Cruella (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Disney is back at it with a live-action origin story of a major character from their canon; in this case, another villain - a la 2014's Maleficent. This time - and not to be confused with the Glenn Close versions from 1996 & 2000 - the studio takes a stab at Cruella de Vil to see if they can summon any sympathy from the maniacal Dalmation-hating wretch. 'Cruella', directed by Craig Gillespie (of I, Tonya) begins in the 1960s & introduces us to young Estella; who is a handful both for her mother & the students/faculty at the school she attends. After getting kicked out of said school, Estella & her mom head off to London for a fresh start. Along the way, her mom nervously needs to stop at the Hellman Hall, where a high fashion event is taking place.
Tragedy ensues there when a trio of Dalmations send her mother careening over a seaside cliff. Now orphaned, Estella makes her way to London where she befriends two male street urchins who teach her the ways of petty theft. The film now jumps 10 yrs. during London's punk rock revolution and, we find that this trio, clever & creative Estella (Emma Stone, so good here), kindly Jasper (Joel Fry) & doltish Horace (Paul Walter Hauser, hilarious) have cultivated their thieving ways. Aware of Estella's passion for fashion, Jasper gets her a job at a department store, unaware that her position is that of a janitor. Bereft, she spends an alcohol-drenched night of vandalizing the department store's display window with her haute couture fashion ideas.
The display window horrifies her sneering boss, but impresses renowned fashion designer/diva Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson, a riot), who offers Estella a job at her prestigious fashion house. Estella quickly learns that The Baroness is egotistical, demanding & demeaning, yet has a loyal staff, including valet John (Mark Strong). The Baroness takes credit for Estella's designs and, after a series of revelations surface about The Baroness ... Estella's repressed troublemaking alter-ego bursts through. Estella teams up with clothing shop owner Artie (John McCrea) & fashion news reporter Anita Darling (Kirby Howard-Baptiste) en route to transforming into the fashion icon/revenge-bent Cruella de Vil that we've come to know for decades.
So this was solid fun. Perhaps it is a good 15 min. too long and, the script is by-the-numbers {this is a Disney product, after all}. But on the whole, I dug the look & vibe of it all. One of the 1st things to note about the story is the re-examination of the "misunderstood villain", despite their actions: think of Maleficent, Harley Quinn or the Joker, in recent years. Here, despite Estella/Cruella being fairly wicked, vengeful & a criminal ... you do feel pangs of sympathy for her. She tried to put her mischievous ways behind her, until The Baroness brought it out of her. Now, as Cruella, she's a sort of glamorous, rebellious icon for women. To that, it is easy to loathe The Baroness more so ... and I don't know if the intent of the filmmakers was to make The Baroness steal Cruella's thunder as Numero Uno villainess -- maybe, maybe not. It didn't bother me, but I can see how that might confuse some viewers.
Script shortcomings aside, there is not a flaw to be found in the craftsmanship; what with Fiona Crombie's period production design, the hair/make-up team, the visual effects team {I'm reminded of Cruella transforming by way of fire from a white-hooded robe to a shimmering red dress; or of thousands of moths attacking the fashion house after they escape from a dress stored in a vault}, and best of all ... Jenny Beavan's astounding & unforgettable costumes {everything from casual '60s wear, to men's suits, to Cruella/Baroness' bold, SPECTACULAR gowns}. Also fun is the 1960/70's infused soundtrack which will make you tap your toe throughout.
Emma Stone is appealing as the meek Estella-turned-scene-chewing Cruella. Though, I remember an unhinged Cruella in 1961's animated classic, as well as Glenn Close's wonderfully over-the-top portrayal - and Stone lacks some of that. Perhaps we'll see her devolve into loathing dogs in a sequel ... Disney? Better yet is Emma Thompson, playing The Baroness with a haughty, narcissistic superiority that would make Anna Windsor or The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly shake in their boots. In the end, I highly enjoyed 'Cruella'. I DO wonder, though, if this film is too old for young kids, or too tame to be appreciated by those who want Cruella to be the reckless driving, dog-killing, repugnant character they've grown to love over the decades.
Tragedy ensues there when a trio of Dalmations send her mother careening over a seaside cliff. Now orphaned, Estella makes her way to London where she befriends two male street urchins who teach her the ways of petty theft. The film now jumps 10 yrs. during London's punk rock revolution and, we find that this trio, clever & creative Estella (Emma Stone, so good here), kindly Jasper (Joel Fry) & doltish Horace (Paul Walter Hauser, hilarious) have cultivated their thieving ways. Aware of Estella's passion for fashion, Jasper gets her a job at a department store, unaware that her position is that of a janitor. Bereft, she spends an alcohol-drenched night of vandalizing the department store's display window with her haute couture fashion ideas.
The display window horrifies her sneering boss, but impresses renowned fashion designer/diva Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson, a riot), who offers Estella a job at her prestigious fashion house. Estella quickly learns that The Baroness is egotistical, demanding & demeaning, yet has a loyal staff, including valet John (Mark Strong). The Baroness takes credit for Estella's designs and, after a series of revelations surface about The Baroness ... Estella's repressed troublemaking alter-ego bursts through. Estella teams up with clothing shop owner Artie (John McCrea) & fashion news reporter Anita Darling (Kirby Howard-Baptiste) en route to transforming into the fashion icon/revenge-bent Cruella de Vil that we've come to know for decades.
So this was solid fun. Perhaps it is a good 15 min. too long and, the script is by-the-numbers {this is a Disney product, after all}. But on the whole, I dug the look & vibe of it all. One of the 1st things to note about the story is the re-examination of the "misunderstood villain", despite their actions: think of Maleficent, Harley Quinn or the Joker, in recent years. Here, despite Estella/Cruella being fairly wicked, vengeful & a criminal ... you do feel pangs of sympathy for her. She tried to put her mischievous ways behind her, until The Baroness brought it out of her. Now, as Cruella, she's a sort of glamorous, rebellious icon for women. To that, it is easy to loathe The Baroness more so ... and I don't know if the intent of the filmmakers was to make The Baroness steal Cruella's thunder as Numero Uno villainess -- maybe, maybe not. It didn't bother me, but I can see how that might confuse some viewers.
Script shortcomings aside, there is not a flaw to be found in the craftsmanship; what with Fiona Crombie's period production design, the hair/make-up team, the visual effects team {I'm reminded of Cruella transforming by way of fire from a white-hooded robe to a shimmering red dress; or of thousands of moths attacking the fashion house after they escape from a dress stored in a vault}, and best of all ... Jenny Beavan's astounding & unforgettable costumes {everything from casual '60s wear, to men's suits, to Cruella/Baroness' bold, SPECTACULAR gowns}. Also fun is the 1960/70's infused soundtrack which will make you tap your toe throughout.
Emma Stone is appealing as the meek Estella-turned-scene-chewing Cruella. Though, I remember an unhinged Cruella in 1961's animated classic, as well as Glenn Close's wonderfully over-the-top portrayal - and Stone lacks some of that. Perhaps we'll see her devolve into loathing dogs in a sequel ... Disney? Better yet is Emma Thompson, playing The Baroness with a haughty, narcissistic superiority that would make Anna Windsor or The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly shake in their boots. In the end, I highly enjoyed 'Cruella'. I DO wonder, though, if this film is too old for young kids, or too tame to be appreciated by those who want Cruella to be the reckless driving, dog-killing, repugnant character they've grown to love over the decades.