Becky (Rachel McAdams) is the hard working producer of a local breakfast show, likeable, tough and sassy.

It is obvious she will get promoted right up until the point she is unceremoniously fired.

Several hundred resumes later, she finally lands a executive producer gig at struggling national morning show “Daybreak”. The sort of show that makes you glad that you do have to go to work, rather than stay in to watch the slow motion train wreck it represents.

Making changes to turn ratings around, there is a need for a new co-anchor in the form of contractually obliged, seasoned, celebrated and permanently grumpy Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). The sort of man who will not cook, share his medical appointments, say the word “Fluffy” or engage in other normal mindless breakfast TV pursuits.

The film covers the struggle to return the show to satisfactory ratings figures, as decided upon by the believable studio boss, Jerry (Jeff Goldblum), who is not interested in details, either they are up or the show is gone.

McAdams does a fine job in sketching the character who’s whole life revolves around work, despite her well intentioned fumbling with a work colleague Adam (Patrick Wilson). Ford is well cast, bringing his fading superstar status to a similar role, gruff, emotionally hollowed out, his conversion is always going to be the stuff of Hollywood movies but enough fun has been had by that point.

Colleen (Diane Keaton) the female co-anchor sparks well off Pomeroy’s gruff exterior. The studio set scenes depicting the chaos, bitchiness and immediate calm that descends whenever the red light goes on, is entertaining and believable to watch. John Pankow, as “Lenny” the long suffering co-producer, does good work providing a moral anchor to the proceedings.

There is nothing new here but if you are looking for a relatively light, romantic comedy with enough real world sentiment and realism to get by, this is your film. There is no real message here, other than make sure you actually have a life away from work, which is hardly new.

In a time when most romantic comedy’s involve all sorts of gross out scenes and scatological type humour, this comes as a refreshing change. Sure it is Hollywood with a capital “H” but a bit of clean, amusing, inoffensive escapism is what is required sometimes.

A bit like a Royal Wedding, a guilty pleasure that you know, just know deep down is not “real” but is good to enter that world for a couple of hours.

Watch out for the weatherman’s (Matt Malloy) jet plane ride, hands down the funniest scene in the film.

Summary

The very definition of a “fluffy” and light romantic comedy, not that anchorman Pomeroy would ever be able to say the word.

Recommended