Morning Glory

Sometimes it all goes horribly wrong. ‘Morning Glory’ has a terrific cast, an intriguing plot, some decent jokes and a respected director, yet the end result is shrill, annoying and empty. Perhaps the problem is Rachel McAdams, whose shrieking, arm-waving performance as Becky Fuller, a TV exec hired to spice up a failing talk show, is the film’s biggest flaw. Or perhaps it’s down to Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton as the warring co-hosts who make her life hell: Ford looks half asleep, while Keaton seems to be auditioning for ‘Mamma Mia!’. But the major culprit is ‘Notting Hill’ director Roger Michell: not only does he seem unable to control his cast, but his shot choices range from bland to bizarre, the soundtrack is comprised of lachrymose ballads and the script’s deeply wrongheaded central theme – that real news is boring compared to crude, populist fluff – is never questioned. The result, appropriately, is mildly diverting but forgettable.