REVIEW: Buckle Up for Emma Stone in Dark, Twisted, and Fashionable New Film ‘Cruella’

Cruella, an origin story for the 101 Dalmatians villain starring Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, begins with Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland), daughter to a single mom, who seems always to be getting into one sordid adventure after another. With her black and white signature hair, we get an intro to her fast-paced and turbulent life as a child and her dreams of wanting to become a fashion designer when she grows up.

The film quickly jumps to a posh party at an estate owned by the very famous fashion designer, Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). She’s the talk of the town, with a neverending waterfall of coup champagne glasses, a menagerie of servants and guests, a trio of dalmatians, and a peeve for anyone who dares to upstage her, even unknowingly.

If you thought this was a typical Disney film, think again. We are jolted during one of the Baroness’ large fashion parties, celebrating herself, of course, as she blows her dog whistle at the sight of Estella’s mother Catherine (Emily Beecham), confronting her outside her mansion. Dalmatians come charging and soaring at Catherine as she pulpits over the cliff to her death. Yes, she did that.

Estella sees the entire murder as she obviously did not stay in the car during the party as her mother instructed, and we see her running off in the night, dropping the heirloom necklace her mother had just gifted her before her death.

You instantly knew this was not your average Disney flick and the scene absolutely had you checking for the rating, PG-13. Emma Stone was quoted at the most recent Cruella press conference stating, “I think it’s definitely dark for a Disney movie. Maybe not for, like, a really intense kind of R-rated film, but yes, it was darker than I’ve seen a Disney movie for a good long time.”

Now that we’ve buckled up for the ride, Cruella explodes into one amazing journey of music, fashion, and a story of Estella quickly finding her way with fellow street kids. We see her dying her signature black and white hair in anger for the loss of her mother; she has started a new journey.

Fast forward to 1970’s London, Estella is now adulting as a criminal and petty thief alongside Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser), her childhood sidekicks, and some scene-stealing pups.

Estella actually lands a real job with no crime strings attached through the effort of Jasper at the local iconic department store, which she fails at miserably with literal trash and banana on her face. However, she does catch the eye of the snobby and elitist Baroness as she does the unthinkable and falls asleep in the storefront window. But not after brilliantly redesigning the mannequins with literal garbage that stimulates the snobbery sensory of the Baroness who immediately wants Estella working at her fashion house.

When Estella’s amazing fashion designs begin stealing the Baroness’ thunder, Estella catches wind that the necklace her mom once wore before she died is now dangling around the Baroness’ neck. She declares someone stole the necklace and reveals that she is the one who killed Estella’s mother years ago, and the revenge plot thickens.

In her newfound rage, Estella is now on a mission to give the Baroness exactly what she hates best, a good and persistent publicly humiliating upstaging. Estella dons her alter ego, and Cruella is born, and she’s the Baroness’ worst nightmare.

She’s a better designer, younger, more beautiful, and socially refreshing, and she knows how to wow the crowd in her dresses that change at the stroke of a match. No, literally, she set herself on fire at a party producing not one, but two runway-ready ensembles.

She also elegantly falls out of a garbage truck, train wrecking another event for the Baroness as she dumps literal trash on her red carpet to then reveal the garbage is actually a train of trash. She’s created an ensemble of couture as she jumps back on the truck and swirls off into the night with her train elegantly flowing in the wind, leaving guests gasping in at first horror, then applauding in emulation that Cruella can do no wrong.

Estella doesn’t miss a beat as she also goes to her childhood friend at the local press office to give Anita (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) something to really write about in the local papers. Because, well, the Baroness is just sad, old news. Gasp. Cruella creates every publicist’s worst nightmare like a pitching machine that just won’t quit, and it’s every bit of hilarious

Disney broke the mold with Cruella as they went the daring route and hit it out of the park. With the fast-paced rock & roll and soulful music available on the amazing soundtrack to the neverending fashion and the exceptional casting, you’ll want to watch this repeatedly. The set design, production, and story will have you loving every minute of this fantastic The Devil Meets Prada x Harry Potter-esque film.

While the film does have some inclusive casting, I would have enjoyed seeing Anita’s character more developed beyond her beautiful and timely afro and few lines. Still, with the gifting of the dalmatian puppies at the end, this may not be the last that we see of her as her character is one of the original from 101 Dalmatians.

There was also quite a bit of cast in the roles of domestic help and security guards played by minorities, so it would have been a nod in the right direction to have some characters with more prominent speaking roles who were not so much the sidekick or leaning towards a trope. John McCrea, as boutique owner Artie appears to represent the LGBTQIA+ community which was refreshing, but the film left us guessing with no additional information on his character.

Cruella is dark and twisted, but it has tons of laugh-out-loud moments. From Emma Thompson’s portrayal of the Baroness’ “cucumber on her eyelid naps” because she was, well, spent, to the chaotic disposal of her lunch trash from her luxury car, because she was bored with it, to the incredible creative chaos that Emma Stone creates in most scenes. We are just here for all of this film’s kaleidoscope of deliciousness. The hilarious sidekick, criminal-minded, and sometimes vicious casting of the dogs show a slightly rough yet softer side to the film. You’re sure to get in some laughs from their incredibly funny shenanigans.

Be sure to stream Cruella on Disney+ with premier access or watch in theaters on May 28 to see if Cruella’s plan to dethrone the Baroness is a success. For everyone else, you will have to wait until August 27 to view the film on Disney+ with a basic subscription.