Godmothered (2020)
Though the actresses in Godmothered are appealing, nothing about it is memorable. I know more and more movies debuting on home streaming services are worth checking out for the bold choices and daring subject matter but not this one.
In the magical kingdom of Motherland, fairy godmothers train to bring people’s “happily ever after” to life. Unfortunately, all assignments have dried up and the school is shutting down. Determined to fulfill her dream, junior godmother-in-training Eleanor (Jillian Bell) travels to Boston to help Mackenzie (Isla Fisher).. unaware she's now all grown-up and a single mother of two.
I’m all up for suspending your disbelief but not if I’m the only one putting in the effort. Eleanor isn’t just a fish-out-of-water; she’s dumb. Too dumb. Too dumb to live. Apparently, the fairy world doesn’t have money, vehicles capable of moving without horses, vegetables other than pumpkins, or any idea of what human civilization is like. No wonder their assignments have dried up. That’s the joke, of course. Hope you like it repeated over and over. It takes an eternity for Eleanor to convince Mackenzie that she’s a magical creature and not an inmate who escaped from a mental institution (just show her the letter she mailed to Motherland when she was ten!). Once that’s established, the frustrated news reporter drags Eleanor everywhere so she can get into varied shenanigans and pratfalls.
Even for a fantasy film, this plot lacks credibility. At work, Mackenzie must deal with her unscrupulous boss, Grant (Utkarsh Ambudkar). He feels like a cartoon created by someone who believes all news reports are fake. At least she has the handsome, kind of nebbish, and overly altruistic Hugh Prince (Santiago Cabrera) to turn to whenever he makes her mad. There’s also a sarcastic camerawoman (played by Artemis Pebdani) but she’s in and out of the movie so much you’ll forget about her by the end. We’ve got to make room for Mackenzie’s oldest daughter Jane (Jilian Shea), who suffers from violent anxiety attacks she desperately wants to overcome before the big Holiday concert coming up. Yes, this is technically a Christmas movie… but barely. Actually, that's a major letdown. I kept expecting Eleanor’s spells to be wrongly attributed to Christmas miracles or North Pole-brand magic, but no.
Godmothered has its moments. Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher are fully committed to the film and Bell, in particular, brings a lot of enthusiasm. There are some funny gags (mostly raccoon-related). I was tempted to credit Disney – who always plays things safe – for the moments towards the end that feel modern and inclusive... but there are no chances taken here. It's not like Mackenzie doesn't fit the "happily ever after" mold because she's a lesbian or anything like that. There are a few jokes that show the story is somewhat self-aware, but not THAT much. This movie is for kids who haven’t seen enough movies to not be entertained by this. Godmothered is harmless and not nearly as clever as it could’ve been. (December 15, 2020)
