A few of my favorite actors entice me to watch just about any movie in which they star. That is the case for me seeing the new Ella McCay movie, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis, during the midst of the holiday bustle. The film starts out with the endearing narrator and assistant Estelle, played by Julie Kavner, who offers commentary throughout the ongoing saga, but assures the viewer that she is a big fan of the main character Ella, played by Emma Mackey.
The movie takes place during the great recession of 2008, when 34-year-old Ella moves up from lieutenant governor to governor of her home state, when the current governor secures a cabinet position. Ella is a brilliant strategist who can see the big picture but is not good at the art of schmoozing and playing the games so often required in politics.
I was rooting for Ella to surpass her predecessor and dramatically change the world, but sadly, the movie reverts back and focuses on when her life fell apart at the age of 16 as her philandering father Eddie, played by Woody Harrelson, disgraced the family. Her salvation is living with her Aunt Helen, played perfectly by Jamie Lee Curtis, as they form a strong kinship based on unconditional love. Ella relies on Aunt Helen’s advice on important matters, and they share a hilarious moment during their “screaming session,” which wasn’t originally in the script.
Ella just wants to be a force for good and make people’s lives better, and there are glimpses of the changes she would like to implement to help single moms and low-income families, but she continually gets embroiled in family drama. She and her husband Ryan, played by Jack Lowden, are polar opposites — while she is serious, he is fun-loving, and his ego and selfishness ultimately cause the demise of their relationship. You’ll discover why she gets the nickname “Miss Nooner,” which is one of the reasons that her governorship doesn’t last long, as she chooses to resign and get her “Tooth Tutors” bill passed, rather than staying in office as a lame duck.
Additional family drama includes Ella taking on a caregiver role with her brother Casey, played by Spike Fearn, who is brilliant, but socially awkward. His girlfriend Susan is played by Ayo Adebiri, from the popular television show The Bear. Adding to the chaos, her desperate father keeps reappearing at the most inopportune times seeking her forgiveness, which she is unwilling to give.
The story is not based on a single person, but rather a compilation of young idealistic politicians. Ella’s security driver, Trooper Nash, played by Kumail Nanjiani, provides levity and sympathizes with her plight. I found the phone rooms in the State Capitol building, where politicians and their teams ask for money, to be an interesting insight.
The movie was directed by Oscar and Emmy award winner James L. Brooks and was filmed last year in the Providence Rhode Island area. Kudos to Emma, who reminds me of a young Anne Hathaway, as she navigates her dramatic and comedic personas to create the layered character you root for. Ultimately, Ella ends up running a Legal Aid office, with Nash and Estelle, and they do make a difference in homelessness and other important issues. The film is billed as a political comedy drama, but it’s really more of a wildly dysfunctional family drama, which seems more suited as a streaming movie, rather than the big screen.
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: James L. Brooks
Actors: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ella Mackey, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Jack Lowden, Julie Kavner, Spike Fearn, Ayo Adebiri, Albert Brooks
Running Time: 1 hours and 55 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for strong language and some sexual and drug content
