This revisionist Cinderella tale not only ditches the pumpkin and the mice but
swaps the fairy godmother for . . . Leonardo da Vinci? Yes,
co-writer/director Andy Tennant (Fools Rush In) makes some curious
choices in this radical adaptation, the least of which is his decision to favor
chutzpah over hocus-pocus.
Drew Barrymore's hearth maiden is clearly not as fragile as her footwear. She
quotes Thomas More, parries like a pirate, and tells her wicked step-relatives
(Anjelica Huston, Megan Dodds, and Melanie Lynskey) to screw thee. Alas, the
love of a good prince (an unmemorable Dougray Scott) still doesn't come easily
for this plucky child of the soot. Barrymore aces her 16th-century elocution,
but her vampy magnetism -- always her dominant charm -- is snuffed in this
goody-goody role. Likewise, tedious derring-do and the flat slapstick of the
misplaced Signor da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey) make the stretch between "once upon
a time" and "happily ever after" drag like Rapunzel's hair. Despite the
feminist twist, this Cinderella story is still Grimm.
--Alicia Potter
Interviews
 Ever After: A Cinderella Story 
Full Length Reviews
 Ever After: A Cinderella Story 
Ever After: A Cinderella Story 
Capsule Reviews
 Ever After: A Cinderella Story 
Ever After: A Cinderella Story 
Other Films by Andy Tennant
Anna and the King
Film Vault Suggested Links
Carried Away
Dance With Me
What Dreams May Come
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