Some people believe the key to moving on is forgiveness. However, Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Mackey’s latest film, Ella McCay, is challenging this perception.
At the forefront, Ella McCay is a film about a young woman struggling to balance her career and a complicated personal life.
But once you look a little deeper, you understand that director James L. Brooks has captured the complexities of broken father-daughter relationships and narcissistic characters that lurk behind even the kindest of faces.
Underneath this mix of complicated relationships, is the importance James has placed on female relationships.
Jamie stars as the hilarious Aunt Helen, whose quick wit and unapologetic sass not only provides welcome comedic relief but also shows the strength in women supporting women.
In the midst of serious scenes, you’ll find yourself laughing as Aunt Helen says, “Please excuse the way I talk or act”, or “You promised not to be yourself.”
While speaking to The Weekly, Emma Mackey, best known for her role in Sex Education and Barbie, gushed over her co-star Jamie.
“[Jamie is] so present,” Emma said. “She shows up, does the work, and she’s happy to be there.”
“It’s just such a great energy to be around, on that kind of set as well, when the stakes are so high – the stakes are always high when you’re making a film, it’s a miracle we’re all there doing it – but to have that gumption that you have is just so great because it propels us all forward.”
There was an undeniable shared admiration during this interview with The Weekly, as Jamie turned to Emma and said: “The character of Ella… exists in the way it does solely because of Emma and [your] work. It’s a really hard part, and you are spectacular in it.”
Aunt Helen is a strong presence in her niece’s life, particularly as life begins to hurl vicious stones at Ella McCay.
Emma’s character has become the third youngest Governor at just 34 years old. It’s supposed to be a cheerful moment. Which it is, until her husband Ryan, played by Jack Lowden, makes an appearance. Let me warn you, an insecure opportunist will never become a supportive husband…
Before we meet Ella’s husband, we meet her troublesome father, Eddie, played by Woody Harrelson, who had multiple affairs while married to Ella’s mother. Even at the worst of times, Eddie is selfishly and desperately seeking forgiveness from Ella and her brother, Casey (Spike Fearn).
“She sort of gets batted throughout the film by all of these events and, sorry, men in her life,” Emma tells The Weekly. “Everyone was just trying to get something from her.”
“I just think it’s so wonderful to see characters evolve over time and make mistakes. Jim really lets them take the time to let them do that and doesn’t judge them.
“All the characters at some point really break a cycle. It’s done sometimes in a very discreet way, but if you look at all the characters, there is a shift that happens in their own lives.”
With James L. Brooks as the director – best known for Terms of Endearment, As Good as It Gets, and Spanglish – it should be no surprise that his latest project is emotionally intuitive.
It’s not just this understanding of female relationships that makes Ella McCay such a brilliant watch. It will tug at the heartstrings of many daughters, who have watched their mothers deal with disrespect from their husbands simply because they’re in love.
“That moment in the movie is so deeply heartbreaking yet so relatable,” Jamie said to The Weekly. “You’ve pinpointed that beautiful moment of truth.”
“I’m listening to the Lily Allen album on repeat,” Jamie continued, referencing Lily’s 2025 album West End Girl. “There’s this beautiful moment in it of understanding, but for a lot of it, she’s trying to figure out what’s going on.
“So, I think what’s great about any storytelling is that if you can relate to it and apply it to your own life, it carries you. It elicits emotions, laughter, rage and ‘what would I do’.”
When will Ella McCay be released in Australia?
Ella McCay releases in cinemas in Australia on December 11, 2025.
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