Ella McCay Review
It was always going to be an exciting day when legendary filmmaker James L. Brooks returned to the director’s chair, and after fifteen years, the time has come for him to reappear with a film that has all the warm familiarity of an old friend returning as if a day hadn’t passed. Ella McCay, his first effort since 2010’s disastrous flop How Do You Know – a costly one, too, with its $48million global haul coming nowhere close to its staggering $120million budget – immediately feels like Brooks is back on form. It’s a film rich with lively character work and dialogue that snaps with Brooks’ unmistakable wit, but is also hampered by a story that ambles far more than it advances.
At its centre is the titular Ella McCay (Emma Mackey), a rising political aide whose drive and idealism make her both indispensable and, at times, exasperating to the seasoned veterans around her. The plot follows Ella through differing stages of her life: namely, her teenage years, where she deals with college, and her father’s (Woody Harrelson) public adultery; as well as her early career working in the state governor’s (Albert Brooks) office as he prepares to leave his post and pass it over to Ella. And it’s all followed by the new responsibility of actually being governor of the state, wrestling with both the status of the job and her own marriage, which is subject to an ethically scandalous moment.
Mackey gives the film much of its pulse, and she is utterly glorious throughout. She plays Ella with grounded intelligence, never overselling the character’s idealistic undertones and threads it through silent calculations, sideways glances and vigorous professionalism. Since Sex Education, she’s been trying hard to break out of her persona on the show into something more mature, and she succeeds on all fronts here in performance, in dialogue and in character. She is one of the rare natural fits for Brooks’ unique talents on the screen and on the page, and she nails every morsel with aplomb.
Supporting her is a plethora of great talent, some of whom are splendid, some of whom are miscast or slightly wasted in empty roles. Jamie Lee Curtis, always a force of nature, is a great foil for Mackey as her doting aunt, and continues her exemplary work of recent years. Whilst the other Brooks, namely Albert, brings his trademark sarcasm and wit as Ella’s exciting boss and mentor who sees her as the future if the powers that be let her follow her path, even if they probably won’t. The flip side sees a sad waste of Harrelson, Ayo Eyobiri and Rebecca Hall, as well as both Kumail Nanjiani and Jack Lowden, who feel miscast in their respective roles.
As ever, Brooks is at his best when orchestrating dialogue and, after his previous stumble, he has, for the most part, found his footing once more. The dialogue is the film’s true heartbeat – fast-paced, pithy and edgy, and full of tiny collisions that make each scene unique. Intellectual tennis matches, if you will, and even when nothing seems to he happening – or, indeed, very little – seems to be happening, the how is always delightful.
But despite that undeniably potent dialogue, the story encompassing it is where the film falters. Indeed, all the plotlines, each introduced with lots of promise, often drift away into nothing, collapsing into familiar beats that feel uninspired, especially for Brooks. Its pacing suffers, too, from the lazy storylines, and while some have charm, many halt its momentum, and by its final act, the thematic arcs feel monotonous compared to its whipsmart language.
Still, Ella McCay offers a plethora of pleasures, not least the return of one of Hollywood’s great purveyors of pithy comedy who almost strikes gold with this renaissance of sorts. Add to the mix some vibrant turns from its cast, not least the magnificent Mackey, who soars, and some classic Brooks humour, and this is a sweet, if flawed, feel-good film that, despite said problems, is hard not to enjoy.
★★★
In UK cinemas on December 12th / Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, Woody Harrelson / Dir: James L. Brooks / 20th Century Studios / 12A
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
About the Author
