One of the bad things about being a television critic is having to work odd hours -- so little time, so much TV. Another of the bad things, an occupational hazard, is stumbling upon late-night horrors few people are awake to endure. I dealt with one this morning, on a super-late, or super-early, film review on ABC's World News Now...
Presented as a regular "special feature" called "Insomniac Theater," it had World News Now co-anchors Rob Nelson and Vinita Nair each reviewing a current movie. His was Unstoppable, but hers was Unwatchable.
Actually, hers was a review of Morning Glory, the new comedy starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton.
Nair informed viewers that the movie was "basically based about our lives, all about morning news," and explained that McAdams "becomes the EP at a morning show that's in dead last place."
Nair did not, however, explain that EP stands for Executive Producer, because how could anyone NOT know that? (Even grips and best boys know what an EP is...)
After showing a clip from the movie, in which Ford and Keaton snarled at each other as feuding co-anchors, Nair returned with her verdict on the film, and her reasoning behind that verdict. That was what astounded me beyond belief.
"I'm going to give this movie three kernels," she said, as a trio of movie popcorn boxes popped up at the bottom of the screen.
And that was the best part.
"I have to say," she confessed, "I wanted to give it two, because as someone IN the industry, I thought it wasn't really fact-based -- but my husband really liked it, surprisingly.
"I just think it was all over the place, plot-wise, but you'll like it.
"I'm a bad judge, probably," she concluded.
Her conclusion, at least, was dead on.
As a movie review, I'd give Vinita Nair's attempt to evaluate Morning Glory one dim bulb.
I would have given it no dim bulbs -- but my cat really liked it.
Surprisingly.