With so many holiday movies that serve up similar storylines, Genie has a fun twist that feels a little bit like an adult Home Alone. Peacock’s holiday film serves up a lot of heart and humor, making it a great watch this or any holiday season.
As you know by now, I watch holiday movies with actors I like, so being a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, I had to check out Melissa McCarthy’s holiday movie, and she never disappoints. Paapa Essiedu is an actor I recently got into from The Lazarus Project (on demand on TNT and Prime Video) and The Capture (Peacock) (I highly recommend these two shows). Melissa’s Genie, Flora and Paapa’s Bernard are not romantic leads, but they have a ton of chemistry, which makes this movie so much fun.
Bernard is a workaholic who has forgotten how to live life and has been letting his wife, Julie (Denée Benton), and daughter, Eve (Jordyn McIntosh), down. And when he misses his daughter’s eighth birthday (which happens to be the same as Taylor Swift’s), Julie has had enough and takes Eve to her mother’s. Then, Bernard gets fired from the auction house. It’s the worst kind of Christmas you can imagine. And then he rubs an antique jewelry box he has, and out pops a Genie, Flora.
And in this lore, the three-wish rule isn’t true. You get infinite wishes! So for Bernard, that includes an all-paid shopping spree at Bloomingdale’s and his favorite pizza delivered. Kevin McCallister may have loved having the house to himself or walking around NYC all by himself, but as an adult, an all-paid shopping spree and your favorite pizza free sounds perfect. Walking around NYC during the holidays with a Genie to grant all our wishes really does sound like an adult Home Alone.
Most of these holiday movies are about finding love, Genie was about enjoying life and spending time with those you love. Bernard didn’t need to fall in love or get it back. What he really needed was a reminder of what was important to him and who he was. And this isn’t that big of a spoiler. In all of these, we know where they are going, to the happily ever after. But there is a nice treat in the happy ever after. That I won’t spoil.
There was a nice twist in the middle of the movie that was a lot of fun. Nothing was necessarily unexpected, but there were a couple of small surprises along the way that added to the fun.
In the end, Genie brings holiday joy and heartfelt moments that might even bring a tear to your eye. It subtly underscores that life’s true magic lies in cherishing simple, shared moments with loved ones.
