Product: A Simple Wish [VHS] (1997)
Rating: 5.0
A Simply Magical Movie
This movie was out about a year before my parents finally bought it for me. I simply wanted it because I thought the cover was cool. But when I watched it, I loved it, and I made all my friends watch it when they came over.The story is about Annabel, played by Mara Wilson, the girl from "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Matilda." While she is reading a version of "Cinderella" one night, she wishes that she could have a fairy godmother. And she gets one. Except her fairy godmother isn't what she had in mind, because she is actually a man named Murray, played by the hilarious Martin Short.Murray promises to grant Annabel one wish, and she selflessly decides that she wants her father, a widower, to land the main role in a musical play. But it isn't that 'simple.'For one thing, Murray has never been a fairy godmother before, and he has a mentionable amount of difficulty with his magic wand. For instance, he accidently takes Annabel to Nebraska and changes a rough-looking man into a gigantic rabbi.The second thing standing in the way of a granted wish is Claudia, the fairy-godmother-turned-evil-witch played by Kathleen Turner. The witch and her hilarious sidekick are bent on destoying the existence of any other magic than Claudia's to ensure that nothing stands in her way when she decides to carry out some rather evil plans.The movie is extremely funny, and has lots of great special effects. It is almost impossible to smile as you watch Murray screw up on everything he attempts to do and Annabel bicker with her older brother and her reactions to Murray's awfully-cast spells. So great is the presence of comedy, wittiness, and evil in Kathleen Turner's character that you look forward to the scenes she's in. And so you end up laughing through the movie, marveling at the spell-casting scenes, and silently cheering as the movie proves yet again that good conquers evil. AND throw in an interesting cameo from Terri Garr, one of the supporting actresses in "Tootsie," and you have every bit of a five-star fantasy that's perfect for the whole family.