Sonic Cinema

Grade : A- Year : 2021 Director : Craig Gillespie Running Time : 2hr 14min Genre : Comedy, Crime

I’m going to say this right off the bat- there are two narrative choices that felt wrongheaded in “Cruella.” One is the fate of one character that feels so comedically on-the-nose that the idea of it being a serious scene in this movie throws us off almost immediately. The other is a revelation that is meant to add narrative juice to the third act of the film, but it just feels like an unnecessary complication. In between these two things, there’s actually a pretty terrific film here, fueled by great performances by Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, and a punk rock sensibility that makes it immediately stand out as something unique in Disney’s “live-action remake” arsenal.

One of my favorite movies in the late 2000s was Craig Gillespie’s “Lars and the Real Girl,” about a shy and withdrawn young man (played by Ryan Gosling) who grows an infatuation with an anatomically-correct doll, which allows him to come out of his shell. The utter strangeness of that premise is surpassed by how well Gillespie and his actors make it work emotionally, capturing the journey of the character as he goes through this evolution in his life. Gillespie also directed the Oscar-winning, “I, Tonya,” which is no doubt how he got on the radar for “Cruella,” since both are about iconic “villains,” but I think “Lars” is the key to why “Cruella” works. The character is best known for wanting to skin Dalmatians to make a fur coat- how do you build an arc around that character that allows us to take an interest in her? Having Emma Stone in the role is a big help.

“Cruella” basically is telling a similar story as Todd Phillips’s “Joker,” thankfully without the mental illness angle that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny in that film. Cruella begins life as Estella, a poor kid whose mother (Emily Beecham) wants what’s best for her, and wants to give her what she seems to want, which is a life as a fashion designer. One night, mother and daughter go to a mansion on a hill- the mansion belongs to fashion icon The Baroness (Thompson), and it is the night of her Spring Collection being unveiled- and Estella leaves the party on her own after a tragic event occurs (three guesses as to what). Alone, and on the street, she meets up with two street thieves, and goes into a life of crime. As she gets older, though, that fashion bug continues to itch at her, and through a series of events, she finds herself working for The Baroness. Time for her to make her mark.

The screenplay for “Cruella” is a dash of “The Lion King,” a hint of “Oliver Twist” all over a riff on “The Devil Wears Prada” in a film with the Goth sensibilities of Tim Burton and a soundtrack of punk and classic rock songs seemingly curated by Quentin Tarantino. If that feels like a lot to take in, don’t worry- the film has a head-long pacing at 134 minutes that doesn’t really let up, and allows you to bask in its tone and energy while marveling at some of the best costumes and makeup design any live-action Disney film has ever made, and a clash of two Emmas that just pops off the screen. This is one of Stone’s best performances, and she inhabits both sides of the character well while just embracing the theatricality of the role. She needs to on the latter, because Thompson sets a high bar for her to get over. Their dynamic is one of the most entertaining any Disney movie has had in a while, and Gillespie just lets them do their thing while getting to a conclusion that is wicked, wild, and very entertaining to watch.