This film will be available to stream December 4th on Disney+.
Now that December is here, many readers may be looking to enjoy some new holiday-themed entertainment. Disney+ is certainly taking this into consideration with their family comedy, Godmothered. Call this reviewer a Grinch, but his festive spirit can only go so far. This title offers a chuckle or two, but otherwise doesn’t make much of an impression and feels like a Disney equivalent of a Hallmark made-for-cable movie. While it may be watchable enough for those simply looking to kill a couple of hours, as written this movie doesn’t do much to truly captivate or enchant.
Eleanor (Jillian Bell) is a naïve fairy godmother-in-training from a faraway land who learns from her instructor Moira (Jane Curtin) that the general public no longer believe in magic. In fact, it’s so bad that their branch is about to be closed down. Determined to prove that people do need fairies, Eleanor decides to go rogue. She finds a letter written by a youngster and travels to Boston to locate and assist the author. However, the protagonist soon discovers that girl who wrote the letter, Makenzie Walsh (Isla Fisher), has grown up. The woman is a widow who works as a struggling TV journalist while scrambling to raise two children (Jillian Shea Spaeder and Willa Skye). Mackenzie has given up on a fairy tale life, but Eleanor still sees this as an opportunity to help them all fulfil their dreams. However, the godmother’s magic powers aren’t well honed, resulting in some accidental spectacles.
It’s a reasonable enough concept and there is plenty of potential in placing an innocent and well-intentioned fairy in a modern and gritty environment. A funny tug-of-war could have ensued between herself and the cynical (and perhaps even dangerous) people she encounters. Unfortunately, the movie never really approaches the story in a way that would maximize its true potential. Makenzie and the family are in a funk due to their tragic loss, but the story doesn’t put them in as bad a situation as it could have. In fact, the brood live in an impressive downtown home that most would be thrilled to reside in.
In order to raise Mackenzie’s spirits, Eleanor ends up attempting to set the reporter up with a friendly co-worker who has a crush on her. Additionally, she helps one daughter with remarkable singing talent to overcome her fear of performing in public. In general, the dramatic stakes feel pretty low. Of course, this would be forgivable if the gags worked, but most revolve around the wannabe fairy-godmother behaving in an overly dim and confused manner. Bell has plenty of comedic talent and manages to sell a few jokes involving spells gone wrong (mostly involving things, well, exploding). It’s also amusing to see her decked out in an elaborate fairy dress. But overall, the script asks this character to behave too densely and even the flick’s slapstick sight gags aren’t outrageous or memorable.
While the cast are appealing and do their best with what they’re given, they really can’t generate any spark from this generic story. Even the romance between Mackenzie and her co-worker doesn’t offer a lot of onscreen chemistry or tension. Instead, events proceed in a routine, safe and predictable manner. Just because this is a family movie doesn’t mean that there can’t be some tension or drama, but after a while there’s little going on here that requires the full attention or concentration of the viewer.
In the end, Godmother wastes some very talented performers and doesn’t make the most of its intriguing concept. Each story beat plays out like every other TV-movie of its kind, sadly resulting in a bland movie. The fairy in this Disney story may indeed make the dreams of the human characters come true, but while it is unfurling its magic does little to surprise or charm viewers.