There's a long-ish scene towards the end of Ella McCay that doesn't really have anything to do with what the film is about - though to be fair, as it's pretty hard to figure out exactly what Ella McCay actually is about, it's not quite as disruptive as it might have been.
It involves Casey McCay (Spike Fearn), socially awkward brother of Ella (Emma Mackey), trying to win back a girlfriend he semi-accidentally dumped months ago (he wanted to take the relationship to the next level, she was cautious, he took her caution as an outright refusal and only now has realised that maybe they could have just kept on going).
What makes this scene watchable is that we have no idea why it's here or where it's going. Casey is not the central character of this film, and as far as we know his relationship is not essential to the plot. "What's going to happen next?" is a pretty good way to keep people watching, especially when you have no idea how the scene will end or how it will tie into the main events.
How it ends is like this: a character gives a long and convincing argument for behaving in one way, then they immediately act in the opposite way and then say something like "I really didn't think I was going to say that". Not exactly a satisfying turn of events, especially as this is basically the final appearance of both of them. It turns out this scene does not tie into the main story in any way shape or form; keep that confused expression, you'll need it for later.
Set in 2008, Ella McCay is a screwball comedy set against a backdrop of American (state) politics, which is why it's set in 2008 as we're told that was a time before Americans hated each other. Presumably the target audience doesn't remember 9/11 or the War on Terror; writer / director James L Brooks, who is in his mid 80s, has less of an excuse.
McCay is a 34 year old who just loves extremely boring policy, which is why she's the Lieutenant Governor and the far more charming and personable Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) is the Governor. Only he's off to take up an appointment in Obama's cabinet, which means she'll be running the state for the next few years. Uh oh.
Here's hoping her administration doesn't almost instantly implode thanks to an amazingly minor sex scandal (she was having lunchtime hook-ups with her husband in an abandoned but still government-owned apartment) and the fact the aforementioned loving husband Ryan (Jack Lowden) suddenly decides he should be seen as more of a... co-governor... and is willing to blow up his marriage in a clumsy power-grab.
McCay also has a sleazy father (Woody Harrelson), a high-strung aunt (Jamie Lee Curtis), and the aforementioned brother, all of whom add stress to her life without actually having much to do with the story. But as the story is - and this can't be stressed enough - extremely all over the place, it's not until the final few scenes that it becomes clear that they aren't suddenly going to become relevant.
So what is relevant here? The whole thing is pitched at a level where it's difficult to know what to focus on, which is possibly a strength as nothing here is worth your full attention.
Major twists come out of nowhere: Ryan turning into a dick, almost everything involving Casey. Seemingly major characters just fade away: see Ella's driver Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). There are a few funny jokes, but not enough to make this worthwhile as a comedy.
Pretty much the only thing for sure here is that we should pay attention to Ella McCay. And that's only because the movie is named after her.
- Anthony Morris
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