Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Cinderella is a timeless classic, a fairytale for all ages. And "Ever After" is pitch-perfect as an adaptation of the Cinderella story to screen.

As a fairytale, this movie follows a predictable pattern and storyline. It is sweet, light, innocent and beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. The cinematography is one of the stars here and this is a fabulous movie to watch - for the scenery, the costumes and the visual effects.

Anjelica Huston steals the show as the evil stepmother, but Drew Barrymore puts in a fine performance here, and Patrick Godfrey is wonderfully eccentric as Leonardo Da Vinci. Overall, this is not so much a movie about the acting, but it's more about the sometimes sappy, usually saccharine, but wonderfully heartfelt classic story. Instead of the magic of the original fairytale, Ever After replaces it with the "magic" of wit, humour and heart. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Funny and charming, Ever After is one of those great movies that can be watched over and over again.

Well-written, well-acted. Beautiful location/ scenery. Musical score is outstanding - perfect period/era fit & exquisite performances. A worthwhile and entertaining movie. Drew B, Angelica H. and cast including some soon-to-be-famous colleagues never seem trite or campy, but very authentic. Comic moments & surprising twists on the traditional Cinderella story make this a gem.

...A filmmaker decided to do another rendition of Cinderella; and what a beautiful rendition it is!

Cinderella was always my favorite fairy tale, but this movie, at first, looked like yet another poor updating. Imagine my surprise when I watched it on video. It was beautiful, funny, thoughtful, smart, and wonderful. It brings the romance of the story fully to life and touches the heart. Sure, there are errors in history and anachronisms; but, it's a fairy tale. King Arthur wouldn't have worn plate armor, either.

Drew Barrymore delivers her best performance ever. The accent is a bit distracting, but she is consistent with it, unlike certain Robin Hood's I could name. She delivers on the promise she demonstrated as a youngster and brings those Barrymore genes to life. She handles the comedy as ably as the romance. You laugh when she first hits the Prince with an apple (pretty good shot, too!). You ache for her as her world seems to fall apart when Prince Henry learns the truth. You cheer when she renders justice to her oppressors.

Dougray Scott is a fine handsome Prince, a thinker as well as a fighter. His eyes are opened to the world he lives in by this passionate girl. Angelica Huston really adds the evil to the "evil stepmother". The rest of the supporting cast are uniformly great.

The addition of Da Vinci, if historically incorrect, is a nice twist on the Fairy Godmother. Who better to help a child of reason and enlightenment?

This is a true romance, a rare thing in today's movies, including the so-called "romantic comedies." It is a wonderful piece of work and a fine update to a classic tale.

And they lived happily ever after, indeed!

Cinderella kicks butt in this feminist retelling of the classic fairy tale. Orphaned as a young girl, Danielle (Cinderella) is raised by her evil stepmother and two stepsisters in rural 16th century France. After a few chance encounters with the crown prince (who falls in love with her), Danielle finds herself on a collision course with her family who have royal designs of their own. Shot on location in France, the dialogue often veers very close to preachy, but knows when to cut the politics and return to the story. And a good story it is, well acted by Drew Barrymore as Danielle, and Angelica Huston as the wicked stepmother. This one is worth the rental.

I am going tonight to see Ever After for the third time in three days. This movie is wonderful! Drew Barrymore does a fantastic job as Cinderella - and what a cinderella! None of this 'wait for the prince to rescue you' nonsense! I like the movie because Danielle (Cinderella's "real" name) wins the prince because she is passionate, outspoken, well-read, and won't take nonsense from anyone! And the costuming! Drool! Why don't *I* ever get clothes like that?

I really like the fact that Danielle makes her own dreams come true instead of hoping they will turn out right - what a wonderful role model (I know *I * am inspired!) I laughed and cried and bit my fingernails (I am NOT supposed to bite my fingernails) and crumpled the napkins for the popcorn into hopeless little balls. The characterizations are wonderful. The scenery is gorgeous and the actors and actresses do such a wonderful job at making their characters come alive. I just cannot say enough good things about the movie - by all means go and see it!

Jennifer 8)