Went and saw Morning Glory with Katie and Meg yesterday.  Apparently it's getting rave reviews.

This isn't one of them.

Eighty percent of the movie deserved rave reviews; Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams are great fun to watch together.  They were channeling the spirits of Mary Richards and Lou Grant, if Lou had been on air talent instead of her boss.

Likewise, Diane Keaton and Ford were great fun to watch.  They play morning news show co-hosts who loathe each other and it's when their mutual hatred leaks onto the air that the ratings begin to climb.

Unfortunately the Ted Baxter character, played by Ty Burrel, isn't used to his full advantage.

Rachel McAdams hair is a problem.  I'm past Hollywood trying to tell me who a woman is by her choice of hair.  I mean, it is a good indicator but heavy handedness is never good; Sandra Bullock's severe pony tails in The Proposal or McAdams messy bangs letting us know she's enthusiastic and tiresomely energetic. 

Mary Tyler Moore conveyed the same thing with personality.

It would have been far funnier and realistic if RMs character had tried for a sleek and professional style but always wound up a mess. 

But Rachel McAdams is not a problem with the movie.

Her "love interest" is.

One of the things the movie tries to do is establish the importance of a personal life alongside a career.

Sidebar: don't you just love it when Hollywood, known for it's revolving door 'families' lectures us fly over people on the importance of  family life?  I do.  I just love it.
end sidebar.

So, they inject a guy into RM's life.  I have no problem with this in general; I love guys.  But if you are going to cast a guy as a love interest, don't just grab the first non-hunchback to walk through the door.  This part is played by the same "Mike Milquetoast " who played Raul in Phantom of the Opera a few years back and we were all wondering what Christine's problem with Girard Butler was.  Sure, he only had half a face, but his half was better than Raul's whole.

That sounds dirty but I don't care.

Also, if our heroin is supposed to fall for the guy, give him something interesting to be, do or say!!!!

As it is, all the dull dog of a boyfriend got to do was mope about how interested in her job RM was.  This, after like, two dates.

First of all, dump a guy who mopes that you like your job and are good at it.  Second of all, if her job had been as a night cashier at a mini mart it would have been more interesting than him.

Morning Glory would have been one hundred percent improved if they'd cut the whole 'romance' story line and stuck with the newsroom stuff.

My only other complaint was one glaring, oddity; throughout the movie, including while on dates, RM wears button down shirts and business suits, with her hair pulled up in a messy pony.  She gets her big break; and interview with the Today show and she shows up for the interview in a prom dress and pink pumps, with her hair down for the only scene in the movie.  WTF????

Like Mary Richards would raid Carrie Bradshaw's closet for an interview at Today!

That was so out of place it almost knocked me out of my seat.   

BUT  I think the good stuff in this movie far outweighed the irritating stuff and the boyfriend is only in it for like,ten minutes.  They're just ten long minutes, throughout which I was thinking "where the heck is Harrison Ford?"

Hey, Hollywood; if you must have a pointless love interest, cast Zachary Quinto.

Otherwise, skip it.

 

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