20th Century Studios has released the trailer for James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay,” starring Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Spike Fearn, Rebecca Hall, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, Joey Brooks, Albert Brooks, and Woody Harrelson. The film will be released in theaters on December 12th.
Plot Synopsis: An idealistic young politician juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.
What do you all think of the trailer? Multi-Academy Award-winning James L. Brooks has not directed a film in 15 years. His last directorial effort was 2010’s “How Do You Know,” which also serves as the final on-screen performance to date for Jack Nicholson. Naturally, there is a lot of anticipation for this title since Brooks has been responsible for some classics, including “Terms of Endearment” (1983), “Broadcast News” (1987), and “As Good as It Gets” (1997). I appreciate that the trailer seems to be harkening back to that old era of big-budget studio comedies with starry casts and feel-good vibes. Julie Kavner as the narrator is a wonderful touch, and it’ll be nice to see Emma Mackey get a starring vehicle even though she appears to be competing for the spotlight with Jamie Lee Curtis in nearly every scene. This one is skipping the fall film festivals and heading straight for a theatrical release (Perhaps an AFI world premiere is it’s only shot?), but what do you all make of it? Does it look like a nice, warm movie you want to take your grandma to the theaters over the holidays, or is this older style of filmmaking out of touch for modern audiences? Hopefully, it’s more of the former than the latter. Otherwise, I may have to let out a scream or two about it. Let us know what you think. Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
