Der Zauberwunsch

Okay, 20 years on and a few of the special effects look a little clunky, but overall this is a well produced and good looking movie. You have to remind yourself that this is a children's film and forgive it a few things. Kathleen Turner is great value although underused, Martin short for me pushes his character just a little too far, you can kind of understand it, the idea of having a male fairy godmother is a good one. This certainly made me chuckle a few times and the Nebraska scene is hilarious. All in all, a very solid children's movie.

Anabel's father is a New York horse-drawn carriage driver but hopes to become a Broadway star. With his next audition he is ready to throw it all in and go work in his cousin's rendering plant on Nebraska. Anabel wishes for her fairy godmother to help them but, because the majority of them are tied up at the annual conference she has to make do with the failing trainee Murray. She quickly finds that Murray is not quite as good as he has told her and most of their time is spent trying to correct his mistakes. Things are more complicated when they are pursued by witch Claudia, who has trapped all the other godmothers and only needs Murray's wand to finalise her attempts at total power.

Although I taped this film in error thinking it was something else, I still ended up watching it as it was a bonus family film to act as distraction. Normally I wouldn't bother with such a thing but on this occasion I did and the end product was a basic but quite entertaining film that had enough to stop it being boring for me and enough silliness and energy to make it enjoyable for children. The narrative is a bit messy, for a while it is about Murray's weakness as a Fairy Godmother but then it becomes a big finish around a plot by Claudia to get all the power for herself. The two strands don't sit well together at all, and the latter just feels like it has been added to bulk the former out and give it more impact as a dramatic finish. However, it is quite amusing along the way and children will enjoy the mix of silliness, effects and magic.

The cast are OK and are a good part of this working. Short is a bit irritating but he does overplay the silliness well enough to provide distraction. Turner seems to enjoy herself even if her role is a bit smaller than I'm sure she expected; meanwhile Plummer does her usual "slightly unhinged" thing but this time as a dog. Pastorelli has little to do but Wilson and Capra are both engaging without being like the very sickly All-American kids that US family films can be dripping with.

Overall this is a family film and therefore not the sort of thing any adult would really chose to watch alone because there isn't much just for them, even if it isn't bad as such. The energy, silliness and pace of the film will make it a winner for children and it serves well as a distraction if hardly a great film for the ages.

I am sick and tired of people criticizing films just because they happen to be family movies, or G-rated, such as SCTV Fan did in the front page User Comments to this movie. I am well into my 50's, and just happen to enjoy well made family movies! This one is well made. I've seen others recently, such as Bicentennial Man, Dinosaur, My Favorite Martian, The Straight Story, Disney's Tarzan and Fantasia 2000. My simple wish is, hopefully, that this is a trend away from the profanity and gore that makes up 75% of today's films. These movie producers are making such movies because: 1: they are allowed to, 2: the public is gullible to buy tickets to see them, 3: they can't take the time to make an intelligent film with language the whole family can listen to and understand, and action that is within limits of decency.

My Simple Wish is not quite up to the quality of the movies I've listed above, but I thank the producers for making it, and thanks to IMDb for letting me have my soapbox.

Okay, while the plot may not be Shakespeare, its simplicity is refreshing. Martin Short is very funny, as always, and Mara Wilson is a wonderful child actress whose acting caliber could compare to many adult actors/actresses. Kathleen Turner is delicious to watch as a bad apple witch, who's bent on revenge. Her deep yet sultry voice and beautiful looks present the perfect image of a goody-goody witch gone bad. For a simple yet smart comedy, rent this film.

I am a big fan of kids flicks, but I know when I see a flop. That's not the case. "A Simple Wish" is one of best children movie I've ever seen, alongside Miracle on 34th Street (the original), A Bug's Life and a few others. It's really easy to screw up when making a film for kids. They don't expect much and amuse themselves with a little dosis of real humour and no story at all. But when the movie is really well done, it can become a classic.

The movie is about the male fairy-godmother Murray(Martin Short at his best), who's having a little trouble making Anabel's (Mara Wilson) dream come true because of his little experience in "godmothering". And above all that, they have to fight the evil ex-fairy-godmother Claudia (Kathleen Turner), who wants to rule above all her ex-mates.

The plot sounds a little common? It might even be, but here it has been so well structured that we are carried to Anabel's life and we feel the helplessness of Murray, who's trying so hard to save the day, even though he don't have the skill to do it. He has a good heart and that's all that it takes.

The characters are lovable. Amanda Plummer is especially funny, as Claudia's sidekick. The dialogues are clever yet simple, perfect for kids and for grown ups who enjoy real pure fantasy and delightment.