My Review of "Genie"

Genie is one of the many Christmas holiday releases on Amazon Prime in 2023. It looked pretty lighthearted and easy to get into so I decided to take the plunge. I am glad that I did because this is one of the most wholesome holiday releases this year that I've seen.

It all starts out with a character named Bernard. He works at some art gallery and it seems like he loves it. The guy actually gives off a really nice vibe to him so already I'm wondering what this guy could be doing wrong to start off the movie. I'm actually wrong he's just genuinely a nice guy. He just doesn't know where to put his priorities that's all.

He's about to get off work to celebrate his daughter's birthday when his boss comes up late at night and asks him to show a client around. Feeling obligated to please the boss and the company he decides to do so missing out on his daughter's birthday.

When he gets home he gets a rude awakening as his wife decides she has had enough. She can't take it anymore and wants to leave Bernard. So she takes their daughter with her to her mother's house for the holidays.

Bernard is devastated and doesn't know what to do but magically he rubs a mysterious box and a genie pops out of it. After some convincing, Bernard and her hatch a plan to use his wishes to save his marriage and get the whole family back together again. That's really what the whole movie is about.

This movie was refreshingly different because Bernard actually has a conscience and is a good person. He goes crazy but he doesn't go insane in terms of his wishes. You'd think this would result in a pretty boring movie but it's better than you think.

I think they did this to keep with the holiday theme of joy and fun. It also gives Bernard an added likeability about him. We don't expect him to do anything evil with his wishes even though it's at his disposal. Sometimes you wonder why Julie would leave this guy because of his kind nature. Then again if he has been ignoring his family for so long she has a point.

It's weird to see that all of the main cast members are really good people but then again it's a holiday movie. To compliment the main cast they were all so likeable. The genie is played by Melissa McCarthy, I happen to be a big fan of hers. Those out there will say that she's playing herself in all of her roles and yes technically that can be true. The good thing is that I love that character and I have fun whenever she brings herself into each one of them.

This movie is a comedy and it is quite funny but in a dad joke kind of way. Nothing here is gross or dirty it's all clean fun. They have fun with a few scenarios that I thought were clever but nothing will make you laugh off the couch. I had a nice chuckle throughout the movie and felt warm throughout the runtime.

This movie hit all the checkmarks for a good holiday movie. It's warm and fuzzy for the whole family. There are a lot of chuckle moments that happen to be fun for the whole family. None of the scenarios are controversial in any manner. Plus the whole cast is so nice and lovable you want to meet them in real life.

Overll, I had a fun time with this one. It's not a Christmas classic but it's nice to have something new that will keep you in the holiday spirit. I'm sure a lot of people can get on board with this one. I have to give it a 6.5 out of 10.