By Maureen Quinlan, News Correspondent

“Morning Glory,” released Nov. 10, may not be nominated for an Academy Award, but the chemistry between the actors helps create a light-hearted movie with an optimistic message for young viewers entering the workforce in a downbeat economy.

Rachel McAdams, known for her portrayal of high school hot-shot Regina George in “Mean Girls” and vintage sweetheart Allie from “The Notebook,” plays an eager, slightly naive morning show producer with a charm anyone will love in her newest starring role.

McAdams plays Becky Fuller, a producer of a small morning show in New Jersey. She’s making it, but not in the big time.

Her mother relates to viewers through a lecture to Fuller how her career dreams went from cute to inspiring to almost pathetic. Viewers sympathize with Fuller, but also feel the realities of what her mother is saying.

Fuller never stops believing in herself, and McAdams never stops believing in Fuller, so viewers never stop believing in the story. With help from some convenient Hollywood magic, Fuller’s luck begins to change.

Co-op seekers, beware: Do not take cues from Fuller’s emotional and unprofessional interview with Day Break, a down-in-the-dumps, national morning show, during your job search. Despite her flustered personality, Fuller lands the job.

On her first day at the show, Fuller begins to see that the show is a metaphor for her life. She is down on her luck and so is Day Break. McAdams’s portrayal of a hard-working young professional has the potential to inspire young professionals.

She starts her new job by firing one of the existing anchors (Ty Burrell of ABC’s “Modern Family”), but she keeps the stubborn Colleen Peck, played by a hilarious Diane Keaton. Keaton gives Peck the bite, cynicism and sass viewers would expect a real morning show host to have. But she does not lose her traditional silliness, as seen in her other movies such as “Because I Said So” and “The Family Stone,” even as she plays a bitter newswoman.

Down one anchor and up one date with a “smokin’ guy” played by Patrick Wilson, Fuller sets her sights high. She takes a risk on a burnt-out legendary anchor to replace the one she fired.

Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Mike Pomeroy, a broadcast king held in esteem with the likes of Walter Cronkite and Peter Jennings, will at first annoy viewers. But like any good villain, he becomes the character you love to hate.

The exchange between two movie veterans like Ford and Keaton give their characters a genuine sincerity. McAdams brings a certain brightness to the show and the movie.

Things start to improve at the ill-fated “Day Break,” even though Pomeroy refuses to say the word “fluffy.”

Fuller’s tenacity, Pomeroy’s persistence, Peck’s tart sense of humor and the rest of the cast at “Day Break” combine to change not only Fuller’s life, but also the viewer’s idea of romantic cheesiness.

Of course, girl meets boy, falls in love, screws it up and ends up happily ever after, but not in the way one might think. This romantic comedy, if one could call it that, is more about finding oneself amidst chaos and unexpected circumstances than just the love at hand.

The actors carry this movie all the way through, making each moment touching and inspiring. “Morning Glory” gives viewers a breath of fresh air in the romantic comedy world.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0rsEAkV3wY[/youtube]

Trailer for “Morning Glory”