Thursday, November 18, 2010

A Night at the Movies - Morning Glory

Tuesday nights are cheap movie nights at the Scotiabank theatre (Burrard and Smithe, Vancouver) - $6.50 for a movie, or pay full price and it includes a popcorn and a pop. That's too good to pass up, especially on a rainy night.

I joined three girlfriends at the theatre to see a movie none of our boyfriends would accompany us to: Morning Glory, starring lovely Canadian Rachel McAdams and a very surly Harrison Ford.

I arrived expecting a fairly formulaic, cutesy chick flick, but was surprised to find that this movie avoided many of the typical chick flick cliches. With strong characters, witty dialogue and a storyline that doesn't lag partway through, Morning Glory is a winner. In fact, the boyfriends might not have minded watching it after all.

Rachel McAdams plays Becky Fuller, an enthusiastic, quirky and ambitious television producer who takes a job at a dying morning show after she's laid off from her old job. She whirls into the studio, fires the perverted anchor of the show and hires Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), a famous journalist known for delivering hard-hitting stories who is now washed up.

Our heroine is a career-driven, news-loving woman who knows what she wants in life. Sure she meets a guy, but this is merely a subplot of the movie and a "sub-aspect" of Becky's character. She's sweet, awkward, genuine, passionate and willing to work hard for what she wants - the success of her show.

While keeping it light, Morning Glory references the struggling American news industry, touching on staff cutbacks and shows being cancelled due to lack of finances. It also touches on the ongoing struggle between hard news and entertainment in the fight to bring in advertisers and revenue in hard times.

It's a feel-good story with many funny moments, and you're sure to leave the theatre in a good mood.

No comments:

Post a Comment