After 15 Years Away, James L. Brooks Returns With a Political Drama — Is There Still Magic Left?

Keeping an eye on legacy directors making a late-career return has always intrigued me — especially when it’s someone like James L. Brooks. His name once defined a certain kind of character-driven and emotionally intelligent filmmaking. So when news of Ella McCay surfaced, I took notice.

At 85, Brooks returns after 2010’s How Do You Know, which fell short of his earlier triumphs — Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets. Three films that still set the bar, anyway.

Now he’s back with a new film — a political drama. It follows a young, idealistic politician navigating both her personal life and a rapidly accelerating career. I still can’t tell if naming the lead Ella McCay when she’s played by Emma Mackey was an inside joke or just oddly poetic casting.

She’s joined by a seriously stacked ensemble: Rebecca Hall, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Ayo Edebiri, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, and more. It’s the kind of cast that makes you look twice — and maybe, quietly, start to hope.

Behind the camera is Robert Elswit, the Oscar-winning cinematographer best known for There Will Be Blood and more recently Ripley. His black-and-white work alone elevates projects — and his presence here suggests Brooks means business.

Out December 19, Ella McCay might chase awards — or just aim to quietly surprise. Either way, watching a master return is reason enough.