Ella McCay (2025) Film Review: Confused political dramedy is a bizarre mess
- reeltalkin'
- Dec 13
- 3 min read
Set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis, thirty-four-year-old Ella McCay (Emma Mackey) is an idealistic lieutenant governor in the midst of a promotion, whilst also juggling relationships with her husband, estranged father and reclusive brother.
Directed and written by a now eighty-five-year-old James L. Brooks (As Good as it Gets, 1997; Terms of Endearment, 1987), the film also sports an impressive cast, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Albert Brooks, Woody Harrelson and Julie Kavner all featuring in prominent supportive roles.
However, despite such a brilliant ensemble and some lovely performances, this movie squanders its eclectic talent with a baffling, tonally inconsistent, and muddled screenplay.
What makes it worse is that there are elements and hints of greatness here, but these are vastly overshadowed by weak and bewildering writing. The movie adopts a classic Hollywood style with its quirky, screwball comedy aesthetic, with a whimsical Hans Zimmer score leaning into this light, good-natured tone.
However, the narrative framework is shamelessly lazy within the first few moments as an unnecessary narrator (played by Marge Simpson voice actress Julie Kavner) is promptly introduced. There are no complaints against the performance itself; however, the constant cutting back to this narration actively disengages audiences from the film and emotionally distances us from the characters.
For such an intimate, character-driven, low-stakes drama, this choice does more harm than good.
It is actually quite fascinating how much the film's marketing mirrors its pitfalls, with the poster featuring a made-up Ella reaching down to supposedly fix her heel, accurately summing up the many issues at play. The movie never quite manages to find its footing, awkwardly attempting to balance its comedy with heartfelt drama.
Set pieces intended to get a laugh out of viewers are often strangely cobbled together in a stilted, unauthentic fashion, causing these moments to fall flat. Similarly, these are suddenly contrasted with emotional fallouts, which are designed to elicit a tear-jerking reaction from the audience, coming across as disingenuous and manipulative.
To give Brooks credit, there are a handful of genuinely laugh-out-loud or chuckle-worthy scenes, but this is mostly down to the natural talent of his cast, and they are unfortunately few and far between. These major tonal issues result in a sloppily put-together final product, which fails to fully connect with viewers and becomes a bit of a snooze fest as one mentally checks out of proceedings.
Multiple underdeveloped subplots are also another noticeable setback, as there appears to be a distinct lack of focus on anything. Poor Emma Mackey is given such a bad rap here. She is very clearly giving it her all, excelling in both the comedic and dramatic scenes and sharing great onscreen chemistry with co-star Jamie Lee Curtis.
Despite playing yet another exaggerated caricature of herself, Curtis radiates a fierce charm, and her unconditional devotion towards Ella is endearing.
Although the film does craft a warm, cosy visual quality, which makes it the ideal watch for the holiday season, the direction is mainly flat and uninspired. Some shots also appear quite cheap with poor green-screen usage.
Overall, despite including a brilliant cast and exhibiting relatable, flawed characters, Ella McCay is one of the most bizarre movies of the year. Riddled with jarring tonal inconsistencies and a general sense of misdirection, even a fully committed performance from its reliable leading lady cannot save this awkward misfire for Brooks.
Check out the trailer for Ella McCay (2025) below, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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