The bespectacled heroine of Disney’s latest animated musical has one “radical” characteristic, said Kevin Maher in The Times: she’s “unexceptional”. She is a member of a “flamboyant Colombian family” in which every person has a familiar kind of gift – super-strength, the ability to control the weather, and so on. But Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), has nothing going for her beyond a “quirky, imperfect and slightly cerebral sense of fun”. When an old family curse is unleashed, however, and the Madrigal clan – ensconced in a vast country mansion that brings to mind the institute in X-Men – are stripped of their superpowers, Mirabel comes into her own.
The computer animation in this “brilliant” film is some of the best we’ve seen in years, said Maya Phillips in The New York Times. The colours are fabulous, and “precious details” such as the embroidery on skirts have been “meticulously woven”. As for the score – by Lin-Manuel Miranda – it is “spellbinding”, combining salsa, bachata and hip hop played on traditional Colombian folk instruments. In this and other ways, the film shows a “robust engagement with, and respect for, Latino culture” in all its forms. “Issues of representation” have certainly been “sensitively handled”, said Tara Brady in The Irish Times, but “where is the plot, exactly”? The voice cast is “charming”, and the visuals are “eye-popping”, but there’s “no hint of adventure or jeopardy” to really engage the audience. In the end, this is a film that feels “manufactured by a committee”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The Taliban wages war on high-speed internetTHE EXPLAINER A new push to cut nationwide access to the digital world is taking Afghanistan back to the isolationist extremes of decades past
-
The US and Colombia renew their feud over the drug warIn the Spotlight The US has accused Colombia of failing in its drug-fighting efforts
-
‘The problem isn’t solved by simply swapping out the faces on screen’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – laughs are sadly ‘thin on the ground’Talking Point Disappointing sequel to the classic rock’n’roll spoof
-
Tosca: thrilling new Puccini staging has ‘tremendous emotional force’The Week Recommends Controversial Russian soprano Anna Netrebko returns to the stage with ‘white-hot passion’ in starring role
-
The Girlfriend: irresistibly twisty drama starring Robin WrightThe Week Recommends ‘Deliciously unhinged’ show pits a son’s mother against his ‘cagey’ new girlfriend
-
Islands: gripping thriller ‘shimmers, convinces and thoroughly absorbs’The Week Recommends Sam Riley stars in Jan-Ole Gerster’s mystery about a washed-out tennis coach at a Fuerteventura resort who falls under the spell of a married guest
-
What We Can Know: Ian McEwan’s ‘most entertaining and enjoyable novel for years’The Week Recommends The acclaimed writer’s ambitious new book sets out a ‘richly imagined’ vision of post-apocalyptic Britain
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imaginationFeature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
