She’s marvelous, darling!
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Written by: Dana Fox, Tony McNamara
Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
Swift shot: As far as Disney retro-fitting their classic villains goes, Cruella managed to surprise me a few times and was an overall entertaining experience. And I don’t know the first thing about fashion apart from what I picked up watching Mannequin, but I know there was some really incredible stuff on display!
Probably the earliest Disney villain I can remember is Cruella De Vil. As a little kid, I couldn’t imagine anyone more evil than someone who would turn puppies into a freakin’ coat! And after seeing what Disney did with Maleficent, I was prepared for more of the same with Cruella.
They were going to show sympathy for the De Vil.
And, naturally that’s what they did, but what I wasn’t expecting was a genuinely entertaining murder mystery that reminded me of some classic stories and even a certain famous Joker.
Estella was born different, you might say she has a ‘cruel’ streak with her Yin and Yang hair coloring causing for a less than effortless childhood.
After she is forced out of every private school her mother can afford, she is off to London to see if she can fit in there. Just before they get to London; however, her mother makes a quick stop to a mysterious Baroness.
Estella has always been fascinated with fashion and being irreverent in her style, but when she encounters the Baroness, everything in her life changes.
Orphaned by the world, she finds herself on the streets of London and has to resort to crime to survive. This is where she meets Jasper and Horace, who you remember from the original film.
Jasper is a sort of Artful Dodger character and teaches her how to steal and get away with it. But in a fun little twist, they use dogs to help them pull off their capers.
But once she is old enough, she has designs on something more. Fashion keeps calling her, and she gets her first legit job working at a department store. Her boss, Gerald provides some of the comedy stylings. And speaking of comedy, this is presented as a comedy, but the movie isn’t exactly a laugh-riot. It does have a few specks and sparks weaved into the fabric. But the overall piece is quite dark.
Set in the fashion boom of the sixties and seventies and with the soundtrack to back it, Cruella takes up all its run time reveling in the moment. If you enjoyed those eras and the art and fashion, you’ll find Cruella worth watching for that alone.
But what will leave a mark is the formidable acting by both Academy-award winning Emmas! I mean, duh, it’s what you expect and it is what you get. Thompson plays the Baroness as a true narcistic sociopath. She could have a page in the DSM-V under personality disorders!
Then there is Stone who essentially has to pull double-duty as both Estella and Cruella. I was kind of bummed that they didn’t make her full-on Cybil, where she had a split personality, but they did plant some seeds for the future.
As Estella grows and develops under the Baroness, she learns more about how truly evil and wicked this fashion-goddess actually is. And Cruella is born.
I don’t mind Disney pulling at the threads of my favorite villains, because I like to believe that most people aren’t born evil. I do think that some are, but that isn’t very interesting. It’s like with Darth Vader, you want to find out what made him turn to the dark side.
And the Cruella writers literally give their main character a light and dark side. Metaphors be damned, folks! The hair is a dead giveaway.
That is what has always fascinated me about evil or great people in general. Their origin stories are what make them who they are.
I am not confident in telling you that Disney managed to make their case for why Cruella is the way she is in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, but if they can stitch together a sequel with some of the same talent, I think the material for madness has been presented.
Either way, the movie kept me engaged and interested in most of the characters. If you are looking for an exciting, somewhat humorous origin mystery movie, Cruella is a perfect fit!
