An American critic called Roger Michell's Hollywood comedy an "industrial film", as it's the opposite of the British director's more ambitious independent projects. It's determined to take the mickey out of television - but just as determined to make us feel good on the way.
Rachel McAdams, who does scatty charm well, plays Becky, a young television producer. Sacked from her job, she is reluctantly put in charge of Daybreak, a failing early morning show in New York. Showing unlikely professionalism, she gets rid of the awful male anchor immediately and hires Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), a famously grumpy newsman, persuading him to take the job even though he thinks the show stinks.
Becky's task is to win him round, despite the lack of sympathy between him and his acid female co-anchor (Diane Keaton). Along the way, she conducts an affair with an executive (Patrick Wilson).
Michell ought to have made a sharper comedy out of this material but the trouble is that you can't believe it for a moment. It only becomes more fanciful as it goes on. When our heroine refuses a job at Good Morning, the top morning show in New York, you give up believing in it at all.
It's not that the acting is no good. Michell sees to that, as he usually does. Ford is a good grump as he insists on news rather than flim-flam and Keaton is excellent as the female anchor too.
McAdams rushes about delivering her unlikely character with as much gusto as she can muster, which is quite a lot. That's the strength of the film - but it's no good lambasting American telly when you're showing such obvious affection for it.
Morning Glory
Cert: 12A
