‘Godmothered’ – Review
The Fairy Godmother, a staple of the Disney Fairytale and a character whom we all think we know. Well, you might have to guess again with Godmothered as this tale of fairy godmothers and the magic that they weave gets spun on its head and reinterprets just what a real-life fairy tale can be and what it means to ultimately find your true love.
In a magical world known as The Motherland, a young fairy godmother-in-training named Eleanor (Jillian Bell) discovers that her profession as fairy godmother is in danger of ending. Determined to show that fairy godmothers are still needed, Eleanor tries to help a girl whose wish was ignored, only to discover that she grew into a woman named Mackenzie (Isla Fisher) who, having lost her husband years ago, grew disillusioned with the idea of a “happily ever after”.
Directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones Diary), Godmothered does something fun with the idea of the classic fairy tale film, reinterpreting it through a modern lens, and ultimately leading to plenty of unexpected moments. Drawing on her audience’s understanding of the Disney fairytale, Maguire is able to subvert all expectations of what a fairy godmother is through the character of Jillian Bell’s over-zealous Eleanor. And the results are simply hilarious! These unexpected laugh-out-loud moments sneak up on you in the most unexpected places. Maguire has a lot of fun with this one and her desire to present something different to audiences makes Godmothered one of the most enjoyable Disney films to be released this year.
Taking centre stage in Godmothered is the delightful Jillian Bell as the all-to eager Fairy Godmother in training Eleanor. Both happy-go-lucky and completely nieve at the same time, Eleanor longs to be a fairy godmother and bring to life the fairy tale book stories by helping young girls blossom into the princesses they were born to be. However modern life has gotten in the way and here she has to go on a journey of discovery to understand what a real-life modern fairy tale actually is. Bell is authentic and sincere in her performance as Eleanor and this endears herself completely to the audience. Added in is her spot-on comedic timing and the result is a character that is truly unforgettable.
Playing off of Bell’s Eleanor is Isla Fisher’s Mackenzie, the not so ‘little girl’ whom Eleanor decides to grant her greatest fairy tale wish to. And this interaction of complete opposites leads to plenty of laughs and hi-jinks throughout Godmothered. Like Bell, Fisher is completely natural in the part and radiates a true authenticity as a modern mum who is trying to just get by and who has simply given up on fairytales. But with the addition of Eleanor’s whimsy, she is finally able to see that her life might just have a lot more magic in it than she originally thought. Fisher plays off of Bell with spot-on timing and sprinkles her own comedic joy through Godmothered, which is sure to make audiences laugh and smile at the same time.
Godmothered is a funny, poignant and heart-filled tale that takes what we love about Disney and does something different with it leading to some very funny and surprising results. It’s a guaranteed fun night in with the movies with this one and long-time Disney fans will find themselves smiling with this one.
Godmothered is currently streaming on Disney+
Image: Walt Disney Pictures