Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Holiday family film has comedic violence, positive messages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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Genie
What's the Story?
Bernardo Bottle (Paapa Essiedu) is an overworked antique dealer who unleashes a GENIE (Melissa McCarthy) from an old jewelry box. The genie comes at a good time for him -- he could use a little help getting his life in order. His wife (Denée Benton) has just left him because his work kept him from giving her, or their 8-year-old daughter Eve (Jordyn McIntosh), the attention they want and deserve. But having your heart's desires at your beck and call with magical "wishes" can also bring unexpected consequences, and the genie can't control people's feelings. Will Bernardo be able to win back his family? And will the genie get put back in the box again when her work with him is done?
Is It Any Good?
Melissa McCarthy is unusually subdued, and so are the laughs, in this holiday comedy from the writer-producer of Love, Actually and other classics. It's not that the jokes in Genie fall flat exactly, more that the film's register stays relatively uniform throughout. You can see most of the movie's best jokes in the trailer, and these involve McCarthy's genie dressing up, confused about the modern era, or discovering things like pizza. Her character is sketched very thinly, though. We're supposed to believe she comes from thousands of years ago and knew Jesus personally, yet she seems perfectly at ease in a contemporary apartment and walking the streets of New York City.
McCarthy is always a familiar and affable presence, so the discovery here is her counterpart, played with genuine wholesomeness and feeling by British actor Paapa Essiedu. The film's most emotional moments all involve him reacting to others -- McCarthy's shenanigans, his wife (a charming Denée Benton) pulling away from him, or his daughter relishing his company. Genie's messages of valuing your loved ones and being unselfish are on point for the holiday season, and this film should have no trouble finding an audience year-round. But, it could have been so much more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of a genie. If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for?
The genie says Bernardo's family used their wishes terribly. How so?
If you could go back in time and do something over, what would you choose to do again?
What's your favorite holiday movie? How does this one compare?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 22, 2023
- Cast : Paapa Essiedu , Melissa McCarthy , Denée Benton
- Director : Sam Boyd
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Peacock
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some language and suggestive references
- Last updated : November 24, 2025
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