The new film by James L. Brooks, Ella McCay,is a quirky ensemble about taking the bitter points of life and making them work.
By Craig Allan
Three and a half stars
Back in the 1980’s and 90’s, an ensemble romcom-esque movie where characters go through relatable issues like Ella McCay would not have felt out of place. James L. Brooks, director of the Oscar-winning film Terms of Endearment, and later, one of the three creators of an all-time greatest show, The Simpsons, made his career in this genre. However, Brooks has been operating in Hollywood for so long that he has experienced the decline of this genre; his previous directorial effort, How Do You Know?, released in 2010, was a box office bomb and looked like the end of his career. That thought was premature, though, as Brooks has returned to the silver screen with another ensemble comedy that aims to bring back the emotional slice-of-life films that made him famous as a director. In the case of McCay, James L. Brooks mostly succeeds. With a dynamite performance by Emma Mackey, some solidly funny moments, and the nostalgia for a film of this now rare type, Ella McCay is a fun throwback and a solid directorial return.
Despite the surprise narration by Julie Kavner (voice of Marge Simpson), the highlight of this breezy film is Emma Mackey as Ella McCay. She plays a high-strung lieutenant governor who is promoted to governor when her predecessor, Bill Moore (Albert Brooks, no relation to James L. Brooks), vacates the position for a federal cabinet posting. Mackey is in almost every scene in the movie, and balances the comedy and heartfelt moments really well. Her comedic highlights involve her unknowingly consuming marijuana at her brother’s place (Casey McCay, played by Spike Fearn), and going on about a dental program under the colloquial name of “Tooth Tutors,” and Mackey’s comedic wide-eyed looks of shock and stress. Hopefully, Mackey gets more lead opportunities after this role, as she proves in this movie that she can carry a film.
Brooks, who also wrote the script, feels like he overextends himself in some parts of the film, but does a good job at giving everyone at least one moment in this ensemble comedy. Moments like Ella’s aunt, Helen McCay (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), running barefoot down the street, chasing Ella’s soon-to-be husband, Ryan Newell (played by Jack Lowden), after he snuck in through her window, provide levity. There are also some subtle jokes in the film, like a moment where Ella and Ryan are in bed after a tryst and Ella has what seems to be a blanket wrapped around her neck, seemingly insinuating roleplay during sex. The script does not feel as much of a cliché as it could have been, proving that James L. Brooks still has his finger on the pulse of this genre.
Then there’s Ella’s bodyguard, State Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani), who is constantly berating State Trooper Alexander (Joey Brooks, son of James L. Brooks) for not figuring out ways to hang out with his kids that don’t involve spending money. As much as the large ensemble is a plus, the movie does not work on all levels, though. Alexander appears out of nowhere and is forced in through his scheme to get overtime to pay for his kids during his visitation periods. After getting berated for it, he is seen but not heard from for the rest of the movie. There is also a storyline between Casey and his ex-girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri), that gets resolved in a way that confused the audience in my theatre.
A film like Ella McCay would likely be forced onto streaming today, so it is nice that this film got an opportunity to play in theatres. Also, credit to the marketing department for this film for making an interactive poster.
