US EditionMovie review: 'Ella McCay' is misguided and irresponsible
- This year, Emma Mackey headlines James L. Brooks' Ella McCay, a 20th Century Studios release written, directed and produced by Brooks, his first original feature in 15 years and rated PG-13.
- Marked by childhood trauma, Ella McCay faces her father Eddie's scandal at 16 and her mother Claire's death before Governor Bill appoints her interim governor, elevating her career.
- Nearly two hours into the film, critics describe the screenplay as disjointed with half-baked subplots, while reviewers praise Emma Mackey's natural lead and Ayo Edebiri's moments.
- It ends in a confrontation with Ella McCay's opponents after a scandal involving state property and extortion, while critics say the film wastes its ensemble cast and risks tarnishing filmmaker James L. Brooks' legacy.
- At 85, James L. Brooks brings a six-decade career to this late-career feature, arriving amid a busy season for supporting actor Ayo Edebiri and Emma Mackey.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Los Angeles Times
Review: She'd like to change the world, but the script of 'Ella McCay' is running against her
Writer-director James L. Brooks all but invented a warm, urbane way of telling complex women's stories, but his first movie in 15 years feels retrograde.
‘Ella McCay’ Review: Right Girl, Wrong Time
Some people read reviews to decide whether to watch a movie. Others read after watching, wanting to sort out what they’ve just experienced. If you’re in the latter category, and you’ve just seen “Ella McCay,” I am here with reassurances: Don’t worry. Your movie theater wasn’t leaking gas. No, “Ella McCay,” written and directed by the venerable James L. Brooks, is just a real baffler of a movie, the sort where you repeatedly wonder if you somehow…
<em>Ella McCay</em>: I’m Not With Her
It didn’t take long. We weren’t a minute into Ella McCay when the onscreen narrator (Julie Kavner) tells us about the title character, “I’m nuts about her.” That’s when I felt my poor heart sinking past my stomach and bowels to someplace near my anal cavity. This comedy is by James L. Brooks, who loves his characters and wants us to love them too. That’s the problem. That has always been the problem. Decades before Netflix and its competitors we…
Associated Press News
Movie Review: Emma Mackey battles political scandal and wooden script in ‘Ella McCay’
For his first original feature in some 15 years, James L. Brooks has assembled an impressive supporting cast and an appealing lead in Emma Mackey.
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