Anyone who's familiar with romantic fairy tales knows that the man and woman "live happily ever after" at the story's close. Thus, the origin of the title for this updated version of the classic "Cinderella" story that certainly -- and not surprisingly -- doesn't stray from that formula that's proven successful throughout the ages.
Unlike the well-known Disney version, however, this one has forgone the fairy godmother, the pumpkin and the mice in favor of a more streamlined and "realistic" telling of the Brothers Grimm classic. Thus, those looking for those elements may be disappointed, but fans of old-fashioned romantic dramas should find this film to their liking.
That's mainly due to the lead characters and the standard complications in their lives that nearly prevent, but (of course) cannot stop the inevitable "ever after" finale. As such, director and co- writer Andy Tennant ("It Takes Two," "Fools Rush In") -- working with co-writers Susannah Grant and Rick Parks -- has fashioned something of a 90's version of the traditional story.
No longer is "Cinderella" a passive woman waiting and hoping for her prince and/or lucky day to come along. This woman, wonderfully played by a buoyant Drew Barrymore ("The Wedding Singer"), is well-educated, confident, and not initially enamored by the handsome prince. The former "E.T." child star certainly turns on the charm for this role and delivers an extremely likeable and winning performance.
Although the story is about as predictable as they come (especially because of its long and well- known history), the movie still manages to be moderately enjoyable and plays out like an old-fashioned film from yesteryear (albeit with modern day dialogue and conventions).
It should play well with women (who historically favor such movies more than men) and young girls (as long as they're not expecting the Disney version), but how it will perform with the rest of the audience is questionable.
Fortunately the movie is filled with enough complications to keep things interesting, doses of humor to lighten things up, and winning performances from the likes of Barrymore and Angelica Huston all of which make the film moderately entertaining.
Of particular note is that the DVD release retains all of the material from the theatrical release and thus its PG-13 rating (the VHS version was slightly edited and received a new PG rating). The culprit (for the PG-13): a scene where the Prince rides off after a thief and mutters the "f" word three times (although the subtitles list that as "Fa! Fa! Fa!"). Beyond that, the picture and audio quality are excellent, although the amount of supplemental materials is not (all we get is a lone theatrical trailer).
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