A Simple Wish

Last updated
A Simple Wish
Asimplewish.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Ritchie
Written byJeff Rothberg
Produced by Sid Sheinberg
Jon Sheinberg
Bill Sheinberg
Starring
Cinematography Ralf D. Bode
Edited byWilliam S. Scharf
Music by Bruce Broughton
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • July 11, 1997 (1997-07-11)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million
Box office$8.3 million [1]

A Simple Wish is a 1997 American children's-fantasy-comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring Martin Short, Mara Wilson, and Kathleen Turner. The film is about a bumbling male fairy godmother named Murray (Short), who tries to prove himself capable by helping a young girl named Annabel (Wilson) fulfill her wish that her father, an aspiring actor, wins the leading role in a Broadway musical.

Contents

It was the last film from director Michael Ritchie before his death in 2001. [2] It was a commercial failure and received mostly negative reviews from critics though the cast and concept received some praise.

Plot

Carriage driver Oliver Greening aspires to perform on Broadway and, despite an outstanding audition for a new musical based on A Tale of Two Cities , he loses out to the seasoned Tony Sable, who is considered more bankable than the unknown Oliver.

Later that night, Annabel, Oliver's young daughter, does not convince her brother Charlie that fairy godmothers exist, and after they fall asleep, she awakens to find Murray, a male fairy godmother, in her room. Murray, who is treated with disdain for being a man in a female-dominated profession, agrees to grant Annabel's wish that her father get the part so that her family will not have to move to Nebraska, hoping that by doing so he will be taken seriously.

Hortence, the head fairy godmother, oversees the North American Fairy Godmothers Association (NAFGA)'s annual meeting. All participants must turn in their wands so that no trouble occurs. The evil witch Claudia, who was banished from the NAFGA for her selfish use of magic, sneaks in and turns Hortence into paper with a curse. She then steals all the collected wands; Murray arrives late to the conference and does not check his wand in, making it the only one she does not have.

Seeing Murray accidentally left his wand behind in his rush to make it to the conference, Annabel plans to return it to him. However, Charlie breaks it. Annabel glues the broken pieces together and gives it to Murray, only to wind up in Nebraska after the former botches a spell for instantaneous travel. An angry local threatens them, and Murray tries to turn him into a tiny rabbit but instead transforms him into a giant rabbi. Before the giant stomps on them, Murray casts the travel spell again, and they wind up in the Central Park zoo just as Oliver arrives in his carriage with Charlie.

Annabel begs Murray to grant her wish, but he accidentally turns Oliver into a statue. To fix it, the three go to ask Hortence for help, only to find her still under Claudia's curse. While Murray fixes his wand with Charlie's help, Hortence reveals that, in keeping with the rules governing fairy godmothers, Annabel must break Murray's spell by midnight, or Oliver will be a statue forever. Claudia, meanwhile, realizes that Hortense had secretly given her wand to Murray so as to keep her from regaining her full power.

At the theatre, Annabel asks Murray to try sabotaging Sable's audition. First, he tries to make it rain on the stage, but the weak downpour is dismissed as a simple technical problem, and the audition continues. Then she asks him to give Sable a "frog in his throat" to impair his singing. Murray takes this literally, and frogs start hopping out of Sable's mouth, shocking everyone.

Nevertheless, Sable is given the part as the director refuses to wait for Oliver and wants to get the show into production. Boots, Claudia's dog-turned-human servant, finds them. Murray and Annabel trick Boots into taking them to Claudia by begging her not to. Claudia demands that they hand over her wand, and when they refuse, she resorts to torture by enchanting them to dance for her amusement until they are worn out.

Annabel keeps Claudia distracted while Charlie attempts to give Murray the wand, but Boots manages to grab it. Murray then plays on Boots being unhappy with the way Claudia treats her to convince her that he should have the wand instead of her mistress. Claudia attacks him, but Murray tricks her into casting a spell that traps her within her own magic mirror, which he shatters to keep her imprisoned for eternity.

Murray, Charlie, and Annabel return to Central Park and restore Oliver just in time for him to be given the part of Sable's understudy. To grant Annabel's wish, Murray appears backstage and causes Sable to slip on a bucket and twist his ankle. The resulting temper tantrum gets him fired and Oliver, his understudy, takes over. Charlie and Annabel watch the show with Murray and the other fairy godmothers.

Cast

Reception

Reception to the movie was negative, with Pixelated Geek's Cinerina stating that while the movie's jokes might not appeal to adults, the movie would have appeal for a younger audience. [3] Roger Ebert gave the film one and half stars, saying "When family audiences avoid inspired films like The Secret Garden , The Little Princess and Shiloh , why would they choose a pallid exercise like this?" [4] ReelViews and the Austin Chronicle both reviewed the film, [5] with the Chronicle stating that "The concept's good... But this family film about an incompetent fairy godmother named Murray (Short), is shy several handfuls of fairy dust." [6]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 25% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Shrek 2</i> 2004 DreamWorks Animation film

Shrek 2 is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Stillman, and the writing team of J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, it is the sequel to Shrek (2001) and the second installment in the Shrek film series. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, who reprise their respective voice roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona. They are joined by new characters voiced by Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders. Shrek 2 takes place following the events of the first film, with Shrek and Donkey meeting Fiona's parents as the zealous Fairy Godmother, who wants Fiona to marry her son Prince Charming, plots to destroy Shrek and Fiona's marriage. Shrek and Donkey team up with a sword-wielding cat named Puss in Boots to foil her plans.

<i>Witches Abroad</i> 1991 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad is the twelfth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, originally published in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairy godmother</span> Archetype

In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies. In Perrault's Cinderella, he concludes the tale with the moral that no personal advantages will suffice without proper connections.

<i>Kinky Boots</i> (film) 2005 British comedy-drama film

Kinky Boots is a 2005 British comedy-drama film directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Nominated at the 64th Golden Globe Awards, it is based on a true story. The film tells of struggling shoe factory owner Charlie, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag queen, to save the business. Charlie develops a plan to produce custom footwear for drag queens, rather than the men's dress shoes that his firm is known for, alienating many in the process.

<i>Cinderella II: Dreams Come True</i> 2002 American film

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is a 2002 American direct-to-video fantasy comedy anthology film. It is directed by John Kafka and features a screenplay written by Jill E. Blotevogel, Tom Rogers, and Julie Selbo. It is the sequel to Cinderella, and the first in the series to use digital ink and paint. It stars the voices of Jennifer Hale, Russi Taylor, Corey Burton, and Rob Paulsen. It was released on February 26, 2002.

Fairy Godmother (<i>Shrek</i>) Shrek character

The Fairy Godmother is a fictional character in DreamWorks' Shrek franchise, voiced by actress Jennifer Saunders. Introduced as the main antagonist of Shrek 2, the Fairy Godmother is the mother of Prince Charming, who Princess Fiona was originally intended to wed prior to meeting Shrek. She plots against newlyweds Shrek and Fiona's relationship, using her magic and potions in an attempt to trick Fiona into falling in love with her son. She believes that ogres do not live happily ever after. Fairy Godmother is loosely based on the stock fairy godmother character in fairy tales, specifically "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty", serving as a parody of the common trope.

<i>Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus</i> 2005 Canadian film

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus is a 2005 animated adventure film directed by Greg Richardson and produced by Mattel Entertainment with Mainframe Entertainment. It first premiered on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2005, and it was released later to DVD on September 20, 2005.

<i>Cinderella III: A Twist in Time</i> 2007 film by Frank Nissen and the third and final installment of the Cinderella media franchise

Cinderella III: A Twist in Time is a 2007 American animated musical fantasy film produced by DisneyToon Studios and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment under the Walt Disney Home Entertainment banner. Directed by Frank Nissen from a screenplay written by Dan Berendsen, Margaret Heidenry, Colleen Ventimilia, and Eddie Guerlain, it is the third and final installment in Disney's Cinderella trilogy, and a sequel to Cinderella (1950) and Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002). Set one year after the first film, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time follows Lady Tremaine who steals the Fairy Godmother's magic wand, using it to reverse time and prevent Cinderella from marrying the Prince. The film's voice cast consists of Jennifer Hale, C. D. Barnes, Susanne Blakeslee, Tress MacNeille, Russi Taylor, and Andre Stojka, most of whom continue to replace the 1950 film's cast by reprising their roles from Cinderella II: Dreams Come True.

<i>Ella Enchanted</i> (film) 2004 film by Tommy OHaver

Ella Enchanted is a 2004 jukebox musical fantasy comedy film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, loosely based on Gail Carson Levine's 1997 novel of the same name. Starring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy, the film is a satire of the fairy tale genre.

<i>Jack the Giant Killer</i> (1962 film) 1962 film by Nathan H. Juran

Jack the Giant Killer is a 1962 American heroic fantasy adventure film starring Kerwin Mathews in a fairy tale story about a young man who defends a princess against a sorcerer's giants and demons.

<i>Maid to Order</i> 1987 film by Amy Holden Jones

Maid to Order is a 1987 American comedy/fantasy film. It is a variation on the Cinderella formula, where the fairy godmother is not the means to a better life for the heroine, but rather the nemesis. Rather than doing so out of malice, though, the fairy godmother hopes to teach the heroine that life has more of importance than financial security.

<i>Abby in Wonderland</i> 2008 American film

Abby in Wonderland is a 2008 American direct-to-DVD children's film that adapts Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland with the Muppets of Sesame Street. Abby Cadabby stars in the "Alice" role. The feature-length adventure was released on DVD by Genius Products on September 30, 2008. In addition to receiving a DVD release, the film received a limited theatrical run in September 2008 through the Kidtoons family matinee series, and was aired on PBS Kids Feast of Favorites during the week of Thanksgiving 2008. It was aired again on December 29, 2008 on local PBS stations.

<i>The Good Fairy</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by William Wyler

The Good Fairy is a 1935 romantic comedy film written by Preston Sturges, based on the 1930 play A jó tündér by Ferenc Molnár as translated and adapted by Jane Hinton, which was produced on Broadway in 1931. The film was directed by William Wyler and stars Margaret Sullavan, Herbert Marshall, Frank Morgan and Reginald Owen.

<i>Cinderella</i> (1977 film) 1977 American erotic musical comedy by Michael Pataki

Cinderella is a 1977 American erotic musical comedy film directed by Michael Pataki and starring Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, Brett Smiley, and Sy Richardson.

<i>The Land of Stories</i> Book series by Chris Colfer

The Land of Stories is a series of children's fiction, adventure and fantasy books written by American author, actor and singer Chris Colfer. The first book, The Wishing Spell, was released on July 17, 2012. The sixth book was published in July 2017. Colfer revealed plans for a prequel series in 2016, and has since published three books in this prequel series beginning with A Tale of Magic... in 2019.

<i>Descendants</i> (2015 film) Disney Channel Original Movie

Descendants is an American musical fantasy television film directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega. The film stars Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, and Cameron Boyce as the teenage children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil, respectively. The film follows these teenagers adjusting to life outside their island prison, while on a mission to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand and free their parents from captivity. It debuted on July 31, 2015, as a Disney Channel Original Movie, to positive reviews and 6.6 million viewers.

<i>Day Out of Days</i> (film) 2015 American film

Day Out of Days is a 2015 American drama film directed by Zoe Cassavetes and co-written by Cassavetes and Alexia Landeau, who also starred in the film. In addition to Landeau the film also starred Bellamy Young, Eddie Izzard and Alessandro Nivola. It premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival to mixed reviews.

<i>Descendants 2</i> 2017 Disney Channel Original Movie directed by Kenny Ortega

Descendants 2 is an American musical fantasy television film. It premiered as a Disney Channel Original Movie on July 21, 2017, and was simulcast on Disney-owned networks ABC, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies. It is the second installment in the Descendants franchise and the sequel to the 2015 film Descendants. The film stars Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Mitchell Hope, and China Anne McClain. A third film, Descendants 3, premiered on August 2, 2019.

References

  1. ↑ A Simple Wish at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ Nat Segaloff, Final Cuts: The Last Films of 50 Great Directors, Bear Manor Media 2013 p 247-248
  3. ↑ A Simple Wish Archived 2013-09-17 at the Wayback Machine PixelatedGeek
  4. ↑ A SIMPLE WISH (PG)
  5. ↑ Review: A Simple Wish ReelViews
  6. ↑ A Simple Wish Austin Chronicle
  7. ↑ "A Simple Wish". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 4, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.