Another Take: ReelBob: ‘Cruella’ ★★

This live-action reimagining of a classic Disney villain fails to go dark enough to make her all-out evil, thus offering a tepid and disappointing origin story that fails to ignite any passion.

By Bob Bloom

If “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Joker” had conceived a bastard child, it would have been “Cruella.”

This live-action Disney production tells the origin story of the infamous Cruella De Vil, the villain of the animated — and live-action remake with Glenn Close — of “101 Dalmatians.”

“Cruella” is a mixed bag with a shifting tone that awkwardly bobs between drama, dark comedy and knockabout humor.

The movie is told in flashback, narrated by Cruella herself, chronicling her transformation from a young girl named Estella to notorious fashionista Cruella De Vil.

Emma Stone portrays Estella-Cruella in a mercurial performance that seems to lack a moral center. Stone is a personable and likable actress. As Cruella, though, she cannot reach the necessary depths to be a believable villainess. It’s more like she is playing dress-up than organizing mayhem.

I believe most of the responsibility for that rests with director Craig Gillespie and the committee-like script by five writers. They try to have it both ways by creating sympathy for Cruella, while simultaneously showcasing her devilishness (or de-vilishness, if you will).

The actor who confidently grasps the movie’s attitude is two-time Academy Award-winner Emma Thompson. She portrays the Baroness, the most famous and feared fashion designer in London.

Thompson goes all out making the Baroness totally self-absorbed, cruel, thoughtless and ruthless. She has a high time playing a character that is so ridiculously and cartoonishly evil, realizing her best course is to plant her tongue firmly in her cheek and go with the flow.

“Cruella’s” revenge story is easy to decipher. She tells us that she was “born brilliant, bad and a little bit mad.”

She wants to avenge the killing of her mother, and when she learns the Baroness was responsible, Estella creates a plan — and the character of Cruella — to topple the woman, her fashion empire and make certain she faces justice.

Estella’s pair of helpers, Jasper and Horace, are played, respectively, by Joel Fry (“Yesterday”) and Paul Walter Hauser (“BlacKkKlansman,” “Richard Jewell”). They both have their moments, but mostly serve as foils for Estella-Cruella, who in her latter personality treats them rather shabbily.

Disney’s live action reimaginings of its classic animated features, for the most part, have been hit-and-miss.

“Cruella” leans more toward the miss category. The movie refuses to go dark enough to make Cruella an all-out villain, thus offering a tepid and disappointing origin story that fails to ignite any passions.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

CRUELLA
2 stars out of 4
(PG-13, thematic elements, violence