Godmothered

Godmothered is this year’s new Christmas-themed film on Disney+, and although it struggles to escape the shadow of the much-better Enchanted, it’s still enjoyable enough thanks to the ever-reliable casting of Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell.

Premise: When the magical fairy godmother school is threatened with closure because no one believes in “happily ever after” anymore, trainee Eleanor (Jillian Bell) journeys to the real world to fulfil the wish of 10-year-old Mackenzie Walsh – but quickly finds that Mackenzie (Isla Fisher) is now a middle-aged, jaded single mum, struggling to keep her job as a producer at a failing TV news channel.

Review:

Let’s address the elephant in the room right away: on paper, at least, Godmothered sounds very similar to Disney’s 2007 film Enchanted – they both involve traditional fairy tale architype characters journeying from a magical world to contemporary America, where they come to realise that real life is more complicated than “love at first sight” and “happily ever after”. Enchanted was a surprise hit back in 2007, and even now, its blend of uncynical comedy, catchy musical numbers and family-friendly adventure is hard to beat. It casts a long shadow, which in all honesty, Godmothered never quite manages to escape.

That’s not to say that Godmothered is a bad film, it’s just that comparing it to Enchanted was always going to be a tough comparison – and given the similarities in tone and plot, it’s hard not to compare the two films to each other.

“…Isla Fisher & Jillian Bell are ably supported by a great comic cast…”

On the positive side, Godmothered has a great cast. Isla Fisher is always a reliable pair of hands, and just like she did in 2009’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, she’s able to add depth and emotion to what could have been a fairly two-dimensional clichéd character. Her co-lead is Jillian Bell, and while I’m not sure it’s still fair to refer to her as “up and coming” (her breakthrough role in 22 Jump Street was back in 2014), most of her major roles so far have been scene-stealing supporting roles (like in this year’s Bill & Ted Face The Music) rather than leading ones. Based on her performance in Godmothered, however, that should hopefully all be about to change.

Fisher and Bell are ably supported by a great comic cast, including Jane Curtin and June Squibb as veteran fairy godmothers, and Santiago Cabrera as Mackenzie’s sexy co-worker. Mary Elizabeth Ellis is also good as Mackenzie’s sister (although she doesn’t get much to do), and while Mackenzie’s youngest daughter is a little annoying, the sub-plot involving Mackenzie’s eldest daughter (Jillian Shea Spaeder) isn’t bad, and gives the film arguably its best narrative arc.

“…an amusing (if unsurprising) festive family comedy…”

Yes, the film is fairly predictable (although perhaps not as much as you think it will be) and more than a little saccharine in places, but it’s carried along by the comedy. Godmothered may not be quite as original or inventive as Enchanted, but it does at least have Gary the Raccoon, who gets some of the film’s biggest laughs. The film also has some interesting things to say about finding happiness, what true love really means, and how journalism is being replaced by chasing ratings – but it never really gets time to explore these ideas in any depth.

Overall, Godmothered is an amusing (if unsurprising) festive family comedy, and while it does suffer from negative comparisons to the much-better Enchanted, the cast provide just enough comedy and chemistry to carry the film for its two-hour runtime.