jeff Goldblum) threatens to cancel the show unless Mike gets on board.
Despite a script from Devil Wears Prada scribe Aline Brosh McKenna, Morning Glory is a toothless affair. It's Broadcast News for kids, painting the line between entertainment and news with broad, sophomoric humor. The premise of a Dan Rather type relegated to morning news doesn't work; Glory bogs down in Becky's romance with a fellow producer (Patrick Wilson) and tedious running gags (Matt Malloy's nebbish weatherman). Neither funny nor charming, Glory never gains momentum.
McAdams is sharp and engaging as always; if anything, she's so pervasively perky we wish Michell would rein her in. Harrison Ford's dour newscaster generates a few laughs, but not a convincing character. Diane Keaton's wasted reacting stoically to Ford's abuse; Jeff Goldblum and Patrick Wilson land even more worthless roles. Various media figures, from Chris Matthews to 50 Cent, have cameos.
From its limp gags to the anodyne pop soundtrack, Morning Glory is insipidly bland. Maybe with an Oscar nod under her belt, McAdams can start landing worthwhile roles.
