Romantic comedies are often lumped into the category of "chick flick" and are usually entirely deserving of their place therein. But whatever happened to comedies that have romantic undertones? That is to say a real romantic comedy that is something more than just cliché and unrealistic retellings of that same old story: boy meets, falls in love with, briefly loses and then ultimately wins over girl. The new flick from director Roger Michell, Morning Glory does a reasonably good job of keeping itself out of chick flick territory while maintaining its comedic elements.

On the surface, Morning Glory is a story about the amount of work that goes into producing a morning television show. The film's deeper story follows Becky, a 28-year-old television producer, and her trials and tribulations in achieving success and maintaining a relationship. Becky must also deal with a colourful cast of characters at IBS, the station which airs her show Daybreak, including the man upstairs whose only interest lies in the ratings, the overly chipper female host and her high maintenance male anchor — whom Becky promptly fires — and his eventual replacement, a man who holds such esteem in the world of hard news that he refuses to participate in anything he finds to be below him.

Morning Glory embraces all the elements of a strong comedic film. Physical comedy and gag humour are offset by clever wordplay and intelligent jokes. The ever-present and expected romance is there as well in the story of Becky and Adam. The highest point of interest in the plot of Morning Glory unequivocally lies with the character Mike Pomeroy, who reminds Becky that he has won Pulitzers, Emmys, was shot in the forearm, laid a cool washcloth on Mother Theresa's forehead and his reluctance in doing fluffy morning television.

The cast of Morning Glory is full of A-list talents including Jeff Goldblum as Jerry Barnes, the man upstairs; Diane Keaton playing Colleen Peck, the constantly happy presence on air and Patrick Wilson, the object of Becky's affections and a producer for IBS's evening news show. There are two undeniable on-screen presences that stand out in an already strong cast. The first of these is St. Thomas-born Rachel McAdams, whose portrayal of Becky is very easy for the audience to identify with. She is consistently and endearingly funny, clumsy and scattered, yet hard working and determined. The second presence is that of screen legend Harrison Ford as the egotistical and perpetually grumpy Mike Pomeroy. Ford's ever-present frown in the film is a source of much of the comedy, and he pulls off grumpy with a heart of gold flawlessly.

When all is said and done, Morning Glory has some cliché moments that are a little tired, but the flick is overwhelmingly filled with laugh out loud moments. Less chick flick than most of its peers, Morning Glory is a lighthearted comedy worth watching.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars