Cruella (2021)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, May 27

PG-13 Running Time: 133 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

One of the more anticipated movies of the summer, Cruella is an often intriguing origin story about what led to the creation of Cruella de Vil.
Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are having the time of their lives, chewing up scenery and diving all in to their on-screen rivalry.
We still have seven months or so, but can we at least lock Cruella as a Best Costume Design nominee at next year’s Oscars? Maybe even a win?

NO

This is not quite the movie people may be anticipating. This is a darkly-hued origin story of what led to the creation of a villainess. There is very little uplift or family fun to be found here.
Again, I wonder aloud: Who was this movie made for exactly?
Lands right at the beginning of the iconic 101 Dalmatians film and story well enough. But at 133 minutes, Cruella can stall out and spin its wheels often, leaving some to dismiss this as boring and uninteresting.

OUR REVIEW

While I am not entirely sure who the film was ultimately made for, Emma Stone and Emma Thompson engage in a back-and-forth, freewheeling race to the bottom, as bitter enemies in Cruella, director Craig Gillespie’s origin story for the iconic Dalmatian-obsessed villainess from 101 Dalmatians. The manner with which the young Estella de Vil becomes the diabolical alter-ego of Cruella de Vil begins in 1960s and 1970s England, following a tragic loss that Estella must endure at 10 years of age.

Not really a film for kids, though there is nothing all that objectionable to be found in the film’s PG-13 rating, Cruella lives as this odd experiment where Gillespie seems to be wanting to smear the makeup of a character we all know pretty well, then throw some salt in its eyes, and scratch at the skin a bit to see how much it might bleed.

If not clear yet, the film is definitely not a Disney joyride. While many who saw the first trailers for the film believed Disney had turned Cruella’s story into something akin to that of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, the film is actually more in line with a dark, comic-book iteration of The Devil Wears Prada.

Maybe it’s fitting for the times we live in, but I am not sure digging into the darker recesses of a villainess was something Disney fans were asking for necessarily. Alas, here we are.

Gillespie is at least having fun with the material. Stone vamps her way through the proceedings with a gleeful, devilish zeal adorning her smirking face in every look and line reading. Occasionally battling an English accent she has frankly delivered better (e.g. The Favourite), she nonetheless commands the film with a performance that finds a striking balance between over-the-top campiness and deep-seeded, bottled-up rage. Stone conveys her character’s mental unraveling through a series of shocking appearances, bold and striking costumes, and frenzied half-black and half-white hair.

Though long in the tooth at 133 minutes, the film really excels when Stone and Thompson are on screen together. Less so when Estella/Cruella is interacting with her two childhood friends - now petty criminals - Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser). Bumbling about, Jasper is the smart, conscientious thief, while Horace is something of a clumsy oaf. Their collective petty crimes are simply a means with which Estella learns how she can manipulate people to get whatever it is she wants. This leads Estella landing a job with, and eventually engaging in a battle of wits with Thompson’s enigmatic, verbose and arrogant fashion designer, known as The Baroness.

Cruella serves as a prequel for what ultimately becomes the story found in 101 Dalmatians. Most scenes involving dogs are obviously CGI in nature, which is an interesting choice. Rest assured, nary a digitally altered piece of fur is harmed in this retelling. Three Dalmatians become a key reason why Estella/Cruella and The Baroness are bound together, but the coats with black and white spots are made a little differently this time around.

More curiosity than “good film,” stretches of Cruella can be laborious to get through. We simply want to move things along faster than Gillespie or his team of five writers desire. Dark by design, the film feels like a bleak, dimly-lit comedy. Other times it resembles a drama. In other moments, a heist film. Cruella lacks a particular focus overall, though Stone and Thompson power through those stumbles with scene-chewing delight. Ultimately, everything feels quite messy, perhaps intentionally so, but that does not always signify a consistently entertaining viewing experience.

Stellar costume design by two-time Oscar winner Jenny Beaven may lead to a third Oscar win coming her way. The costumes here are characters unto themselves and marvelously woven into the storytelling. Nicholas Britell’s wonderfully balanced score integrates with a 30-song soundtrack of classic British rock-and-roll from the time period. Gillespie’s unlocked the jukebox and, if nothing else, Cruella will make for one fantastic Spotify playlist.

In the end, Cruella is excessive, somewhat puzzling, but mostly interesting. The shifts in tone and atmosphere will not be for everyone. Because Stone and Thompson are such gifted performers, Gillespie is content to just let the two Oscar winners go after one another and eat each other alive.

Those moments are plentiful enough to make Cruella easy enough to recommend. Yet the question still remains: How truly entertaining is all of this?

CAST & CREW

Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, John McCrea, Mark Strong, Emily Beecham, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Jamie Demetriou, Leo Bill.

Director: Craig Gillespie
Written by: Dana Fox, Tony McNamara (screenplay); Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel, Steve Zissis (story).
Based on the novel “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith
Based on the film “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” written by Bill Peet
Release Date: May 28, 2021
Walt Disney Studios | Disney+

One of the more anticipated movies of the summer, Cruella is an often intriguing origin story about what led to the creation of Cruella de Vil.

Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are having the time of their lives, chewing up scenery and diving all in to their on-screen rivalry.

We still have seven months or so, but can we at least lock Cruella as a Best Costume Design nominee at next year’s Oscars? Maybe even a win?

This is not quite the movie people may be anticipating. This is a darkly-hued origin story of what led to the creation of a villainess. There is very little uplift or family fun to be found here.

Again, I wonder aloud: Who was this movie made for exactly?

Lands right at the beginning of the iconic 101 Dalmatians film and story well enough. But at 133 minutes, Cruella can stall out and spin its wheels often, leaving some to dismiss this as boring and uninteresting.