Genie (2023) Movie Review and Free Download

Genie is a fairy-tale comedy starring Melissa McCarthy as Flora, a magical genie who is accidentally summoned by Bernard Bottle (Paapa Essiedu), a workaholic man who has lost his family and his job. Bernard wishes for Flora to help him win back his wife Julie (Denée Benton) and his daughter Eve (Jordyn McIntosh) before Christmas, but Flora has her own agenda and personality. The movie is directed by Sam Boyd and written by Richard Curtis, and it is streaming on Peacock.

The movie has received mixed reviews from critics, who praised McCarthy’s performance and the holiday atmosphere, but criticized the plot, the special effects, and the lack of humor. The movie has a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on four reviews. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian¹ gave the movie one star out of five, calling it “a palatable piece of content” that is afraid of offending anyone or making people laugh. Glenn Kenny of The New York Times also panned the movie, saying that some of the plot turns are “so wide as to suggest shrugging contempt” and that the flying carpet effects are “lousy”. Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com gave the movie a B- rating, describing it as “not a powerful viewing experience” but “gentle work with a pleasing Christmas atmosphere”. Terry Staunton of Radio Times gave the movie three stars out of five, complimenting Essiedu’s emotional depth and McCarthy’s over-the-top performance as the magical fish-out-of-water.