Cruella (2021) Movie Review
I’d like to be up front about the fact that I don’t particularly care for the Disney “live-action” remakes. Most of the time I think they’re pretty much pure garbage. So to say I had low expectations for Cruella would be a massive understatement. Perhaps that’s why I loved it so much; I was pleasantly surprised.
Cruella is a prequel to 101 Dalmatians. We meet Cruella as a young girl who has black and white hair and who goes by Estella. Estella is a rather difficult child who struggles to abide by any sort of rules in school. Her mother has her hands full and after Cruella is expelled they make a plan to move to London. After witnessing her mothers murder and losing her mother’s rare family necklace, Estella joins forces with fellow orphans Horace and Jasper. The trio creates a family for themselves, living on the streets and stealing and scamming.
We then flash forward to the trio as adults and not much has changed. They are still living together and still scheming to steal from others. On Estella’s (Emma Stone) birthday, Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) get her a job as a janitor at a Liberty fashion store. A drunken incident with a display window earns Estella the attention of the Baroness (Emma Thompson), the designer and founder of the fashion line. As a result, Estella is hired as one of the elite fashion designers working closely with the Baroness. Upon discovering the Baroness has her mother’s necklace, Estella becomes obsessed with stealing it back. She adopts her alter ego, Cruella, and begins working with Horace and Jasper to steal the necklace and wreak havoc on the Baroness’ life.
From here, the story unravels as Cruella begins to piece together the Baroness’ past and how it is intertwined with her own and her mothers. Cruella works the best when it unleashes the two Emma’s acting abilities. Both Stone and Thompson showcase their acting chops beautifully here. Stone in particular infuses Cruella with a compelling personality. You like her but you’re also scared of what she might do next. Stone is able to strike the tricky balance between being a character you root for and being a loose cannon who is capable of horrible things. Thompson’s Baroness, on the other hand, is not quite as redeemable. She is the real villain of the story, an egomaniac and narcissist who is only admirable for how much she detests other people. Thompson pulls this role off with ease. The supporting cast adds to the overall atmosphere of the movie, contributing some comic gags here and there. But the movie is driven by the Baroness and Cruella and their push-pull quest for power.
The costumes are worth noting, particularly the work of long time costume designer Jenny Beavan. Beavan shines here in what I think is the best work of her career. She created beautiful, over-the-top dresses that enshrine the cast in the era and accentuate their personalities. Much of the movie involves Cruella creating fashion as art pieces and disrupting the Baroness’ red carpet fashion moments and fashion shows. At one point, Cruella barges onto a red carpet with a trash truck and unloads a pile of trash at the Baroness’ feet. As the garbage truck drives away the garbage bags unfurl to unveil a most wondrous dress worn by Cruella as she hangs off the back of the truck.
There are several moments throughout the movie that reminded me of Alexander McQueen’s fashion shows. The clothes are art pieces that come alive with an attitude, a mood, and a purpose. The shock factor is part of the shtick, but the clothes could stand alone without it. Cruella puts on a show and the costumes are fun and over the top thanks to Beavan’s extraordinary vision.
While I am loath to admit that I actually liked a live action Disney movie, Cruella was a wonderful surprise in 2021. It drags a bit, and would’ve been helped immensely by shaving about twenty minutes off the two hour and fourteen minute runtime but overall the story zips along at a fairly decent pace. Stone is magnetic on screen and drives the movie forward. Thompson provides a good foil for Stone and the two have excellent chemistry. My only complaint is that the legend (and original Cruella) Glenn Close did not make a cameo. There was an excellent opportunity for it, which I will not specifically describe here, but unfortunately she was absent. Other than that, Cruella was a surprisingly fun watch and arguably one of Disney’s best live action remakes so far.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You liked Devil Wears Prada
2. Cruella is one of your favorite Disney villains
3. You love fashion
