Genie 2023

Paapa Essiedu as Bernard is overworked and overstressed at a high-end New York auction house, constantly bending to the unreasonable demands of his narcissistic, greedy boss, Alan Cumming as Mr. Flaxman. In the relentless wake of his career pressures, he misses his daughter Eve’s 8th birthday and the chance to bring a proper present, a failure that drives a wedge between him and his wife, Denée Benton as Julie, who ultimately leaves him. The very next day, Bernard is fired, and suddenly his world tilts off its axis.

From the dust of a forgotten box in their home, a long-quiet miracle stirs to life: Flora, a 2,000-year-old genie brought forth by Melissa McCarthy as Flora. She promises Bernard the power of unlimited wishes, urging him to chart a practical path to fixing what his choices have frayed. At first, the genie’s magic feels like a shortcut, but Bernard’s attempts to repair the broken pieces of his life quickly spiral into chaos. When his family comes to visit, a mishap sends one of them briefly to a fiery hell before they are all returned unharmed. Another wish reshapes their apartment in a way that backfires dramatically—swapping the Mona Lisa for a framed football jersey, a decorating choice Julie never approved of. The consequences escalate quickly, and the pair find themselves arrested and threatened with extradition to France.

Yet amid the fallout, a thread of hope remains. Bernard slowly reconnects with his daughter Eve, and he uses his efforts to fulfill the Christmas dreams of children and to house the homeless, all while Flora grapples with her own loneliness. A spark emerges as Flora develops a gentle romantic interest in Bernard’s doorman, Lenny. Marc Maron brings Lenny to life, and his feelings mirror Flora’s longing for companionship.

Realizing Flora’s sadness, Bernard makes a selfless choice: he uses a wish to free Flora, knowing he will still have three wishes remaining afterward. The genie’s freedom does not erase the bond they’ve formed; instead, it reshapes what comes next. Bernard’s first post-freedom wish is a leap back in time to before Eve’s birthday—a chance to reset the day entirely. He quits his job at the auction house, gathers his wife and daughter for her birthday, and gifts her a dollhouse—long desired, now within reach. The next two wishes are used to ensure an unforgettable dinner at an exclusive restaurant, a moment of true family happiness that had seemed out of reach.

Three months pass, and life has shifted in unexpected ways: Lenny now runs Bernard’s favorite pizza joint, a small but meaningful reversal that speaks to a new, simpler rhythm of life. Flora, free and content in her own right, finds joy in the ordinary act of making pies, a testament to how a genie and a fixer-player can coexist in a world that finally feels a little more honest and generous.