MOVIE REVIEWS Kids: Cruella

Family Movie Night Fashionably Abnormal

BY BONNIE L. HARRIS

WRITERS OFTEN SAY THAT a great villain makes a story’s hero seem more heroic. But when the bad-girl villain is also the victorious hero, that’s a story with an original twist. Like Maleficent from 2014, Disney’s new spin on Cruella De Vil turns a previously despicable villain into a loveable, misunderstood orphan with perfectly good reasons for her outrageous behavior and wildly eccentric wardrobe. Director Craig Gillespie pushes the visual whimsy to its cartoonish limit while still keeping Cruella’s story funny, endearing, and oh-so entertaining. The fabulous costumes, exquisite set design, and rousing soundtrack keep equal pace with the superb actors, who play their roles with impish gusto and perfect comedic timing. But clumsy Estella Miller, aka the future Cruella, excels in terrible timing and never quite fits her daring fashion sense into a normal mold. After her mother’s death, penniless Estella lands in London and teams up with Jasper and Horace, two pint-sized thieves who give her a place to live and the skills to survive. Fast forward ten years and Estella dreams of working for the House of Baroness, a couture designer at a posh department store who’s the English version of The Devil Wears Prada. Estella gets her wish, but she discovers that catering to the Baroness comes with a heavy price. Eventually, Estella must decide between remaining the meek, law-abiding employee, or give in to her alter ego, the devilish Cruella, in order to defeat the Baroness at her sinister game. Secrets build upon secrets, and the more Estella upstages the Baroness, the more she embraces her Cruella persona. After a fiery madcap finale, Cruella literally puts Estella to rest, and takes the Baroness’ place as London’s fashion icon. Be sure to watch the credits for a humorous hint at the sequel, which definitely involves Dalmatians.

CRUELLA

Walt Disney Studios Rated: PG-13 In Theatres & on Disney Plus Cruella sets her next trap.

FOR the PARENTS

Ripples in the Water

THE WATER MAN Harpo Films, Rated: PG Streaming on Amazon

PROMOTED AS DAVID Oyelowo’s directorial debut and produced by Oprah Winfrey, The Water Man tries to be a serious family drama about a boy struggling with his mother’s impending death, but the film only skims the surface of emotional issues rather than diving in. The story follows teenage Gunner Boone, a city kid in a new town, and rebel, Jo Riley, who team up to cross a mountain range looking for an immortal apparition called the Water

Man. Intriguing premise, but Oyelowo’s film jumps between realism and fantasy rather than blending them into a seamless, enchanting story. Gunner has good reason for his quest, but Jo’s reasons for guiding him into the dangerous forest are less clear. Rather than dealing with the issues of parental neglect, child abuse, fear of death, and survivor’s guilt, which are all mentioned, there’s almost no emotional exploration of these problems. The climactic encounter with the Water Man and the raging forest fire at the end of Gunner’s journey could have been powerful metaphors, but instead, they become the backdrop for a clichéd rescue scene. The Water Man could have made waves, but only if the director had realized its potential.

Gunner & Jo on the quest.