One cannot create a universally liked dish, combined of several ingredients, trying to evoke several flavours all at once. James L Brooks' Ella McCay seems to be an attempt at such a dish, with a heady mix of comedy, drama, romance, feel good, and political genres. What we ultimately get is an incoherent and confusing mix. The film follows the titular character, played by a charming Emma Mackey, as her past clashes with her present, creating a series of erroneous situations that changes her life.

Director: James L Brooks

Cast: Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden, Kumail Nanjiani, Woody Harrelson

Ella McCay is a tough woman. Having to deal with the trauma of her parents' divorce, she takes on the added stress of becoming the one person who has to solve everything and everyone around her. But does that hinder her life? No. The people around her do. Her estranged, womanizer dad, wants to make amends but refuses to take responsibilities. Her husband (Jack Lowden) is an opportunist, who ends up creating a claustrophobic marriage for her. The film has enough to complete a basic arc for their dynamics with Ella, but the same effort is not implemented for Ella's own journey.

While Ella has to deal with a snowballing family situation, she also has to deal with the pressures of being the youngest governor of the USA, at 34 years old, something which the film never fails to reiterate. Ella's objective in improving the situations of others extends to her having a career in politics. But without a proper rhyme or reason her character is termed as being someone that is ignored by every other person in the government. Ella's passion for the job is conveniently highlighted whenever the story demands it. While the director has attempted to create a wholesome mood by setting the film in 2008 and calling it 'the last time when we liked each other', he largely ignores this aspect as the plot moves forward.

However, Ella McCay is supported largely by its performances. Mackey, with all her charm, ensures that the film doesn't become boring. Paired with scene partners like Jamie Lee Curtis and Kumail Nanjiani, Mackey is able to elevate a simple scene into a much better one. Special mention to Lowden and Spike Fearn, who put their all into making the audience root for deeply flawed characters.

Ella McCay largely misses its target of wanting to be a breezy feel good film. With our increasing appetite for nostalgia, if the mid-2000s are reminisced upon in the future, as the 1980s are being reminisced now, then Ella McCay might find its audience then. But, this scenario rests on the lofty assumption that anybody would even remember this film in the future.