Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Dougray Scott, Angelica Huston, Melanie Lynskey, Megan Dodds, Toby Jones, Patrick Godfrey
Directed by: Andy Tennant
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: The real story of Cinderella, which inspired the legend.

Review:

Tim: The first time I watched Ever After was probably around 1999, two years before I started The Movie Files. I remember really enjoying the movie- actually being surprised by how much I liked it. 15 years later, I finally got around to watching it again. The movie is indeed a solid, entertaining film. I will say that it's not quite as good as I remember it, but it's still well worth watching.

The premise behind the film is that the story of Cinderella was actually inspired by real events. There's no magic here, no glass slipper, but the heart and soul of the story remained true. There's some value in this re-imagining of classic fairy tales in a more realistic light. It was fun seeing how the movie played with the classic story and tweaked it to fit a more believable, realistic world.

The cast is what makes this movie. Drew Barrymore is really good as Danielle. She's smart, kind, and caring. She undergoes some very difficult and traumatic moments- the movie does a good job of not pulling punches at these. The story of Cinderella is really quite sad in many ways, and I liked that this film took pains to express the difficulty of growing up when the people you want to love the most actually love you the least. Barrymore does a good job with the material, even if she occasionally has some cringe-inducing lines. She makes the role memorable. Anjelica Huston is quite good as her nasty stepmother. Huston embraces her wicked side and we really, really don't like the character. That is a testament to her performance. Dougray Scott is actually pretty weak overall. He has a few good moments, but the performance mostly comes across as forced. He didn't have nearly enough charm or charisma, and therefore, is a bit of a letdown. It was fun seeing Toby Jones and Melanie Lynskey in supporting roles. Megan Dodds was a little weak. Patrick Godfrey gives a great performance as Leonardo Da Vinci. The cast is a bit uneven, but overall, has many more strong actors than weak ones.

The story is pretty entertaining in a fairy tale way. We already know the story, so there's not a lot of suspense, but it is fun to see how this movie plays with the familiar tale. The movie adds a good deal to the story, which is good and bad. The positive side is that it helps us to understand these characters better. The downside is that it contributes to the 121 minute run time, which is honestly about 15 minutes too long. The film could have benefited from a few strategic cuts.

Still, Ever After is a good movie. It's an enjoyable, fun story and it provides an intelligent, strong woman as the protagonist. Yes, she's really focused on finding true love, but she has many other interests as well. You can't overstate how important that is. In the end, this movie has some flaws, but it's still a solid, entertaining movie. I enjoyed it, even after all these years.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella