150 Word Review: 'Ella McCay' (2025)
Hello, governor
I don’t know if it’s right to say I’m a fan of James L. Brooks movies, but I do think his acerbic 1987 dramedy, Broadcast News, is almost perfect. That’s why I watched the famed, 85-year-old Hollywood powerhouse’s latest, Ella McCay, a muddled, well-intentioned political comedy about a young, idealistic woman who becomes governor of an unnamed state. Why an unnamed state? Lame.
The title character is played by Emma Mackey, a charming, feisty actor who lends dimension to a quirky but thinly drawn character (a distant relative of Holly Hunter’s bossy producer in Broadcast News).
Speaking of, Albert Brooks is appealing in a small-ish role as a governor who steps down, paving the way for the plot. Woody Harrelson is cast as McCay’s philandering father, a thankless, half-baked role. Jamie Lee Curtis is McCay’s stern aunt, who raised her after her mother’s death. Curtis is her charismatic, down-to-earth self.