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But Bailey is, unfortunately, completely failed by the dull, misguided production around her.
But thisLittle Mermaiddoesnt reimagine so much as curdle its predecessors story with mostly minor changes.
Otherwise, backstories are wielded like cudgels.
Bardems Triton is bored and checked out, never granting genuine affection for Ariel or any of his daughters.
Scuttle is grating before and after Awkwafina performs a sing-song rap (Lin-Manuel Miranda must be stopped!).
Disney could have cast an actual Caribbean for the role of Sebastian.
Instead, we get Daveed Diggss poor accent and comedic timing.
But the two greatest failures come in the form of Ursula and Prince Eric.
Melissa McCarthys Ursula should be a fragrant delight.
In the original, shes a full-bodied spectacle, the most free and confident of the undersea worlds inhabitants.
McCarthy lacks the silken pleasures that voice actor Pat Carroll provided the role.
Shes not bawdy or alluring.
She leaves little impression right down to her final moments.
Somehow worse off is Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
Hes a man without the charisma and virile vulnerability the character demands.
you could feel Bailey trying to conjure some heat any spark between them.
The lack of narrative invention is only a single issue in a film filled with them.
The 1989 movie was a seamless, frothy confection.
The 2023 remake is a ragged mess.
(Though perhaps notquiteasvisually muddled as trailers and clips would have you believe.).
(Wheres that greatbodyyy languageline from Poor Unfortunate Souls?)
Yes, Bailey gives a transcendent vocal performance, particularly in her yearning rendition of Part of Your World.
Its way bigger than that.
Its about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants.
This is clever promotion, not a truth about a movie that is neither explicitly modern or feminist.
They give a personal anecdote.
They talk about how children can grow up viewing the characters as a model for their own lives.
Consider the blaxploitation boom of the 1970s, which handily saved the studio system.
It shouldnt have to be either.
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