Jamie Lee Curtis anchors another toxic, co-dependent family in Ella McCay trailer

The logline for the film is an incredibly basic one: “An idealistic young woman juggles her family and work life in a comedy about the people you love and how to survive them.” It may be that simple only because if you asked director James L. Brooks, “My logline would take about 45 minutes,” Brooks told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year. “I came from a family that wasn’t roses and warm bread, and so I wanted it to be about one errant parent and getting over the loss of a parent. I never want to do anything that’s not a comedy, and I always want to represent life.”

Ella McCay marks Brooks’ first film as a director in 15 years (since 2010’s How Do You Know), though he’s remained plenty busy as a producer in the interim. Returning to the director’s chair, he told THR, “My favorite thing is making the shoot all about the actors as much as possible, so for me it felt good to be able to try and do that.” For his latest feature he’s assembled another all-star cast, including Woody Harrelson as Ella’s deadbeat dad, Jack Lowden as her irate husband, Rebecca Hall as her late mother, Kumail Nanjiani as her security guard, Spike Fearn as her brother, and Ayo Edebiri as her brother’s love interest, as well as Albert Brooks and Becky Ann Baker. “There are several people I have worked with before, so for continuity, that feels really good. Then there’s Jamie Lee Curtis, whose spirit permeates and is infectious in a great way,” he shared. “She brings a humanity, moment to moment. When the making of a picture can become snarky, Jamie is just a wall against that. Also, it helps that she has the best hug in town.” You can experience the warm embrace of Ella McCay when the film premieres December 12.