Les nouvelles aventures de Cendrillon

Luckilly, I came across this film browsing TV channels - otherwise I would have never decided to watch another Cinderella movie, especially that French films are generally not widely advertised. And it appeared to be so funny and fresh, that I was eager to watch it again a week later. The film appears fresh partly because it is French - in different style, than dominating American style of story-telling, without known stars.

The film is actually very funny, light and dynamic comedy. The female protagonist Julie is an office worker, neglected by her handsome egoist boss, on whom she's got a secret crush. It happens, that she agrees to be a babysitter for his kid one evening - and she tells him a story on Cinderella. Naturally, she is the Cinderella, and the story quickly develops in its own direction, loosely based on classic tale. Thanks to it, Julie comes to understand, who should be her prince.

The film reminds me of classic Mel Brooks' works, but more modern, and with more subtle humour. The characters are dynamic, especially prince Marco and the duke (or "duche", as the king titles him). Mean sisters are not that mean, and a fairy is very atypical, to say least... We have also seven big dwarves. The film's strength is a humour in wordplays. And there are some subtle funny innuendos for grown-up viewers, like the prince, who desperately tries to put a shoe on attractive big-breasted girl's foot. The Cinderella is an independent modern woman, and the ending is satisfying and logical in a whole context.

All in all, definitely worth watching.

It's the type of comedy that doesn't redefine the genre in any way but wherever it borrows elements from other films it does a fine enough job incorporating those elements in a coherent and efficient enough fashion.

It's the sort of disposable comedy that usually relies on its funny premise, here the Cinderella myth in a modern type setting, milks it a bit and then drags on the rest of the way, completely out of puff; while here instead they managed to keep the sequences fresh and fun enough with each new character or new scene supplying a funny concept that adds that bit of positive dynamic to the whole. The viewer probably won't crack up the whole way, and there are certainly funnier comedies out there, but this gets the job done in terms of offering a bit of decent entertainment.

It's even cute in parts, the cast is very good (notably with Bourdon as the King or Balasko or that Prince character) and it's crafted and directed in a way that it doesn't leave the viewer completely detached at the end like the characters were meaningless and totally forgettable.

6.5/10