No New Story, Morning Glory

When I first started this blog, I decided I would write once a week, or four times a month. I have only missed that self-imposed deadline twice - when my mother was ill, and when I was waiting for my newest grand-niece.

I pride myself on the fact that it doesn't take me long to write one of these pieces, usually about a half an hour. So it's not like I'm making a huge investment. Most weeks I really enjoy writing. I compile the ideas in my head throughout the week, so that by the time I actually sit down in front of the PC the words just pour out. I do revise most of what I write, because I also have a self-imposed word count (ever the overachiever).

It's not hard to write the raves or the rants - those are easy. My viewpoints, as I've often been told, are quite strong. The hardest ones to write are the ones that are in the middle - the averages ones. Such is the story with "Morning Glory".

The film is neither good nor bad. It was advertised as a "smarter" romantic comedy, one that was more about female empowerment than anything else. It was also advertised as a comedy. Given the cast and the fact that the writer of the script also wrote "The Devil Wear Prada", I figured I'd get something that was above average. I was quite wrong.

The film is so predictable that I kept it running while I cleaned both my kitchen and my bathroom and still knew exactly where I was in the story, and exactly where I'd end up. I can't exactly say I wasted my time, but I can say that it wasn't interesting in the slightest. Nor can I say that I laughed.

Where did it go wrong? First, Harrison Ford needs to be like Brett Favre and just retire already. He's too old for the leading man, and cannot pull off the old, cranky geezer. Diane Keaton tries with what she's given, but she isn't given much. Rachel McAdams is cute - there's no denying that. However, I'm still waiting for her to do something similar to "Married Life" - where cute isn't quite enough.

I guess the biggest problem I had with the film was that I didn't find it relevant. I don't watch morning TV. Before I go to work, I usually watch either hulu or ESPN. Most people I know use that time to clear their DVRs of whatever they missed the night before. And the plot was already covered by "Broadcast News" much better over twenty years ago.

Back then people cared about the news. Now they care about TMZ. I concede that it's above the standard rom-com, but not by much. I'll still take "The Devil Wears Prada" any day. Sometimes when you go to the same well too many times you come up dry, and that's exactly what happened here.