I’ve been a fan of James L. Brooks films in the past, such as Terms of Endearment, As Good As It Gets, and Broadcast News. He is one of the last directors working who knows how to get a genuine laugh out of an audience with a story and characters not toilet humor and cursing. His characters and films are indelible.  They have left a mark on society. His latest film “Ella McKay” not so much. He, as always,assembled a fantastic cast for this movie, but it just doesn’t work on all levels when you take it apart. I was rooting for it because I like the leading actress Emma Mackey, but it just doesn’t seem to know what it’s trying to be.

“Ella McCay” (Emma Mackey) is a young woman driven to succeed. She’s an A student in high school and wants to be very successful. Using a framing device and a narrator Estelle (Julie Kavner) famous for playing Marge Simpson on “The Simpsons” as a secretary she tells the story of this woman from her high school days all the way up to the point where she becomes the governor of Rhode Island. Things don’t go exactly as planned for this ambitious woman. As things from her past creep up to haunt her and her relationship with her husband takes a turn for the worst. She has to try and navigate the hard world she had been thrust into by the decision of her boss, the governor, to take a position in the president’s cabinet, leaving her as de facto governor. 

As mentioned, the cast in this movie is fantastic. Albert Brooks plays the governor, the boss of the lead character. He’s her friend but ultimately has to make a tough choice, and he gives her his advice on the matter, which isn’t taken well. Brooks is good as always in this role and brings an element of leadership to the cast. Also, Jamie Lee Curtis and Woody Harrelson bring gravitas to the story and film as brother and sister, but aunt and father to the Mackey character. They are both a yin and a yang to the main character. One is a positive influence, and the other is not. He brings baggage to the character that isn’t good for the Mackey character. Also, Jack Lowden plays Mackey’s character’s husband, and he’s a piece of work. He is not exactly the most ideal husband a successful and driven woman would want besides her as she embarks on this new journey. There is also Mackey’s character’s brother,  who is played by Casey (Spike Fearn). He is a distraction from the main story, and the film gets sidetracked with his character to some extent. Overall, this is a fantastic cast, though.The compliment the main character very well.

Speaking of that main character. The title character is Ella McCay. I really liked this character and the portrayal by Emma Mackey. I’ve seen Mackey in a few other films like “Death on the Nile, Emily and Alpha. She is an amazing actress, and when I first saw her a handful of years ago, I knew I was watching a woman whom I was going to enjoy for years to come. She has the innate ability to draw you in while watching her. The same goes for her character here in this film. She has a likeability to her despite what she has done in her life. You can’t help but care about her. That’s the mark of a good actress from my perspective. Mackey brings that quality to all her roles. Even though she goes through so much in this movie, I wanted to see her character come out on top in the end. I can’t wait to see what she does next in her burgeoning career.

There is a political aspect to this story, and I liked that about the film. I just didn’t exactly like how it was all handled by the script and the director. Brooks knows what he’s doing so far, be it for me to criticize him, but that’s what my job is as a film critic. I think the political stuff could have been handled much better. It seemed like things were a bit clichéd to me. I wanted a better resolution to the main problem the story posed. It was a little too kid gloves if you will. These were serious matters, but they weren’t handled the right way. I wish they had more of a serious tone to them, but that’s the tone Brooks was going for in the story, so that’s what viewers got. I didn’t like how the main character was handled in this regard. She deserved better. Even though there is a somewhat happy ending, it could have been done differently.

It is like a film that shows a woman who works hard and tries to be somebody successful in life. The main character does that in this story, and something good comes of all her hard work. With all the men doing bad things in the world, why make a movie where a woman is penalized for being a good person? She does a great job at what she does, and trying to be a better wife to her husband ends up being her downfall as a character. I think that’s not the way to treat this woman. Is this the kind of story that filmmakers want to show young aspiring women in the country and the world? If you work hard to succeed, you can be taken down by basic instincts to do what you’re supposed to do. It’s a wrong message to give to hard-working girls, students, wives, mothers, or whoever. They deserve a film that is going to show them being handled in a better light. Even though there is a happy ending to the movie. It’s a little convenient for my liking. 

“Ella McCay” is a film that tries to be something it’s not. It tries to show a woman in a good light but ends up showing her in a bad light instead. She comes across as looking bad or sympathetic instead of strong and powerful, which is what she should have come across as. The baser instincts of society shouldn’t have gotten the better of this character.That’s not who she is. That’s not who she was set up as in this movie.The script and Brooks dropped the ball from my perspective in this film and with this character. Despite the happy ending, which was a cop out to me. Mackey did a great job despite my displeasure with the script and direction. The supporting cast was also very good. I just wish I could have said that about the film as a whole. It’s not as good as I’d hoped it would be. I don’t think aspiring successful young women can get a good message out of this story, unfortunately. 

2 ½

Dan Skip Allen