A Simple Wish

A Simple Wish is a 1997 American children's-fantasy-comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie, and starring Martin Short, Mara Wilson, and Kathleen Turner. The film is about Murray (Short), a bumbling male fairy godmother who tries to prove himself capable by helping a young girl named Annabel Gleening (Wilson) fulfill her wish that her father, aspiring actor Oliver (Robert Pastorelli), wins the leading role in a Broadway musical. It was the final film to be directed by Michael Ritchie, before his death in 2001 (not counting The Fantasticks (2000), which was shot in 1995). It bombed at the box office and received mixed to negative reviews from critics with praise for its cast and humor but criticisms for its weak plot.