Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Anabel (Mara Wilson) will be forced to move away from home unless her dad wins the lead role in a new theatre production of Two Cities. Teased by her older brother for her love of fantasy books like Cinderella, she is overjoyed to discover she has a fairy godmother. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a rather camp Martin Short... who didn't even manage to pass the exam. After a few wasted wishes cause her dad to be transformed into a statue by our feckless fairy, she discovers the only way to return him to his former self is to help the Head Fairy save the world from an evil witch (played by Kathleen Turner) and her canine-turned-human accomplice called Boots (Amanda Plumming) who seeks to steal all the fairy's magic for herself by nicking everybody's wands. Also, they only have until midnight the same day to retrieve them. Can they succeed in their mission or will Daddy remain a target for pigeons and fanatical Japanese tourists for the rest of his life?I'd been looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while. The plot sounded kinda interesting and Mara Wilson was so good in 'Miracle on 34th Street' that how could possibly fail? Well, guess what... it did. Let's start the analysis with the plot, which has no clear direction and despite the meagre 86 minutes running time, takes too many aimless detours (Like the little trip to Pawhuska, for instance) The special effects are fine, even the computer generated frogs and birds which are obvious fakes have a kind of charm to them. However, I could have done without the 'comedy stylings' of Martin Short at his hyperactive worst, or Amanda Plumming who chews one too many shoes for my liking in this role.If you're babysitting one night and you find yourself shoved in front of the box with this playing, I'm afraid the only consolation is some good one-liners from Turner and a few mildly diverting magic spells. Otherwise, prepare of a bit of a long haul. Needing far more work at the screenplay stage and a bit of restraint in the performances too, I rank this forgettable, strictly-for-the-kids production a 4 out of 10.

> This is a very good kids movie, that is fun and entertaining. Martin Short makes a hilarious Fairy Godmother, or should I say "Fairy Godfather" to Mara Wilson, who only wants her dad to be in a broadway show, but gets mixed up and must stop an evil witch played by Kathleen Turner, or her dad will become a statue! This movie was smart and fun, and the "frog in your throat" scene was gross-out funny! I give it 10/10.

This is really worthwhile; the Kids I showed it to (Boy,8 & girl,5) LOVED it, even to the extent of asking me to rewind/reshow certain parts. I really enjoyed the acting---lots of famous talent--the score---and the "inside" theatre stuff. Also it kept to its "G" rating without any of the violence or language found in SOOOO many purportedly "kids flix" lately. I've watched it without kids and loved it, too!

I am sick and tired of people criticizing films just because they happen to be family movies, or G-rated, such as SCTV Fan did in the front page User Comments to this movie. I am well into my 50's, and just happen to enjoy well made family movies! This one is well made. I've seen others recently, such as Bicentennial Man, Dinosaur, My Favorite Martian, The Straight Story, Disney's Tarzan and Fantasia 2000. My simple wish is, hopefully, that this is a trend away from the profanity and gore that makes up 75% of today's films. These movie producers are making such movies because: 1: they are allowed to, 2: the public is gullible to buy tickets to see them, 3: they can't take the time to make an intelligent film with language the whole family can listen to and understand, and action that is within limits of decency. My Simple Wish is not quite up to the quality of the movies I've listed above, but I thank the producers for making it, and thanks to IMDb for letting me have my soapbox.