‘Ella McCay’ Review: James L. Brooks Aims to Mine a Nostalgic Relic but Comes Up With Something Mildly Dated [B-]
Very quickly into its runtime, Ella McCay establishes itself as a fantasy. After the narrator (Julie Kavner) introduces herself with “I’m the narrator” (there’s no place for ambiguity here), she makes it clear that this is set in the political world of 2008. Additionally, it takes place in a never-named state – we can rule out Nebraska and Vermont because of a (very funny) joke that comes later in the movie, and it’s probably not too far south, based on the lengths of the characters’ coats. The only thing that’s clear about the film’s setting is that it’s intentionally ambiguous and non-contemporary only because, if it were to take place in a definable region in our current day, the plot would implode in on itself. Like a gerrymandered district, the story has been contorted and shoved into a specific time and place that no longer reflects our modern political landscape. And yet, this looney concept strangely adds to the film’s surprising charm. The overly lit film feels quite literally aglow with nostalgia for an America of another time. A simpler time. A time that never really existed. But, much like the film’s compelling central character, the cinematic return of James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets) after 15 years away stands as an example of the idea of what America could be, capturing a hopeful perspective that looks to the future with excitement rather than dread.
This rose-tinted speculation is something that many viewers likely haven’t felt since the first election of Barack Obama – an idea that we have the ability to simply elect leaders who have our best interests at heart and will actively work to make tomorrow a better day. If this optimism feels as fantastical and otherworldly as an episode of House of the Dragon, that’s not necessarily the film’s fault, although it does make Brooks (and thus, his film) feel pitiably naive. That may seem like a deeper read than would be expected for a movie that’s currently going viral because cinephiles are ironically (or not!) recreating the poster image of our heroine balancing on one leg, but the film invites such scrutiny with its very premise.
Ella herself is an easy-to-root-for young woman who finds herself unexpectedly thrust into the national spotlight. After her boss, the governor of the great state of [insert name here] (played by a sturdy, reliable Albert Brooks), is appointed to a cabinet position, Ella finds herself vaulted from lieutenant governor to governor at only 34-years old. Ella McCay is played by Emma Mackey, in a casting decision that seems to intentionally invite viewers to mix up the names of the character and actress for the rest of time. Mackey is as winning as the role requires her to be and then some, turning in a performance so charming that it would’ve launched her into superstardom if this film had been released in the ‘90s. Think Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts of that era – a lofty comparison to be sure, but Mackey’s high energy and relatable fallibility are a delight to watch in a way that calls to mind the breakthrough performances of those movie stars of another time (another way in which the film feels like a relic).
Ella’s life is populated by an ensemble of sturdy character actors that are all well-equipped to deliver the script’s trademark Brooksian witticisms, such as one character referring to a “seriously ridiculous, ridiculously serious problem.” Kumail Nanjiani is hilarious as the trooper assigned to protect Gov. McCay, and Jack Lowden is appropriately over-the-top as her gregarious husband. Rebecca Hall, as always, brings true pathos to her brief screentime as Ella’s mom, seen in flashback (she’s almost too grounded for a movie that’s otherwise pretty light, but that’s what you hire her for). And then there’s Jamie Lee Curtis as Ella’s aunt who raised her, delivering a performance so heightened and wacky that it feels like she never got rid of the unpredictable teenager that body swapped into her in this year’s Freakier Friday. She’s definitely funny, but her loud performance pushes the limits of the film’s energy, threatening to disrupt its attempted tone.
James L. Brooks knows that there’s pleasure to be found in watching a character untangle a knot in their lives. And oh, what a tangled web Ella weaves. In the very short amount of time that the film covers, her personal life threatens to end her governorship before it hardly begins. This type of “can she have it all?” storyline is yet another element that makes this feel like one of yesteryear. It’s arguably regressive to posit that an adult woman would inordinately struggle to keep her personal and professional life balanced, but at the same time, the film hints at the idea that her youth and gender are exactly why the characters that seek to control her are underestimating her. Still, it’s almost cute to watch Ella and her team freak out trying to figure out how to handle a potential scandal that would nowadays barely stay in the news cycle for the length of this movie. It’s yet another reason why this film had to be set in the recent past: political dust-ups just don’t look like this anymore.
Despite the intentionally absent details (we aren’t even definitively told what political party Ella belongs to), Ella McCay – both the film and the character – is delightful, at times mystifyingly so. It understands that escapism is something that an audience craves, and they don’t always want to have to travel all the way to Pandora to take a break from our world. It’s a fever dream of a movie that feels destined to play better on an airplane, with all of the emotionally manipulative benefits that come from being in a pressurized cabin blasting through the air at 30,000 feet. But still, for those who miss gathering in a theater to laugh with strangers with (and occasionally at) the misadventures of a collection of characters who speak and behave in a way that’s borderline alien, Ella McCay is just the ticket. Just don’t expect to pay 2008 prices at the box office.
Grade: B-
20th Century Studios will release Ella McCay only in theaters on December 12.
He currently resides in Chicago and is a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. He also writes and podcasts for Next Best Picture and co-hosts his own podcast “Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast.” You can follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Bluesky @codymonster91
- ‘Ella McCay’ Review: James L. Brooks Aims to Mine a Nostalgic Relic but Comes Up With Something Mildly Dated [B-] - December 10, 2025
- Interview: How the Hair and Makeup Wizards Behind ‘Weapons’ Created a Lasting Icon in Aunt Gladys - November 10, 2025
- ‘Palestine 36’ Review: Annemarie Jacir’s Drama is a Largely Untold Tale of Early Palestinian Struggle [C+] CIFF - October 29, 2025
Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations: ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Sinners’ Lead with 11 
‘Ella McCay’ Review: James L. Brooks Aims to Mine a Nostalgic Relic but Comes Up With Something Mildly Dated [B-] 
2026 Oscar Predictions: BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTOR (December) 
SFFILM Awards Honor Scott Cooper, Wunmi Mosaku, Kristen Stewart and Benicio Del Toro [VIDEO]