The story
About Godmothered
A clumsy trainee fairy godmother, desperate to prove her fading profession still matters, digs out a long-forgotten letter from a girl who once asked for a happy ending. She flies to a snowy American city at Christmas and finds the letter-writer now a widowed mother of two, working at a local TV news station and long past believing in fairy tales, and sets about giving her a magical makeover she never asked for.
The CineClaus verdict
The festive part is mostly a matter of address.
The season lights the streets and puts snow on the pavements, yet the fairy godmother plot would work just as well in July. Jillian Bell throws herself at the clumsy trainee, and her slapstick props up a story that is overstuffed for its running time. The jaded widowed mum is given warmth by her actor that the writing never quite supplies, and Sharon Maguire keeps the tone gentle throughout.
A sound choice for a Saturday teatime with primary schoolers who enjoy pratfalls and a neat bow on the ending.
The family desk
Can the kids watch?
Our take: gentle enough for most children of six and over: the peril is slapstick, and the handful of suggestive jokes will pass younger viewers by.
Content advice & accessibility
- Not BBFC rated
- The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.
