A down-on-his-luck guy (Paapa Essiedu) stumbles on a genie (Melissa McCarthy) in a magic jewelry box, and this cute little holiday flick is off and running. Though it relies more than it should on all the good ol’ holiday tropes, there’s still enough here for it to be a decent way to spend time with the fam this time of year. McCarthy, as always, pours everything into it, keeping the feel-goods going throughout, and, really, what’s better than a nice bit of heartfelt cheer to make all the hubbub and craziness of the season melt away for a good 90 minutes?
3/5 stars