Movie Blog: Morning Team Checks 'Morning Glory'
The WCCO Morning Team took a special field trip out to catch the new movie Morning Glory, which details the trials and tribulations of pulling off a news show when most people are still sleeping. You could call it a WCCO Morning Team movie night, except it was more of a movie afternoon.
Because of the subject matter, I thought it would be fun for the people who actually work in morning news to offer up their reviews instead of me. You see, I arrive at work while these people are just about ready to eat their dinner.
So does Morning Glory accurately portray the behind-the-scenes mystique of producing news at the crack of dawn? I yield to the 'CCO players. -- Eric Henderson
Mike Binkley: I could definitely relate to the 1:30 a.m. wake-up call and the late afternoon "dinners" in empty restaurants, but Angela and I don't drink nearly that much before our show.
Angela Davis: As I said on the air this morning, I laughed from the moment the movie started until it ended. Very funny throughout the entire film. I think they did a good job of capturing all the drama behind the scenes of television news, because it gets crazy up in here. Oftentimes, the funniest moments on our set happen during the commercial breaks. I also thought that you don't necessarily have to be interested in news to be taken with this movie. It's really about a group of co-workers trying to get along and accomplish a difficult goal. And yes, I did see myself on screen. I was the woman who was falling asleep on the set of "Good Morning New Jersey" and awakened only after the floor director tossed something at her just seconds before she was on the air again.
Mike Augustyniak: At the beginning of the movie, there were too many people on staff for a local show, so that wasn't realistic. But, other than that, the first 5 minutes of the movie is dead on. That is my life. At one point, the anchors try to one-up each other and have the last goodbye on the show. That is 100 percent accurate -- I've worked with anchors who used to count lines of copy, and if one had more than the other, the producers had to change it. Also, they shot most of the exteriors on the Early Show plaza. The interiors weren't shot there, but the Early Show offices look just like the Daybreak offices. They're literally are in the basement of the studio. I totally agree with Colin Covert on the review. It's very predictable, but I still loved it, and the jokes were actually funny.
Holly Wagner: Laugh out loud funny! Harrison Ford was so good at being a curmudgeon. Loved the scene with the news legends: Bob Schieffer, Morley Safer and Chris Matthews. There are so many moments I could relate to, especially Becky's date at the beginning of the movie when she appears a frazzled hot mess! Been there!
Kerry McNally: I loved this film for so many reasons, first and foremost of which is that Harrison Ford plays such a despicable character for 98 percent of the film. He is so committed to being a first-class jerk that when he finally does warm up, that turn is so much more powerful. The film is nothing like what we go through every day here at WCCO in the mornings ... or is it?
Matt Kummer (morning executive producer): I thought Morning Glory was a cute movie. Normally, I shy away from movies about TV news, because they are usually cheesy and not realistic. That's not to say Morning Glory doesn't have these moments. You could see every plot twist coming a mile away, there's no way they could have got Harrison Ford's satellite live shot up that quickly. (And what Executive Producer gets up at 1:30 a.m.?! I'm already at work!) There were plenty of things we could relate to working on a morning show: eating "dinner" at a restaurant in the mid-afternoon, incessantly checking phones, falling asleep at odd hours, the toll it takes on our friends and families. As an executive producer, I can definitely relate to the endless barrage of questions and decisions to be made and obsessing over ratings. All in all, it was an enjoyable movie, and they did some hilarious things with the weatherman and Diane Keaton. I already have some ideas for our crew ...
Tracy Perlman (producer, 4:30 and 5 a.m. shows): My first reaction when I saw a preview for "Morning Glory" was, "Woah, they made a movie about ME!" Being a twentysomething female working as a TV producer, I understand the frustration and excitement that comes with working in morning TV. Overall the movie was great. I did have issue with the fact Becky (the main character) never sleeps and you never see her write a script. (I don't get much sleep, but I do write a whole lot!) Morning Glory was smart, funny, a little frustrating, but at the end of the day, has a lot of heart. Kind of like our entire morning crew.
