A Simple Wish

''A Simple Wish'' is a 1997 American children's-fantasy-comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring Martin Short, Mara Wilson, and Kathleen Turner. The film is about a bumbling male fairy godmother named Murray (Short), who tries to help Annabel (Wilson) fulfill her wish that her father, a carriage driver, wins the leading role in a Broadway musical.

It was the last film from director Michael Ritchie before his death in 2001.Nat Segaloff, ''Final Cuts: The Last Films of 50 Great Directors'', Bear Manor Media 2013 p 247-248

Plot

NYC horse carriage driver Oliver Greening (Robert Pastorelli) aspires to perform on Broadway and, despite an outstanding audition for ''A Tale of Two Cities'' musical, he loses out to seasoned Tony Sable ( Alan Campbell), as he is considered more bankable, as Oliver's reputation as an actor is non-existent.

Later that night, Annabel (Mara Wilson), Oliver's young daughter, doesn't convince her elder brother Charlie (Francis Capra) that fairy godmothers exist, and after they fall asleep, she awakens to find Murray (Martin Short), a male fairy godmother, in her room. Offering her one wish, she uses it to secure her father a role in the play so they don't have to move to Nebraska.

Hortence (Ruby Dee), the head fairy godmother, is holding the North American Fairy Godmothers Association (NAFGA)'s annual meeting. Her rule is, all participants must check in their wands before the meeting. Claudia (Kathleen Turner), former fairy godmother turned evil witch, has come to the meeting uninvited to steal all the wands. Putting Hortence's receptionist Rena (Teri Garr) to sleep with a witch's apple, she casts a spell on Hortence turning the head fairy paper-thin and binding her mouth. She then locks all the fairy godmothers downstairs on her way to stealing the wands. However Murray arrives late and never checks his wand, making it the only one Claudia doesn't have.

When Annabel sees Murray has forgotten his magic wand, she plans to return it to him, but Charlie breaks it. Murray and Annabel end up in Nebraska, by way of a his misconstrued spell to get out quickly. After unsuccessfully turning a selfish motel owner they meet into a rabbit (instead into a giant rabbi), they end up back in Central Park. As Annabel disappeared mysteriously, the school closes early. Charlie finds them.

Annabel begs Murray to grant her wish as they are near her father, but he accidentally turns Oliver into a statue. To fix it, the three go to NAFGA and ask Hortence for help, who is still under Claudia's spell. While Murray, Charlie and Rena (finally woken from the sleeping spell) fix Murray's wand, Hortence tells Annabel of Claudia's plot: the spell must be lifted before midnight, or Oliver will remain a statue forever. Claudia, meanwhile, has been searching for her wand. After going through them, she realizes it is missing, now belongs to Murray, so she is determined to recover it.

At the theatre, Annabel and Murray see Tony Sable, the selfish and conceited actor auditioning for Oliver's part. Knowing this could ruin her father's chances of being in the show, she asks Murray to sabotage the audition. First he tries to make it rain on the stage but it is dismissed as a simple technical problem and the audition continues. Then she asks him to give Sable a frog in his throat to impair his singing. He takes this too literally, and frogs start hopping out of Sable's mouth, shocking everyone.

Annabel and Murray celebrate, but Sable gets the part, as Oliver has not appeared. Boots (Amanda Plummer), Claudia's terrier turned lackey who has been seeking Murray, finds them. Murray mentions the story of Brer Rabbit to Annabel and together they beg her not to take them to Claudia's lair, so she does.

Claudia confronts them, demanding her wand. When Murray tries to persuade Annabel not to tell her, as punishment, Claudia changes her and Murray into ballerinas, making them dance uncontrollably until one of them agrees to tell her.

Annabel keeps Claudia distracted until Charlie can give Murray his wand. Murray wins Boots' allegiance long enough to convince her to give it to him. Claudia attempts to attack him, but he tricks her into firing a spell that draws her into a mirror, which is subsequently shattered.

Murray, Charlie, and Annabel return to Central Park and restore Oliver just in time. He is given the part of Sable's understudy. To finally grant Annabel's wish, Murray appears backstage and causes Sable to slip on a bucket and twist his ankle. The resultant temper tantrum gets him fired and Oliver, his understudy, takes over. Charlie and Annabel watch the show with Murray and the other fairy godmothers.

Cast

* Martin Short as Murray: The first male fairy godmother.
* Mara Wilson as Annabel Greening: Oliver Greening’s daughter and Charlie Greening’s sister.
* Robert Pastorelli as Oliver Greening: Annabel and Charlie Greening’s father who works as a coachman and he dreams of becoming a broadway star.
* Francis Capra as Charlie Greening: Oliver Greening’s son and Annabel Greening’s sister.
* Kathleen Turner as Claudia: A former fairy godmother turned witch who seeks revenge for having her wand taken away.
* Amanda Plummer as Boots: Claudia’s dog turned human companion.
* Ruby Dee as Hortence: The Head Of The Fairy Godmothers.
* Teri Garr as Rena: Hortence’s secretary.
* Jonathan Hadary as Lord Richard: A playwright and director.
* Deborah Odell as Jeri: Oliver Greening’s agent.
* Alan Campbell as Tony Sable: An actor.
* Jack McGee as Officer York: A Police Officer.
* Lanny Flaherty as Duane: A motel owner who lives in Nebraska.

Reception

Reception to the movie was negative, with Pixelated Geek's Cinerina stating that while the movie's jokes might not appeal to adults, the movie would have appeal for a younger audience. Roger Ebert gave the film one and half stars, saying "When family audiences avoid inspired films like '' The Secret Garden'', '' The Little Princess'' and '' Shiloh'', why would they choose a pallid exercise like this?" ReelViews and the Austin Chronicle both reviewed the film, with the Chronicle stating that "The concept's good... But this family film about an incompetent fairy godmother named Murray (Short), is shy several handfuls of fairy dust."A Simple Wish
Austin Chronicle

The Rotten Tomatoes approval rating is currently 25% based on 16 reviews.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simple Wish, A
1997 films
1990s fantasy comedy films
1990s coming-of-age films
American children's comedy films
American coming-of-age films
American fantasy comedy films
1990s children's fantasy films
Films scored by Bruce Broughton
Films about wish fulfillment
Films directed by Michael Ritchie
Films about witchcraft
1997 comedy films
Universal Pictures films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films