In such indisputable modern classics as Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good As it Gets, writer/director James L. Brooks profiled the lives of deeply flawed characters with good hearts who wanted to bring some kind of positive feelings into the world and hopefully some stability into their lives in the process. And many of his iconic characters were professional women in a work environment that wasn’t always stacked in their favor. So in theory, Brooks would be the perfect person to write a screenplay about a 34-year-old female lieutenant governor (of an unnamed state) who rises to the governorship when the longtime incumbent accepts a cabinet position in the incoming Obama administration (the film is set in 2008).
Ella McCay, the title character played by Emma Mackey, features a lead who, in real life, could never have gotten to where she is professionally unless she was focused, good at managing her time, on top of the issues, and able to balance her work and professional lives. But these are the movies, and what we’re served up instead is a woman who seems paralyzed by the way she was raised by her selfish and needy father (Woody Harrelson), who abandoned the family when she was a child, and her mentally unstable brother Casey (Spike Fearn), who has refused to leave his house since he broke up with his girlfriend (Ayo Edebiri) over a year earlier. Ella is also married to a complete prick of a husband (Jack Lowden), who wants an elevated position in her administration and even threatens to publicly humiliate her if she doesn’t comply. The mere fact that she ever married this guy makes me doubt her decision-making capacity. And did I mention, I’m pretty sure this is meant to be a comedy?
Mackey plays Ella like a scattered child who has no control over her own emotions or decisions. Which is fine, but don’t try to sell me on her as a politician who has clear ideas about her positions and policies. There are asinine subplots about her brother trying to get back together with his ex, her father trying to get Ella to forgive him to impress his new girlfriend, and a state trooper (Kumail Nanjiani) assigned to bodyguard and escort the new governor while also becoming her confidante, and none of these things really amount to anything. The only character that provides any laughs is Governor Bill (Albert Brooks), who is out the door so fast that he barely takes the time to coach Ella on her new position—but that’s also a sign that he has confidence in her. I wish I could say the same.
While I didn’t think she was particularly funny here, I also like Jamie Lee Curtis as Ella’s Aunt Helen who raises young Ella when her parents (Ella’s mother is played by Rebecca Hall) decide to move to California. Curtis was a stable force and guiding voice for Ella as a kid and she continues to look out for her as an adult. I just wish we’d been able to see some of that outside of a quick scene of them doing "scream therapy."
If your idea of humor is two people saying the same thing at the same time or someone accidentally eating pot cookies and then trying to function (because apparently we’re living in the 1990s), then maybe Ella McCay is for you. Mackey is an actor I’ve really enjoyed in recent films (Emily, Hot Milk, Barbie), but Brooks has absolutely let her down with this empty, unsubstantial, purposeless work that doesn’t understand politics, family, or people.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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