From the screenwriter of the “The Devil Wears Prada,” comes another story about a career that threatens to eat the lead alive and how she copes with the struggle.
It’s charming — almost as charming as Rachel McAdams’ quirky portrayal of the socially awkward rambler Becky Fuller, whose only dream is to the be the next executive producer of “The Today Show.”
The audience can’t help but hop on the naïve dreams bandwagon when her mother tells her she is embarrassing and teetering on the edge of pathetic.
So there we are, trapped by the charm of Fuller in her goofy denim jacket, looking not so much like “The Today Show” material. Miraculously, over the course of two hours, she transforms into the city bombshell.
The trajectory seems more than a little bit odd as we watch McAdams transform from a disheveled appearance at the start to a pieced-together, high heel-wearing, Longchamp-carrying, dark-haired spitfire.
She even tames a hunky Yale grad, now producer, who can stand her long enough to have sex with her. He is just an accessory to a story that wants to bill itself as a romantic comedy.
The real crux of the story is McAdams’ relation to Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), the once award-winning news anchor who’s now rotting in a stew of fluff pieces.
He’s confrontational, uncompromising, pokes and prods at Fuller’s weaknesses, refers to her boyfriend as “Senor Dipshit,” and yet he is still laughable and charming.
Ford’s fine line between pretentious and downright alluring makes him the lovable jerk that the audience desperately wants to be tamed.
