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ELLA MCCAY MOVIE REVIEW
Writer/Director/Sitcom creating legend James L. Brooks is back with his first feature film in fifteen years with Ella McCay. Emma Mackey plays the titular role and she is a force of nature. When we meet her in the film, she’s a schoolgirl telling off her dad (Woody Harrelson) for being a philadring jerk that she in NO way is going to stand behind and pretend to support when he gets outed to the public. Now, she’s the youngest lieutenant governor in the state of ??? and she’s about to come up against multiple crises all at the same time JUST as she is told that her boss (Albert Brooks) is getting a position in the Federal Government. How can she handle her depressed, neurotypical, shut-in brother (Spike Fearn), her still-lousy dad trying to reconnect, and a husband (Jack Lowden) pushing her for things he has no right to ask for just as the lamest scandal ever is about to break about her and she has to adjust to her new job? The answer is: we’re still not sure as Ella Mccay did not sell us on the plausibility of its solutions. Chris, Wright, and Frank call out everything worth being called out about this mediocre film with some charm (at least Jamie Lee Curtis kept us chuckling) and Nathan is, well, Nathan on it.
DIRECTED BY: James L. Brooks
STARRING: Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Woody Harrelson, Rebecca Hall, Kumail Nanjiani, Spike Fearn, Ayo Edebiri, Albert Brooks, Julie Kavner, Becky Ann Baker, Troy Garity, Erica McDermott, Sheetal Sheth, Joey Brooks
YOUR REVIEWERS
Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)
Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).
Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)
Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.
Frank Calvillo (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, What Ever Happened to Bette & Joan?)
Born and raised in South Texas, Frank currently lives in Austin and has been in love with movies ever since his father showed him some Three Stooges shorts when he was five years old. Today he loves all kinds of film, regardless of era, country, budget or genre. He believes every film has an audience and is at least one person’s favorite movie. After writing for Sight & Sound and Slackerwood, he now writes for Cinapse where his increasingly random taste in all flavors of cinema (from Rashomon to Mars Attacks!) continues to thrive. His ultimate goal is to write a script for his boyhood crush, Michelle Pfeiffer.
Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)
Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta do it.
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