GODMOTHERED (2020)

GODMOTHERED (2020)

Tagline: Be Careful What You Wish For

(Comedy, Drama, Fantasy) [PG]

In this one, a woman named Eleanor (played by Jillian Bell from GOOSEBUMPS), trying to become a full fairy Godmother decides to leave fairly school because there is an old un-fulfilled Godmother request back on earth. If the fairies cannot find someone who needs a Godmother, the school will close down. All the fairies would then have to become tooth fairies. That is the last freaking thing we need. Especially if they end up the tooth fairies from HELLBOY: THE GOLDEN ARMY. Anyway, Eleanor is really new and un-trained. Can she fulfill this old request and restore the school or will she just totally blow it. 

The role of Mackenzie is played by Isla Fisher (probably most famous for being in WEDDING CRASHERS). She is now an adult with two girls who work at a news station. She has a cool crew that hangs out with her. They still all believe in doing real news stories but don’t want to lose their jobs. The dude who runs the newsroom is a full-blown lunatic who sensationalizes and lies about everything the network puts out. Kind of like today’s mainstream media. Isla Fisher is good as a lead in this and her character overall is very likable, as are many of the characters in this movie. Performance-wise Jillian Bell is definitely a standout. She sometimes plays an aloof overly energetic personality and perfects that type of role in this movie. Jillian Shea Spaeder who is a singer, actress, and director and Willa Skye play Mackenzie’s two daughters, both do a great job of not coming across as arrogant or snotty, but rather fun-loving and likable. Overall this makes this movie pretty fun and silly early enough to make it past my “first 35 minutes rule”. Typically if I hate a movie after 35 minutes or just can’t get into it, I am turning it off. Especially if it’s a seasonal movie that looks like it might be cookie cutter. 

Featured on Disney + this movie does a great job of keeping things light but energetic with mild hints of chaos. This is a bit more fantasy than a lot of other secular “Christmas based” movies. I say Christmas based because the movie happens around Christmas time, but that isn’t the central theme from a secular or faith perspective. It’s more a fairy movie with magic and hints of Cinderella, only with a single mother trying to raise her two kids and deliver the news. 

I don’t know if this movie will ever reach “watch this every year during Christmas season” status, like ELF, or A CHRISTMAS STORY or DIE HARD, but it is pretty fun and heartwarmingly cute. Technically it is the same basic story that ELF has, only magic is involved, or fairy power or whatever. I guess this is considered the first live-action Disney movie where the lead female character can be complete without a man, but I never got that message from any Disney movie ever. All the females that get rescued or fall in love in Disney movies are just that awesome. They hold some sort of key to the kingdom or magical power or have the power to take over a kingdom and they can either dump or marry the rescuer, or be their own or others rescuers as they see fit. Whatever though, I’m just a dude watching movies and telling you what I see. 

Overall this movie is just really fun. I was pleasantly surprised, but as I said only time will tell if this movie has staying power in a ridiculously crowded field of secular “Christmas based” movies. In spite of a lack-luster, pc-ish, almost preachy ending, I give this movie a solid 4 out of 7. It is a movie I would watch again. 

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