Film fans like to lament, “they don’t make them like they used to,” specifically about the kinds of wry, life-affirming dramedies that director James L. Brooks perfected back in the 1980s and ‘90s, like “Terms of Endearment,” “As Good as It Gets” and “Broadcast News.” Films of that tone and character are rarer and rarer these days, so it’s worth noting when a new one comes along. But as it turns out with Brooks’ latest, the deeply strange “Ella McCay,” he doesn’t make them like he used to either.

“Ella McCay” is a portrait of a lady on fire — from stress. The quirky, twitchy Ella (Emma Mackey, horrifically bewigged) is the youngest lieutenant governor in her state, an awkward policy wonk serving under her mentor, Gov. Bill Moore (Albert Brooks). When he’s tapped for “the Cabinet,” Ella ge

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