Poster © 20th Century Studios. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreFeature film
RatedPG-13
Runtime1 hr 55 mins
ReleasedDecember 12, 2025
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorJames L. Brooks
StarringEmma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Lowden
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Ella McCay (2025)
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| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Ella McCay's Details | |
| Genre | Feature film |
| Rated | PG-13 |
| Released | 12/09/2025 (El Capitan Theatre); 12/12/2025 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 55 mins |
| Budget | $35M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Ella McCay's Interests | |
| General | State capitols, inauguration speeches, family drama at the bar, press conferences, 2008. |
| Music | Hans Zimmer |
| Movies | Broadcast News (1987). Same writer and director, same smart women running on no sleep. |
| Television | The Simpsons. James L. Brooks helped build Springfield, and Julie Kavner narrates here. |
| Heroes | Aunt Helen. Every family needs one person who tells it straight. |
| Ella McCay's Crew | |
| Director | James L. Brooks |
| Writers | James L. Brooks |
| Producers | James L. Brooks, Richard Sakai, Julie Ansell, Jennifer Brooks |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Music | Hans Zimmer |
| Edited By | Tracey Wadmore-Smith |
| Production | Gracie Films |
| Distributed By | 20th Century Studios |
There’s a whole season of prestige TV crammed into Ella McCay, and 115 minutes isn’t close to enough room. Emma Mackey plays Ella, a lieutenant governor who suddenly gets the top job in 2008, and James L. Brooks piles on a reporter digging into a scandal, a husband sulking because she forgot to thank him in a very long speech, an estranged dad (Woody Harrelson) who wants back in, and a little brother who basically lives indoors now. Any one of those is a movie. All of them at once is a traffic jam. Mackey is bright and likable, and Jamie Lee Curtis, as the aunt who runs a bar and sees through everybody, steals her scenes. Critics landed at 23% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it made $4.03 million domestic on a reported $35 million budget. A 4.2 because the cast is great and the tone never settles. $299.36 says you try copying Ella’s poster pose at least once this week.
What works: Emma Mackey is warm and quick as Ella, Jamie Lee Curtis gets the best lines as her aunt, and Julie Kavner’s narration is a cozy surprise.
What doesn’t: Too many subplots fight for the same two hours, and the tone lurches from political comedy to family weepie with no warning.
Who it’s for: Longtime James L. Brooks fans who miss grown-up comedies about messy families and will forgive a crowded script.
Spoilers
Ella’s time as governor lasts three days: party bosses force her out, but she trades her resignation for passing her bill for new mothers and a dental care bill for kids. Her husband ends up arrested over the payoff to the reporter, and Ella starts a legal aid nonprofit with Nash and Estelle.
It's 2008, and Ella McCay (Emma Mackey) is the idealistic, hardworking lieutenant governor of an unnamed state. When her mentor, Governor Bill Moore (Albert Brooks), takes a cabinet job with the incoming president, Ella suddenly gets the top seat. Her family does not make it easier: husband Ryan (Jack Lowden), estranged dad Eddie (Woody Harrelson), little brother Casey (Spike Fearn), who has barely left his apartment in a year, and Aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), who sees everything. State trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani) drives her around and gets a front row seat. James L. Brooks writes and directs. One hundred fifteen minutes, zero days off.
Anyone who got promoted overnight. Keep the speech short.
| Emma Mackey | Ella McCay |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Helen McCay |
| Jack Lowden | Ryan Newell |
| Kumail Nanjiani | State Trooper Nash |
| Ayo Edebiri | Susan |
| Julie Kavner | Estelle |
| Spike Fearn | Casey McCay |
| Rebecca Hall | Claire McCay |
| Albert Brooks | Governor Bill Moore |
| Woody Harrelson | Eddie McCay |
| Becky Ann Baker | Mrs. Newell |
| Sheetal Sheth | Audrey |
| Joey Brooks | State Trooper Alexander |
| Tracey Ullman | the voice of Olympia |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 19 October 2026 DataBot +520 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $4.6M; Domestic box office $4M; Opening weekend $2M; Profit / loss (est.) -$50.2M; Rotten Tomatoes 23%; CinemaScore B−; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 23% (137 reviews); Metacritic 39 / 100; Rotten Tomatoes audience 57% (250+ verified ratings); CinemaScore B−; IMDb users 5.2 / 10 (7,390 votes); movie.guru score 2.4.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 19 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.