Genie Review – Melissa McCarthy Grants Laughs, But The Others Need A Wish or Two
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Here’s one of the classic movie settings – overworked dad rarely makes time for the family, so he gets home late for a kid’s birthday and the disappointed wife mulls on separation. Most dads in such movies have to work hard to prove their worth, but Bernard, from the 2023 movie “Genie” gets lucky – right after his wife and kid leave, he rubs an antique box and a genie pops out, ready to fulfill all of his wishes. Well, with some limits.
Created by Sam Boyd (Director) and Richard Curtis (Writer), Genie stars Paapa Essiedu as Bernard, whose wife Julie (Denée Benton) starts questioning their marriage after he not only misses their daughter’s birthday but also turns up without a gift (it falls off the bike). Melissa McCarthy portrays Flora, a genie trapped in a box for over 2,000 years until Bernard rubs it. How Flora fulfills some of Bernard’s wishes and helps him win back his wife and daughter forms the rest of the tale.
Some of the first moments of comedy are based on Bernard’s disbelief at Flora’s claim that she’s a genie, like wondering if she is an intruder on drugs. One of the funniest scenes from their first interaction is the one that also made it to the trailer—Bernard asks for a pepperoni pizza, and Flora isn’t impressed by it. However, she is blown away after tasting it, so when he shows her his phone, she assumes it’s food too and bites it. Melissa McCarthy plays that scene with such pure innocence that it’s adorably hilarious. Three of us were watching Genie together, and all of us laughed out loud. In fact, the film’s only magic lies in Melissa’s joyous, godmotherly portrayal of Flora, the genie. Almost all the funny/cute scenes in “Genie” are courtesy her character.
Paapa Essiedu is just about okay as Bernard, a forgettable doormat character, while Denée Benton’s performance as his wife Julie was simply distracting (not in a good way) due to an unflattering haircut. Alan Cumming’s cameo is disappointingly short as Bernard’s evil boss, and just 2-3 more minutes of his role could have added more zest to the film, especially since a pretty funny twist towards the end involves him, even though he is mostly forgotten throughout the rest of the runtime. While quite a few things don’t make sense, it’s a movie about a wish-granting genie—sometimes, you just have to let practicality take a back seat.
Set during the holidays, Genie is a colorful Christmas comedy with a generous dose of funny scenes. It feels like a modern spin on Aladdin, where the genie and its master gradually become BFFs. And you know how that story ends—Genie delivers a similar kind of “happy” ending. It’s formulaic, yes, but a decent pick for family movie night, especially if you’re looking for something holiday-themed.
Rating: 6 on 10. Watch “Genie” on Netflix.
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