**THE WACPINE OF 'GODMOTHERED'**

WRITING: 6
ATMOSPHERE: 7
CHARACTERS: 7
PRODUCTION: 7
INTRIGUE: 6
NOVELTY: 2
ENJOYMENT: 6

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**The Good:**

It's hilarious that Disney, a company known for their fairy tale films and fairy godmother characters, make a film about a school for fairy godmothers, a fairy godmother formula (which is pretty much the Disney formula) and the magic of believing in a happy ending. It cannot turn more Disney than this, and that's what gives this film its magical touch. It also taps into the classic story of a world that has stopped believing in fairy tales and magic and one person's attempt to save the world.

As a comedy, Godmothered works surprisingly well. The script isn't afraid of making fun of typical Disney elements (such as spontaneous singing!) and Jillian Bell's comical timing and energetic confidence add a lot to the overall experience. This makes the comedy fun for children and adults alike.

I'm positively surprised about how fresh and genuinely funny some of the jokes are, even if the story otherwise follows a tried and tested formula. Bell carries the film confidently from start to finish with her adorable clumsiness and positive worldview.

You can't but love June Squibb, she's adorable.

The script juggles between the magical and funny as well a the mundane and touching pretty well, actually managing to build some kind of relationships and emotional content among all the goofiness.

God dangit Disney! You made my eyes watery at the end! Again!

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**The Bad:**

Isla Fisher reminds me of Lindsey Lohan, who did these kinds of family comedies 15 years ago. Fisher is just as awkward and over-the-top as Lohan, but still better in the actual acting category.

Some of the comedy is pretty childish and doesn't fit well with the parody and the more mature emotional content.

Jane Curtin is fine as Moira, but the need to stuff her in as some kind of last-minute villain undermines the effort to combine a Christmas family comedy with a light fantasy. This film doesn't need a villain in the classic sense of the word.

It's a pity that despite its promising magical elements, the overall story remains disappointingly safe, with the ending going all Disney music video/musical on the audience. It's touching and funny, but it's also a thing we've seen many times over the past decades.

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**The Ugly:**

So that's where Disney plucks their fairy godmothers from!

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**WACPINE RATING: 5.86 / 10 = 3 stars**