Genie is a bit of a nothing movie but it’s also a bit funny and a bit heartwarming. I probably won’t remember much about it in a few days but its an ok time-waster of a Christmas flick.

It stars Melissa McCarthy as a genie that a man separated from his wife somehow releases. She helps get the couple get back together again for the holidays (and for their cute little girl).

As a movie about a genie, it’s a lot of hand-waving piffery. Three wishes? Yeah, try infinite. What do you do with infinite power? Just a bunch of wholesome family-focused hocus pocus. It’s really just a bit of a hand-waving excuse to get us to watch a simple family film. The heartfelt family stuff works well enough.

McCarthy is pretty funny as a genie who has been out of the loop for two thousand years. There’s some amusing fish-out-of-water comedy as she adjusts to the 21st century. I’ve seen better such humor but I’ve also seen a lot worse from McCarthy herself. This is a pretty good middle ground for her.

It’s completely and totally fine. You’ve laughed harder and you’ve had your heart melted more, but it’s perfectly… fine. It’s amusing and charming enough.

Score: 76