A Simple Wish

Magical family tale about a young girl who conjures up a fairy godmother when her father threatens to move the whole family from New York to Nebraska. The only trouble is, her fairy godmother turns out to be a man whose magic skills leave a lot to be desired, especially when an evil fairy arrives on the scene., This comic children’s fantasy from director Michael Ritchie stars Mara Wilson as eight-year-old New Yorker Anabel, who wishes that her father Oliver (Robert Pastorelli), a hansom cab driver in Central Park, would see his dream come true. In a thinly veiled jab at the overblown stage productions of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Oliver aspires to be cast in the lead role in a new big-budget musical based on A Tale of Two Cities. Anabel’s wish is received by Murray (Martin Short), the very first male fairy godmother, a bumbler who predictably botches the spell fulfilling Anabel’s wish, turning Oliver into a statue instead. In order to reverse the mistake, Murray needs help from his union, the North American Fairy Godmothers Association (NAFGA), which is holding a convention in Manhattan. Enter Claudia (Kathleen Turner), a scheming former fairy godmother turned witch, who steals the attendees’ magic wands, intending to use their magic in a bid for power. A Simple Wish (1997) was one of four films representing the initial slate of The Bubble Factory, a movie production house assembled by the theater world’s Sheinberg family. Their other films were The Pest (1997), McHale’s Navy (1997), and For Richer or Poorer (1997)., Family movie about a young girl who conjures up a fairy godmother when her father threatens to move the family from New York to Nebraska. The only trouble is, her fairy godmother turns out to be Murray whose magic skills leave a lot to be desired, especially when evil fairy Claudia arrives on the scene!, Murray is a male fairy godmother, and he is trying to help 8-year-old Anabel to fulfil her simple wish – that her father Oliver, who is a cab driver, would win the leading role in a Broadway musical. Unfortunately, Murray’s magic wand is broken and the fairies convention is threatened by evil witches Claudia and Boots., Family movie about a young girl who conjures up a fairy godmother when her father threatens to move the family from New York to Nebraska. The only trouble is, her fairy godmother turns out to be Murray (Martin Short) whose magic skills leave a lot to be desired, especially when evil fairy Claudia (Kathleen Turner) arrives on the scene!, Martin Short stars in this farcical fantasy as Murray, the first male graduate of fairy-godmother school. He’s assigned to help a girl who wants her struggling-actor father to star in a Broadway play, but Murray accidentally turns Dad into a statue. Mara Wilson, Robert Pastorelli, Kathleen Turner, Francis Capra, Ruby Dee., The first fairy godfather (Martin Short) tries to test his wings when a little girl wishes for her struggling-actor father to get his dream part. Mara Wilson. Oliver: Robert Pastorelli. Boots: Amanda Plummer. Charlie: Francis Capra., Martin Short is a bumbling fairy godfather, short on experience and long on excuses, who tries to grant a girl’s wish for her father to land a role on Broadway.