8 - Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.coi

8- Tuesday, November16, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailyco

Get dazed and amused

COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT
"I told you: You can't follow me into the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's too dangerous ... and stupid."
Rachel McAdams
in her bubbly 'Glory'

By BRIANNE JOHNSON
DailyArts Writer
Welcome, class of 1986! Pack
your boom-boxes and bleach those
skinnies for a
totally tubular
year at Hayes
University in Glory Daze
TBS's blast from
the big-haired Tuesdays
past: "Glory at10 p.m.
Daze. The show TBS
crams in decades
worth of refer-
ences, but still manages to pull
through the night by staying rel-
evant to the college scene.
The air is alive with the scent
of Aquanet hairspray and beer-
tinged breath as Joel Harrington
(Kelly Blatz, "Aaron Stone") kisses
hisfrantic parentsgoodbye. Before
you know it, an iconic band of des-
perate boys evolves on the cam-
pus lawn: the Jewish, pint-sized
and eager-to-please Eli Schwartz
(Matt Bush, "Adventureland"); his
roommate and willing embodi-
ment of every Asian stereotype,
Alex Chang (Tim Jo, "Bandslam");
friendly jock with the hair of

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refreshing and smile and a light bang of the fore-
head. He mouths, "Check, please."
eartwarming, if The date ends, she goes to sleep and
life goes on.
mnsequential film It's all sunny skies and candy-
hued cheer from here on out - that
ByJENNIFER XU is, until poor Becky gets fired. Fast-
Daily Arts Writer forward past a few desperate job
searches, and she manages to land a
oever said a star can't carry position as a television programmer
tire film clearly never met for the last-place morning show
1 McAdams. No matter how "Daybreak."
the Cana- The complications are admit-
actress tedly slim enough to fit into a
ts her per- manila envelope, and those that
nce, or how Moning exist don't exactly scream unpre-
ry a movie dictability (co-host trouble, man
ight be in, G trouble, ratings trouble). It's true
re acutely At Quality16 that the film is no "Network" - in
that a Star and Rave fact, it's not even the modern day
ing born, Paramount equivalent of "Broadcast News,"
IS and all. but who cares?
:y and "Morning Glory"is pure formula,
ed, bangs askew and voice all and it knows it. It's a Pepto Bismol-
er, McAdams is Becky Fuller, filled container of plot holes and
or producer for the network good cheer, riding almost entirely
show "Good Morning, New on charm. Specifically, McAdams's
." Devoted heart and soul to charm, and that's a charm that
b, Becky sleeps at six o'clock warms and bubbles over like a glass
ses at one, never lifting her of fizzy champagne. Somehow, that
rom her BlackBerry to give turns out to be enough.
a second glance. We open in Effervescent and incandescent,
ate: She's charming, he's cute, McAdams giggles with the spunky
eem to hit it off. Then, disas- energy and screwball syrup of a
r phone ring-rings. "I have to young Carole Lombard. in her
s," she says, with a megawatt short reign at Hollywood, McAd-

ams has done it all - Mean Girl,
Nicholas Sparks heroine, scary-ass
pen stabber in "Red Eye" and her
performance in "Morning Glory"
feels like a sublime homage to the
Golden Age of Hollywood screen
queens. Never too grating or sac-
charine sweet, it's a genuine plea-
sure to watch Becky reclaim the
show and get the guy, chiseled Ivy
Leaguer crew stud Patrick Wilson
("Watchmen").
McAdams gives the entire film a
vivacious energy, a frenetic exuber-
ance that carries and chugs through
the trite plot developments with
consummate elan. True, the ani-
mosity between the two co-hosts,
played by Diane Keaton ("Some-
thing's Gotta Give") and Harrison
Ford ("Indiana Jones") is a bit too
gruff and tough around the edges.
True, no human being could realis-
tically turn around network ratings
with such expediency. No matter -
down it swirls through the formula
machine, unscathed.
"Morning Glory" is a tiny wisp
of a movie - just a puff of air, and
it'll dematerialize into the ether
of inconsequentiality. But like the
after-dinner mint that you pop
into your mouth at the conclu-
sion of a date, that's what it's there
for - easily dissolvable, endlessly
refreshing.

"Now take off the frame so we can find Grover Cleveland's secret treasure map."

Robert
mers (r
and pr
Wilson
Cinder
morals
are moi
boys fl(
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stolen,
are hit
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Pattinson, Brian Som- John Hughes had risen from the
newcomer Hartley Sawyer) grave (but let's save that for the
ep-school wannabe Jason '80s cheesy horror movies, shall
(Drew Seeley, "Another we?), "Daze" tackles the "brat-
ella Story"), whose strict pack" and other classics like no
and obnoxious sweaters other. Chang channels Long Duk
re fitting for the'50s. As the Dongof 1984's "Sixteen Candles" as
ock from frat to frat, trying he hangs from the bunk bed upside-
their place, standard college down. Schwartz dances through
rss ensues - paintings are scenes like a true member of "The
"beasts" are tamed, bongs Breakfast Club" and Harrington's
and testicles are tasered eccentric roommate, Zack Miller
(relative newcomer Josh Brener)
is the modern-day Garth of 1992's
"Wayne's World." And don't forget
o~ing back (in, the boys' mantra: "What would
MacGyver do?"
re) to school. However, the televised time-
warp is definitely not your par-
ents' show. Despite an onslaught
n good fun, of course. Once of feathered hair and acid-wash
trudged your way through denim, "Daze" manages to relate
able college scenarios, feel to the modern generation. It covers
enjoy many inspirational the dominantGreek scene,the post-
es and slow-motion soror- high school relationship drama and
ni parties. the pressure to fit in. "Daze" jabs at
ing "Daze" in the '80s isn't the stereotypes and issues still seen
excuse to feature rad music on college campuses. It transforms
sves to be a great opportuni- an Asian fraternity, seemingly
live the movie moments that strict and studious, into an under-
t college students weren't ground rave, causing the students
y alive to see. As if the late to squeal "Isn't being Asian great?!"

"Daze" even digs at affirmative
action: Posh fraternity brothers
speak proudly of their acceptance
of the "first African" member -
only to reveal a white student who
just happens tobe from Africa.
Yet the real charm isn't in the
fraternity houses, it's in the char-
acters. Schwartz exceeds words as
an adorably desperate, eager fresh-
man, lost in his own world of Chris-
topher Reeve-looking idols and
the painful art of butt-branding.
Seeley's Wilson transforms from
uptight jock to sympathetically
real after a night with the "beast,"
an eight-tentacle beer bong that
causes his blood alcohol level, and
his likability, to skyrocket.
1986 may not be the freshest year
- and by no means does the show
give you free reign to break out the
fluorescent spandex - but "Glory
Daze" serves just the right amount
of beloved pop culture favorites
without getting stuck in the past
(or whatever that is stained onto
the fraternity sofa). A combina-
tion of only the best components of
'80s flicks and college fads, "Glory
Daze" is earning its way to the top
of the class.


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