A Simple Wish (1997)

Fun fantasy

I love the story line of this movie - a male Fairy Godmother! What fun. And Kathleen Turner as the 'wicked witch'. What a fairy tale concept. September 26, 2007

Absolutly Fabulous

A Simple Wish
I watched this movie as a kid when it just came out on disney channel. Recently, i remembered that i really liked it back then. So i ordered it on amazon. EVERY bit as good as i remember it!! Funny, kindhearted, GREAT to watch with the kids. Not that i have any, i'm just saying. Martin Short teams up with Mara Wilson, and their relationship [that of kid and fairy godmother] is amusing to follow. Kathleen Turner plays the role of the evil witch excellently, and can be a bit frightening at times. All in all, i highly recommend it! September 20, 2007

A little of everything

The plot and cinematography of this film were above average, while other aspects were a little lackluster. The storyline was well written, and the casting was on target, however the mixture of computer graphics took plenty away from the film and cheapened it quite a bit. Quite dissapointing.

You do get to see Martin Short in a most unusual role, and I'd consider this a must-see for any admirer of his antics. Robert Pastorelli (the crazed painter from Murphy Brown) plays a rather lackluster role. Kathleen Turner pulled off the typical "Evil Witch" role a little too well. Mara Wilson seemed to do a better job in "Matilda," but she was good in this film nontheless.

I happened to get the Italian version of this film (alternately titled "Un Semplice Desiderio") and I will add that watching this movie with Italian audio on adds a little to it. Granted I may have never even seen this film if it werent in a lot of videos I bought from ebay.it :) March 11, 2005

Fractured Fairy Tale

What a clever fractured fairy tale. This movie has one of the best opening scenes - The Fairy Godmother Final Exams, where Martin Short, a mediocre student, is attempting to cheat,copying from the little old blue-haired ladies in his class.

Very funny & sophisticated, appeals to children and adults. November 10, 2004

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. October 15, 2003

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