“Cruella” Movie Review by Josh Davis : Pop Culture Leftovers

“Cruella” Movie Review by Josh Davis

June 1, 2021 9:00 am |

Disney’s “Cruella” is a stylish and devilishly fun origin story of the iconic “101 Dalmatians” villain.
The film was directed by Craig Gillespie (“I, Tonya”), and written by Dana Fox “(How to be Single”) and Tony McNamara (“The Great,” “The Favourite”).

It stars Emma Stone (“The The Favourite,” “La La Land,”) as Estella/Cruella, Emma Thompson (“Sense and Sensibility,” the “Harry Potter” franchise) as The Baroness, Joel Fry (“Yesterday,” “Game of Thrones”) as Jasper, and Paul Walter Hauser (“Cobra Kai,” “BlacKkKlansman”) as Horace.

Costars include Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“The Good Place,” “Killing Eve”) as Anita Darling, John McCrea (“Giri/Haji,” “God’s Own Country”) as Artie, and Mark Strong (“1917,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) as John the Valet.
As the film opens, we witness the earliest days of Estella, a young girl that was born odd, with striking two-tone, black-and-white hair.

We get an early exposition dump in a voiceover, promising that Estella will eventually become the titular Cruella and setting up a necklace as the movie’s major MacGuffin.

Fast forward to 1964, and a young Estella is kicked out of boarding school. Her mother plans to take her to London, but dies in a tragic accident that leaves Estella orphaned and homeless.

CRUELLA, from left: Paul Walter Hauser, Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil, Joel Fry, 2021. © Disney+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Estella meets a pair of street urchins named Horace and Jasper, and together they strike up a small-scale crime spree and form a sort of misfit family. Fast forward another 10 years, and Estella lands a cleaning job in her favorite department store, where she catches the eye of a top designer known as “The Baroness.”

From there, we watch the peculiar young girl quickly evolve into the eccentric and villainous Cruella from the original 1961 animated Disney classic.

There are plenty of twists along the way, including a great “Star Wars” turn that sets up the central conflict of the film. But, this review won’t spoil the surprise.

The biggest question before “Cruella” was released was probably “why?” – why do moviegoers need an origin story for a cartoonish villain best known for her appearance in, well, a cartoon. And the answer is because it made for a damned good story.

“Cruella,” the movie, is brash and brassy, stylish and wicked, and overall a thoroughly entertaining watch. Emmas Stone and Thompson are a blast on screen together, and they only get better and more nuanced as the story unfolds the scenery-chewing opportunities multiply.

There’s an abundance of music in the movie – probably an overabundance – but the song selection is so strong that it’s hard to complain too much. You can almost hear the Disney money piling up as songs by The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Nancy Sinatra, Ike and Tina Turner, Queen, Blondie, David Bowie, The Clash, and even Doris Day and Judy Garland, play throughout the film.

The costumes and production design are stunning – inventive, daring, fun, and visually striking. And the decision to pull from 1970s London glam rock and dayglo Sex Pistols-era punk to show Cruella’s turn is inspired, and completely in line with her character.

There’s also a strong supporting cast, especially from a hilarious Hauser in a comic relief role. He was a scene stealer in “Cobra Kai,” and again shows off excellent comedic timing here.

Bottom line: “Cruella” is a movie about excess and overkill. It’s too over-the-top, at times too ridiculous, with too much music, and too many villains and too-few heroes. But, boy, is it a lot of fun! There’s so much eye candy and ear candy, not to mention the dynamite performances by the two leads.

And the story, surprisingly, holds up to scrutiny and makes sense with who Cruella eventually becomes.
Stay tuned for a mid-credit scene and cross your fingers for a sequel. Stone owns this role, and in a perfect world we’ll see her again, eventually, in a reimagining of the classic story of Pongo and Perdie.

PCL Rating: Tupperware

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH