Do you think she will manage it? Will Mike Pomeroy come around and save the show? Will Becky end up in a relationship with the hot guy she meets on her first day? Of course she will. The plot is so obvious you might as well have a director’s commentary telling you what is going to happen next. It isn’t just the plot that’s obvious but specific parts of the dialogue. I found myself saying what characters were about to say before they said it. The film treats its audience like idiots, as does the TV show which they are trying to save. It is the kind of sunny, happy, vacuous show that is on some channels in the morning. You know the type. Here in the
The film has one of those terribly annoying and patronising
soundtracks which sound like a tampon advert. Every time Becky makes strides we
get some uplifting warbling from Natasha Bedingfield and then some slow schmaltz
when she hits hard times. It’s predictable and lazy.
There are so many idiotic problems with the film. After losing
her job, Becky is offered a job in NYC which is one of the most expensive
cities in the world. She is told she will be earning half what she earned in New
Jersey but moves in to an apartment that is large enough to swing several cats.
Also, while she is still on the verge of having her failing show cancelled, she
is offered her dream job on The Today
Show, which makes no sense. What makes even less sense is that she turns
down her dream because Harrison Ford makes a bloody frittata on TV! It’s
infuriating. The Daybreak office is
unrealistically unkempt. The filmmakers try to get across the idea that the
show is in turmoil by having everyone speak at once in a production meeting and
showing that the door knobs are broken. I’m pretty sure that even the forth
biggest morning show in the richest nation on earth could replace a couple of f***ing
door knobs! This film is so stupid!
This is a truly terrible film but is partially salvaged by
four excellent actors. At least three of them should have gone nowhere near it
but nonetheless, all four are good. Rachel McAdams is affable as Becky. This is
a role she is comfortable in but has done many times before and since. Diane
Keaton is believable as a news anchor and Jeff Goldbum is good in a very small
role but is by no means stretched. The standout is Harrison Ford though who,
although playing a version of himself brings some gravitas to the film. His
character really seems like he doesn’t want to be there, but that could just be
the actor’s emotions showing through. Patrick Wilson also features but has so
little to do it is hardly worth mentioning him. He basically has to flirt with
Rachel McAdams and act sad when she thinks about work too much.
I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone. Even for fans of
the normal Rachel McAdams rom-com type films, this would be disappointing. It isn’t
funny, nor is the idea interesting. The romantic storyline feels like it was
added on the set and if not for some fine actors paying their bills I wouldn’t have
made it to the end. There is nothing to like here.
3/10
