Godmothered (2020)

Crashing through from the fairytale world to the harsher realities of our own world is a seam that has been mined by Disney before, most notably with the very enjoyable Enchanted. And if you liked that movie then you should like this one. It's very similar.

Jillian Bell plays Eleanor, a fairy godmother in her training years. Unfortunately, by the time/if she ever qualifies, it may all be too late. People don't seem to need fairy godmothers any more. Nobody is getting their "happy ever after". Eleanor decides to change things by making things right for a young girl named Mackenzie, after finding her letter in the archives. That letter, however, was written some time ago, and Mackenzie (Isla Fisher) is now a stressed-out single mother, working for a news station that seems determined to gain ratings by focusing on negative stories and fear-mongering. Mackenzie seems to have accepted that she's not going to have a "happy ever after", but she may also be holding back her daughters, Mia (Willa Skye) and Jane (Jillian Shea Spaeder).

Your enjoyment of Godmothered will depend on a number of factors, not least of which is how much you warm to Jillian Bell in her main role. I tend to find Bell very hit and miss, depending on how irritating her character is supposed to be (and she tends to be given irritating characters in many of her films), but she's a lot of fun as the trainee with more enthusiasm than natural talent, doing her best to get results without the full skillset that some others have. You also have to accept the predictability of it all, the weak mix of characters, and the sweetness of the big main lesson. Having said that, you usually have to accept those things with most Disney movies, so it's no major inconvenience if you know the kind of film you're about to watch.

Although the script by Kari Granlund and Melissa Stack doesn't take any chances, director Sharon Maguire keeps everything moving along nicely enough, and staves off boredom with some smaller-scale set-pieces (be it Mackenzie being inconvenienced by a huge ballgown that has magically appeared on her or a race-against-the-clock finale that relies on Eleanor finally perfecting one or two of the traditional spells).

Bell and Fisher have fun together, Spaeder and Skye are just fine, Santiago Cabrera is a prospective "prince", literally named Hugh Prince, and Utkarsh Ambudkar provides some laughs as the boss who thinks bad news = ratings. June Squibb is a delight as Agnes, the fairy godmother who narrates the tale, and Jane Curtin is the strict head of the fairy godmothers who ends up racing to stop Eleanor making what she assumes will be a big mess of things.

Light and enjoyable from start to finish, the biggest thing going against Godmothered is that, while it wanders through some very similar terrain, it isn't Enchanted. That's no reason to criticise this movie too harshly though. One Disney movie being very similar to another Disney movie is hardly anything new. It's often part of the appeal.

6/10

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Mubi Monday: Ema (2019)

Pablo Larraín is a director well worth seeking out, especially if you're only familiar with him because of the movie Jackie (which is good, but actually not up there with his best work). He has a habit of being able to take dark material and display it in a way that doesn't skirt around any central issues, but also manages to avoid seeming like a wallow in complete misery.

Ema is about a couple (Ema, played by Mariana Di Girolamo, and Gastón, played by Gael García Bernal) who find their relationship crumbling after they make the difficult decision to return the child that they adopted. They have to deal with the way other people now view them, as well as how their opinions of one another may have changed. Because, let's face it, what kind of person gives up and returns an adopted child?

As things start to develop, Ema and Gastón are shown to be struggling in figuring out their best way of moving forward. The former ends up leaning hard into a lifestyle of sexual freedom, encouraging Gastón to take a new partner, and you get the feeling that she processes the judgement of others by deciding not to care about what they think, eventually. There is, however, a point to her sexual journey, and it eventually becomes clear that Ema is trying to make things better, albeit in an odd way that is clear only to herself.

Larraín does a superb job, working from the script by Guillermo Calderón (who has worked with him before, over the past few years) and Alejandro Moreno, and he once again knows how to mix in some wonderful visuals, flawless central performances, and hints to the bigger picture without everything being revealed until the very last scenes.

Whether engaging in some energetic sex, some energetic dancing, or just looking disdainfully at others who are trying to make her feel ashamed, Di Girolamo is brilliant, and very watchable, in her role. She is the focus of almost every scene, and lifts the film with her presence. Bernal is as strong as ever in his main supporting role, especially in the scenes that show him releasing his barely-suppressed resentment.

Although it looks at the connection between adopted child and adopted parents, rather than biological family members, Ema feels as discomforting as We Need To Talk About Kevin in the way it explores a lack of automatic affection. It almost seems taboo, yet deserves the time and treatment given to it here. Despite the way in which things are worked out, the message of finding a way to reach a child, finding a way to bring people together and heal some fresh wounds, there's a surprisingly positive core buried beneath the anger, frustration, and lust.

8/10