I've been thinking about "Ella McCay" all week. Not in a particularly deep way, or how it stacks up against the best new movies to stream this week. I was simply thinking about how to best convey that this movie is, to put it bluntly, perfectly fine. I'd even go as far as good, though only just.
But then I saw the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and wow. Critics loathe this comedy-drama. It currently has a woeful 18% rating on the Tomatometer from critics. For what it's worth, audiences seem more positive on it; while there's no Popcornmeter yet, the reviews are largely 2.5-4 stars out of 5, though there are plenty of one-star reviews.
What is 'Ella McCay' about?
"Ella McCay" is set in 2008, right after the Great Recession. It stars Emma Mackey as the titular character, an idealistic, overly cheerful politician who has just become lieutenant governor at just 34 years old. But her meteoric rise isn't over. Her boss, Governor Bill (Albert Brooks), just scored a cabinet position with the Obama administration.
He now needs to resign, making her the new governor. But before she can start to govern, she has to get her personal life in order. Her romantic life with husband Ryan (Jack Lowden) is about to get her some bad press, and her estranged father (Woody Harrelson) has just shown up out of the blue, much to the frustration of her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis). Further complicating things, she can't get a hold of her brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and that is pushing everything else going on to the side.
'Ella McCay' is a flawed, old-school comedy drama
OK, let's get the bad out of the way first. Ella is poorly written as a character. She's not engaging, she's not compelling. We don't explore the darkness under her bubbly surface enough, and there's so much to explore. We also explore her politics (which are likely shared by director/writer James L. Brooks) far more often than is necessary in a light comedy-drama.
Also, nobody talks the way Ella talks. Not a single person on God's green Earth uses words in the manner she does in this movie. Combined with the fact that, for the movie's flashbacks, of which there are several, they should've cast a younger actress rather than barely try to make Emma Mackey look like a high schooler. It makes Ella a serious weak point in the movie. That's not ideal, given it's literally named after her.
Thankfully, she's not the only character in the film, and there are a few that genuinely save it. Jamie Lee Curtis is a delight as Aunt Helen. Yes, she also talks in a way that nobody else does, but it works when she does it. Equally charming is Albert Brooks as Governor Bill. Honestly, I'd have much rather watched a rom-com about them than the movie we got, but I digress.
Ella's brother, Casey, is yet another person surrounding Ella that's far more interesting to explore. He has a B-plot in this movie about a budding romance with a young woman named Susan (Ayo Edebiri), and it's probably the most compelling storyline in the movie.
Don't get me wrong, other things are working in the movie's favor. It feels like a blast from the past, evoking the tone and aesthetic of James L. Brooks' seminal works from the 1980s and 1990s, even if it falls far short of those films. The Hans Zimmer score is good and artfully deployed. Most, if not all, characters in this movie manage to score at least one laugh from the audience. But it's the supporting performances that really manage to paper over the cracks in "Ella McCay."
Verdict: You can wait to stream 'Ella McCay'
I know I just spent a few paragraphs tearing this movie apart, but let me be clear: It's still a fun movie. My main takeaway from watching it isn't that it's a flop or disaster. It's an enjoyable time. You'll remember the laughs just as much as the stuff that annoys you, if not more.
That said, maybe don't rush to your theater to see "Ella McCay." As a film made by 20th Century, it'll eventually make its way to Disney Plus and Hulu. Wait for it to arrive on those streaming services, make some popcorn, pour yourself a drink and watch from the comfort of your own home. "Ella McCay" is a perfectly fine movie to watch, but that doesn't mean you should pay more than the cost of a streaming subscription to watch it.
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