Stars: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson
Running time: 107 mins

HAVING an ailing breakfast TV show called Daybreak at the centre of the story adds an extra chuckle to this already amusing comedy from Notting Hill director Roger Michell.

It’s light and predictable but carried off with real skill and affection by a cast that includes Harrison Ford getting a rare opportunity to show that he’s pretty good at handling a comic line.

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When Becky Fuller (McAdams) is made redundant from her job at Good Morning New Jersey she wastes no time offering her services at every network for which she has an address.

She has no luck until New York network manager Jerry Barnes (Goldbum, his usual laconic self) offers her a job. A bit of a poisoned chalice, as it turns out, because he wants her to executive produce Daybreak – a breakfast show that ranks a poor third in the ratings.

She finds the co-anchors hate each other and any hopes of a sunny partnership are zilch. So she fires the male presenter, keeps the female one Colleen Peck (Keaton) and goes in search of someone to be her co-host.

She sets her sights on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mike Pomeroy (Ford, doing a good impersonation of a grumpy old man). The trouble is he doesn’t do “fluffy”. A battle of wills ensues as Becky tries to get him to loosen up in front of the camera.

There’s romance along the way for her (with Wilson) and a fair number of laughs at the expense of the breakfast TV industry.

Whether Adrian Chiles joins in the laughter remains to be seen (or heard?).