Recently released on Peacock is fairy-tale comedy “Genie,” starring Melissa McCarthy and Paapa Essiedu.
Bernard, a workaholic father, constantly misses important life events for his job and when he misses his daughter’s birthday, his family decides to leave him. As they left he notices that his daughter left behind the antique box she gifted him and opens it to be surprised by a genie. Unlike the typical genie, Flora has unlimited wishes but is unable to complete the one thing he wants more than anything – for his family to love him again.
As the two get to know each other, Bernard takes Flora into the city where he introduces her to pizza, music streaming sites, hot chocolate and the latest fashion trends. Watching Flora adapt to this century’s lifestyles was hilarious and reminded me of the movie “Elf” when Buddy was exploring the real world for the first time.
I think this part of the movie really encapsulated how different the two were from one another, but yet how they were working together to get Bernard’s family back. These few scenes really showed how they grew from complete strangers to close friends in less than a day.
As the movie progressed, Bernard was working to win back the love of his family, while Flora was still in shock about the real world. She helped him refurnish the apartment and create the perfect dollhouse for his daughter, but he quickly realized that physical items were not going to win back the emotions of those he loved the most.
With Flora by his side, Bernard found that quality time was the only way to truly get them back, but it was too late. Although he showed his family how much he cared for them through dates, gifts and words, nothing could make up for the years of vital events that he missed for a job he no longer has.
At this point, he thought it would be best to confess to his family that rather than Flora being an old friend, she was actually a genie. I saw this as a last-ditch effort for him to win back the trust he lost by telling them a secret of his. Even with this secret, it was no use and his family still decided it was best to keep their distance.
As the movie came to an end, I was completely caught off guard by how it played out. Since Bernard is unable to win back his family, he sets Flora free but as he does this, he is given a final three wishes to be used at any time. At first, he was unsure of how to use these wishes but with a little guidance and help from Flora, he chose to use his first wish to go back in time to his daughter’s birthday and not make the same mistake twice.
Although it was not what I was expecting, I did enjoy this ending. It reminded me of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where the main character figured out that a simple decision could have life-long consequences.
When I first read the summary of this movie, I was a little confused as to how a genie would relate to a holiday movie, but I was pleasantly surprised by how the two were incorporated. McCarthy brought humor and joy to this holiday season and warmed hearts by working to reunite a family.
Overall, this entire movie was a whirlwind of emotions where I was heartbroken and then laughing. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a holiday film that emphasizes the fun and joy of this season. In addition, I truly loved how there was a connection between this movie and various other holiday classics.
This story was written by Lauren Puthoff. She can be reached at [email protected].
