I was shocked that Disney went with an origin story of Cruella De Vil, and that they were willing to go all PG-13 with it; but after Harley Quinn, and the success of the live action stories of their classics -- it was only a matter of time. So this became a kind of Devil Wears Prada if it were done by Tim Burton. I have rallied against movies trying to be so hip with their needledrops (Tarantino has gotten so nuts with this, he had to give us three different songs in one scene with Brad Pitt driving a car in the opening of Once Upon a Time…). Yet this did such a great job with their over 40 great songs, I figured -- if ya can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. So this movie review will be in two parts. The first half will be the film (the white half of Cruella’s hair). The second half will be a review of the songs (the black half of her hair, giving her a Todd Rundgren look).
The backstory shows a rather sad childhood, where Estella (aka Cruella) sees her mom murdered, by an evil woman who sends her dalmatian attack dogs on her (maybe that’s why it was PG-13, there was a bit of violence). The girl is found wandering by a couple of boys (Horace and Jasper) who are pick-pockets, and they form a trio. As adults the trio is more fun, since the two guys are played by Joel Fry (who was so hysterical as the roadie in Yesterday a few years ago), and Paul Walter Hauser, who was the thug in I, Tonya (this movie also brought the cinematographer from that, Nicolas Karakatsanis). Clint Eastwood gave Hauser a bigger break (no pun intended) casting him as Richard Jewell. Now Hauser is sporting a cockney accent and a cute dog that helps him with his capers. Cruella is now played by Emma Stone. She has a blast chewing up the screen.
The story is set in London in the ‘70s, so we’re treated to some punk fashion. Estella longs to make it in the fashion world. She’s always sewing, drawing, and creating. Yet the only work she gets is cleaning, and she pines to create a great window display at the large department store where she’s employed.
When Estella gets a lucky break and starts working for fashion designer Baroness Von Hellman, it becomes a horrible boss situation. [Side note: since Glenn Close played Cruella in a previous live-action, she could have been cast in this role.] Instead, she’s played by Emma Thompson, so it becomes a battle of the two (Oscar winning) Emma’s.
Once these two start battling, the film becomes a blast to watch. For Cruella, revenge is a dish best served...couture. She starts getting more attention for her flamboyant (flame-boyant at times) fashion designs. At this point I should point out Jenny Beavan’s costume designs. Amazing stuff, and you’ll see an Oscar nomination for her.
Director Craig Gillespie (also of I, Tonya) does give us a few funny moments, but I wanted a few more, and a few less cliches. With six writers attached, we should have had a better story as well. Even moments where Gillespie thought he was nailing it (like a long tracking shot through a store), just didn’t land. And, he wanted to have it both ways: Cruella isn’t all mean all the time and the story tries to justify why she’s mean. It also needed 30 minutes shaved off the two hour and 15 minute run time. The story feels a bit hollow and disjointed.
It was fun to see Emma Thompson, who played a similar evil character in the very disappointing Late Night. It works a lot better here.
This is a movie I think the whole family will enjoy. If you’re under ten, stick with the animated version.
3 stars out of 5.
Now, to review the soundtrack. Another great score from Nicholas Britell (Moonlight, Succession, Beale Street). And there was a great theme song, Call Me Cruella, by a band I love -- Florence and the Machines. Yet hearing a song with “Cruella” in the title made me wonder why we didn’t hear Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye Cruel World” or Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind”, or Elvis (or Cheap Trick’s much cheaper to get the rights to version) “Don’t Be Cruel.”
Speaking of covers, it was awesome to hear Tina Turner’s covers of “Whole Lotta Love” and “Come Together.” I highly recommend you seek out her mid-70s album “Acid Queen” which has a few outstanding covers.
I figured this movie would get their needle drops right when they started out with Supertramp’s “Bloody Well Right.” A bloody good tune from a bloody good album (the Crime of the Century album also had “School” and the hit “Dreamer”).
Then we hear the Bee Gee’s “Whisper Whisper.” Nope, not one of their Saturday Night Fever tracks, but something from their late ‘60s days.
They played one of my favorite Animals songs -- “Inside, Looking Out.” So refreshing to not have another film giving us “House of the Rising Sun.”
Now, since the story was set in the fashion world of London, playing the Rolling Stones “She’s Like a Rainbow” was perfect. They did drop the ball late in the movie when they went with the song that’s been in about 50 films already -- “Sympathy for the Devil.” What makes it even worse is that they started the scene with one of the best Black Sabbath songs. The harmonica intro of “The Wizard.” Yet after 10 seconds of that song, it cuts into “Sympathy.” It made no sense, it felt like the film producers at that point were just trying to fit in as many songs as they could.
There were two different scenes that hilariously put in the Joe Tex line “I Gotcha” as a burglar was about to snatch an item.
As much as I love The Zombies, hearing “Time of the Season” in yet another movie, made me wish they would’ve gone from another track on the “Odessey and Oracle” album.
The song after that was “These Boots Are Made For Walking” (which was used best in FullMetal Jacket). You can hear that in a hundred movies, but it works. EVERY. TIME. That opening bass riff alone.
Since The Doors are my favorite band, the big surprise was hearing “Five to One” as the Baroness steps out of her big, fancy car. The opening drum beats, with Morrison mumbling under his breath “I love my girl, she’s looking good” before yelling “Five to one, one in five/No one here gets out alive” as we see the evil, smug smile on her face as she scans the crowd.
That third Doors album “Waiting for the Sun” isn’t considered one of their best, but it’s got four of five songs you’ll love. This track is one of them. Go find it.
I was feeling good, when I heard the Nina Simone song “Feeling Good.” The Bob Odenkirk film “Nobody” last month, started and ended with her doing a great cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.”
I would have liked hearing ELO’s “Livin’ Thing” but...one of the best movies ever made (BoogieNights), ends their film with it, and I want that to be where that song stays.
As a huge Queen fan, it was great to watch a car chase scene with their rocker “Stone Cold Crazy” blasting [fun fact: Metallica does a cover of that song].
One of the biggest disappointments was hearing Blondie’s “One Way Or Another.” Even if the lyrics kind of worked with what was happening on the screen, I was still let down. Why not go with their “Rip Her to Shreds”? The opening lines to that are: Oh you know her/would you look at that hair/Yeah, you know her/check out those shoes/she looks like she stepped out of the middle of somebody’s blues.
That disappointment was followed by playing something from one of my favorite punk bands -- The Clash. Why go with the big hit “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” So many great tunes from their catalog. It should have been a track from “London Calling.”
I’m not sure what version of “I Love Paris” was played, but it worked. As did the Liza Minelli track, and the Doris Day cover of “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” (that song was used nicely in Lou Gossett’s last movie The Cuban last year).
John McCrea, who ran a fashion boutique in the film, ends up doing a great version of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” Joan Jett also does a great version of this Iggy tune on her “Up Your Alley” LP, which I highly recommend (it has the hit “I Hate Myself For Loving You”).
I’m not a fan of Deep Purple, but they played one of the songs I like -- “Hush.” Yet it’s been in so many movies (in the last few years, Bad Times at the El Royale and Once Upon a Time inHollywood). Let’s retire this song already.
At least when it came to the J. Geils Band, they went with a more obscure track -- “Nightmares.” Yet this song was played when a jailbreak was happening, which made me think a better choice might have been the Thin Lizzy or AC/DC song “Jailbreak.”
I wasn’t sure why they went with the tune “Car Wash” even though it did bring a few chuckles from the audience.
I thought this song, with all these ‘70s songs and fashion -- using Queen (when fashionistas are already thinking of Alexander McQueen) -- why not play David Bowie’s “Fashion”?
All that being said, I loved these songs.
The soundtrack gets 4 stars out of 5.