This corny holiday flick is able to grant some laughs and some touching moments.

“Genie” is the made-for-Peacock remake of the 1991 British made-for-TV movie “Bernard and the Genie,” and both these films were written by Richard Curtis, whose other holiday themed film “Love Actually” has been a holiday favorite for the past 20 years.

This isn’t a holiday favorite at that comedy level, but as a Melissa McCarthy comedy, it actually has some good laughs and some touching moments. It’s the kind that neither “Tammy” nor “The Boss” nor “Thunder Force” nor “The Happytime Murders” have offered. Those films were degrading and crass. “Genie” actually has a good side to itself, and for some reason I was able to laugh at a joke that rips off the coffee scene in “Elf.” It’s just stupid funny the way it’s handled.

As the film begins, we meet the English workaholic Bernard Bottle (Paapa Essiedu from “Men”), who lives in NYC with his wife Julie (Denee Benton) and daughter Eve (Jordyn McIntosh), and has the snootiest and meanest boss around-the art dealer Flaxman (Alan Cumming, who played Bernard in the original). When that jerk has to interrupt his plans to spend a birthday ice skating with his daughter, the wife decides they should take some time apart.

Now, he’s hoping for a miracle. That’s when he rubs an antique jewelry box, and out comes Melissa McCarthy as the genie Flora. Of course, he has to be scared of her and would call the cops on her, if only his phone didn’t die. To prove to him she’s a genuine genie, she grants his wish of a camel. Now, he believes her, and now, he wishes the camel was gone. Flora says: “Everyone always takes the camel wish back.”

Does she sing “You’ve Never Had a Friend Like Me” like Robin Williams in “Aladdin?” No. Does she tell him many tales of how she ended up in the bottle like Idris Elba in “Three Thousand Years of Longing?” Short story: she tried to steal that box from a wizard who trapped her inside. And does she come out a giant like Rex Ingram in “The Thief of Bagdad?” No, she’s normal size.

But……. she assures Bernard that the “Three Wishes” rule is fairytale stuff. He has an unlimited amount of wishes. She could kill his boss, but even he’s not fond of the idea. He could wish his family could love him again, but she can’t change their personalities. However, he can take stepping stones in being a family again.

You also have Marc Maron as a friendly doorman in Bernard’s apartment, who believes that he is doing something better in a parallel universe, and falls in love with Flora. Although, after seeing “Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning: Part 1,” she has her heart set on Tom Cruise. But does this subplot have to be handled in an “F off” situation? No. Besides this film is rated PG. It’s actually kind of sweet.

The story can be corny, as well as jokes about Flora eating hand sanitizer, but it didn’t irritate me or made me want to pin out my eyes. After all, my name is Christopher; not Oedipus. In fact, I was genuinely surprised how good-hearted the film was in a “Miracle on 34th Street” sort of way, especially when Flora grants kids Christmas wishes. And I hope that little girl can keep her horse.

McCarthy is able to tickle you without being so mean or negative, but credit must also go to Essiedu. He was great in “Men,” and he also does some good comedic timing and mannerisms, the kind that Domhnall Gleason displayed in Curtis’ “About Time.” And I liked Maron’s supporting character. Under Sam Boyd’s direction, Curtis seems to like these characters as individuals, and I did, too.

Will “Genie” go down in history as a Christmas classic? Not really. But can you at least overlook the cliches? Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on how you view the film. I’ve seen worse McCarthy movies than this, much worse. Cut yourself lucky.

Streaming on Peacock