Cruella

Some films that have been around for awhile can and have gone through many incarnations, whether it be animation, live-action or even sometime be turned into musicals. Well, "Cruella", which started as a novel, then landed as an animated feature film, "One Hundred and One Dalmations" has returned in yet another live-action film for all to enjoy.

In this all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema's most notorious--and notoriously fashionable villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil, follows, in 1970's London amidst the punk rock revolution, a young grifter named Estella (Emma Stone), a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of petty young thieves, Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella's flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella. 

Others to round out the cast are John McCrea as Artie, Mark Strong as John the Valet, Emily Beecham as Catherine, Kayvan Novak as Roger, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Anita Darling, Jamie Demetriou as Gerald,  Abraham Popoola as George, Bobby as Buddy, the dog and Bluebell as Wink, the dog.

This was delineated well by veteran director Craig Gillespie ("Mr. Woodcock" '07, "Lars and the Real Girl" '07, "Fright Night" '11, "Trooper" (TV movie) '13, "Million Dollar Arm" '14, "The Finest Hours" '16, "I, Tonya" '17) plus TV and video shorts. All characters were credible in the approach to their respective roles, however the leads--Estella, the Baroness, Jasper and Horace simply jumped off the screen with an amazing presence. One could think back to the old animated flick and visualize the animated characters back just from watching the characters in this play out. This filmmaker is a consummate pro. It was well structured by writers Dana Fox ("The Wedding Date" '05, "What Happens in Vegas" '08, "Couples Retreat" '09, "How to Be Single" '16, "Isn't It Romantic" '19) plus TV and Tony McNamara ("The Rage in Placid Lake" '03, "Ashby" '15, "The Favourite" '18) plus a plethora of TV, based on a story by Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis, which is based on the novel, "One Hundred and One Dalmations" by Dodie Smith. Certainly, Fox has the lion's share of the feature film experience here, but McNamara has a ton of TV experience, and I've mentioned many times that cutting one's teeth on TV before writing for the big screen makes them a much better and honed writer once they hit feature film land. Since this story has been written in many different forms since its inception, I wasn't expecting the screenplay that I received. Really, other than this being a little long-in-the-tooth, this script was spot on. It would've been a bit tighter in its script, if about 10 mins from its 134 minute running time were shaved off, still being able to convey to the audience every nuance of the story. I actually went to see this because of both Stone and the comparable Thompson in their delicious roles, and I definitely received what I wanted. 

If the Cruella character is a favorite of yours, you will be in Cruella heaven, especially in how this film conveys to us how Cruella became the way she turned--the origins of her if you will. If there is anything different about this, the origins is that aspect, and this will definitely entertain.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: PG-13                                              134mins.