Morning Glory (2010)

(In French, On Cable TV, December 2020) Harrison Ford’s grumpiness is legendary enough, and it was about high time that it got a leading role. While Rachel McAdams has the leading role in Morning Glory as a news producer sent to rescue a failing morning show with warring co-anchors, it’s Ford’s magnificent crankiness that elevates the material to its cruising altitude. Bits and pieces from Patrick Wilson (as the love interest), Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum round off the acting highlights, but the film is perhaps at its comfiest when it dives into the mechanics of producing a morning variety show, then starts imagining nightmare scenarios when a reluctant hard-news journalist is forced to fit in that mould. Morning Glory is absolutely not supposed to be a film criticizing the media – it uses basic style-versus-substance conflict to flesh out the conventional romantic comedy material between the protagonist and her new boyfriend, with her friendship with the older newsman being the more interesting narrative strand. It’s basic crowd-pleasing mainstream filmmaking, amiable and charming, not interested in being offensive or provocative. As such, it works pretty well: the actors are all having fun, the romance ends in a good spot, Ford’s taciturn nature is channelled productively and if Morning Glory fails to be particularly memorable, at least it’s pleasant enough to watch.