Genie

IN A NUTSHELL: What would YOU do with unlimited wishes? In this fun-filled genie movie, a workaholic father meets a magical genie who tries to help him win back his family before Christmas. The film was directed by Sam Boyd. Writing credits go to Richard Curtis. THINGS I LIKED: I’ve been a big Melissa McCarthy fan since the beginning. I know she’s had some past movies that were stinkers but this one is not one of them. She has plenty of oddball, goofy moments, but I really love that her genie character didn’t become an over-the-top cartoon, but instead, a real woman. Paapa Essiedu does a great job as an earnest straight-man to the genie’s comedic chaos. I had never seen him in anything before, although he has actually been in a lot of successful productions in recent years such as The Lazarus Project and Black Mirror. Other cast members include Denee Benton, Marc Maron, Luis Guzman, Alan Cumming, and young Jordyn McIntosh. Everyone did a great job. I love it when movies show clips from other movies. In this one, it shows a clip of Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. WWTCD = What would Tom Cruise do? Love it. The genie becomes obsessed with Tom Cruise. Yeah, girl. We all are. Great soundtrack. Lots of humor, both spoken and visual. Tons of Christmas decorations that will get you in the mood for the holiday season. Super sweet ending. The story is extremely formulaic, but I don’t care. It still felt good and is a reminder about what’s truly important in life. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: A Tom Cruise cameo would have made the movie perfect. The flying carpet special effects were underwhelming and not as magical as they could have been. There are too many annoying inconsistencies in the fish-out-of-water story. I know…genie movies are fantasy, so things don’t have to make sense. Still. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Some profanity. Some of it comes out of the mouth of a little girl. Of course, that’s supposed to be funny, but I always hate that. People get arrested. Some verbal fights.

Just like Hot Chocolate, Rum Cake and the Christmas Tree, Christmas movies are a mandate at this time of the year. And most Christmas still have that campy template which would mean a person trying to do something for his family, a non-believer dealing with Christmas, the legend of Christmas with Santa & his team and so on.Genie is the story of a over-worked man, whose family leaves him just a few days prior to Christmas. Unknown to him, he accidently rubs an artifact that releases a Genie. The genie grants him infinite wishes & we all know how is bound to use them.Melissa McCarthy is phenomenal everytime she is on screen. As the genie, she wields her charm yet again. But her magic doesn't work on the movie. It ultimately sticks to the template. Though not as campy as the other ones from this year, Genie could have done a lot more given that it is written by Richard Curtis.Genie is a remake of a British TV film.