GENIE (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Sam Boyd
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Paapa Essiedu, Denée Benton, Marc Maron, Jordyn McIntosh, Luis Guzmán, Alan Cumming
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Writer: Richard Curtis
Runtime: 93 min
Rated: PG for some language and suggestive references
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

After millennia of being summoned to grant wishes of gold doubloons and hot babes for greedy men, Flora is accidentally called to service by Bernard Bottle (Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu; I May Destroy You), whose life is unraveling around him. Bernard's been so busy working that he has lost sight of his marriage to his wife Julie (Tony nominee Denée Benton; The Gilded Age) and the childhood of his young daughter, Eve (Jordyn Mcintosh; Emancipation). When Bernard misses Eve's birthday 12 days before Christmas because of work, Julie decides it's time for a trial separation. And then Bernard's tyrannical boss (Tony winner Alan Cumming; The Good Wife) fires him. Alone in his New York City apartment, a despondent Bernard dusts off a jewelry box he finds in their home and unintentionally releases the one entity who just might be able to help him get his family back. Maybe. Possibly. It's a longshot, frankly. But in the process, Flora and Bernard will discover that love, and an unexpected friendship, can unleash a special holiday magic all its own.

Review:

The 2023 Christmas movie "Genie" is a a remake of a 1991 British television film directed by Sam Boyd and written by Richard Curtis. Both return to helm and pen the updated story of a genie (Melissa McCarthy) who enters the life of Bernard Bottle (Paapa Essiedu), a stressed-out workaholic who is on the verge of losing everything that matters in life, his family, just in time for Christmas.

Apart from the twist of adding "One Thousand and One Nights" into the Christmas mix, the film is still very much restricted by the confines of the overused and overabused holiday genre. It features the same tired tropes and cloying sentimentality that we've experienced countless times in Christmas movies. It seems to want to say something important about the meaningful things in one's life, but the script and characters are too bland and uninspiring to deliver that message in an effective manner. It's heavy on platitudes and light on Christmas charm.

Most of the cast is unfortunately very forgettable. Paapa Essiedu plays a dull protagonist, making me wonder how this movie would have played out with someone like Eddie Murphy involved. The only bright spot in this otherwise dreary affair is Melissa McCarthy, who is pitch perfect in every scene. I'm always surprised by how well her comedic timing works, even when she doesn't have a great partner to work off of, and how she can squeeze some comedy from the dumbest dialogue imaginable. While she's basically playing herself at this point, I do appreciate her talent for comedy. Alan Cumming, who starred in the original film as Bernard, makes a brief, but funny appearance as Bernard's nasty boss, while Luis Guzmán is a lot of fun as a hard-boiled police detective.

It's hard to believe the script is written by Richard Curtis, the same man who also wrote "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill" and "About Time". Yeah, "Love Actually" too, but the less said about that one, the better. I never watched the original, which was titled "Bernard and the Genie", but I have a feeling it's probably better than this watered down streaming fodder. "Genie" is no Christmas classic. It's light on laughs and gratingly flat, but not really offensively bad, either. It's just another generic Christmas movie that doesn't have what it takes to stand out among the flood of Hallmark/Netflix-style holiday offerings.

SCORE: 5/10