EVER AFTER

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CAST

Drew Barrymore
Anjelica Huston
Dougray Scott
Patricj Godfrey
Megan Dodds
Melanie Lynsky
Jeroen Krabbe

DIRECTED BY

Andy Tennant

PURCHASE

DVD

Time: 121 mins.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Romance

I have to say there's nothing like a good romance, especially one that ends happily. EVER AFTER is a retelling of "Cinderella" with some slight modifications. In this version, "Cinderella" is named Danielle and she can take care of herself. The movie hinges on the charm, spirit and beauty of Drew Barrymore, as well as the good looks of our Prince Charming, Dougray Scott. They make a wonderful couple, giving the audience something nice to look at as they find their way to true love. As we all know, this is not an easy path. He is, after all, the heir to the throne and she is only a commoner, forced into a life of servitude by her obnoxious and unfeeling step-mother, played wonderfully by Anjelica Huston. Her step-sisters are vain, silly and arrogant. Instead of welcoming her into their family when her father suddenly dies, they banish her, in her own home, to work as one of their servants. Danielle doesn't complain about her life. She has her friends and her books to keep her company.

She meets the prince on several occasions dressed as a courtier and leaves a lasting impression as much for her beauty as for her thoughts and ideas. The prince is enamoured with her spirit and begs her to tell him who she is. She gives her mother's name in order to escape punishment for pretending to be a member of the court. When he is forced by the King to either choose a bride for himself or marry the princess of Spain, Henry searches Danielle out knowing she's the woman who can make him truly happy. However, her wicked step-mother has other plans. Mainly to make her eldext daughter Marguerite queen. The prince must announce his choice at the upcoming ball and she is determined to make sure he chooses her daughter. However, try as she might, she cannot stop the course of true love. Initially, the prince despises Danielle for her deception, but when he's left at the altar by the spanish princess, he realizes Danielle is the only woman for him. There are some silly and unbelievable moments in this movie, but I had to forgive the filmmakers for them. After all, this is a fairy tale.

"You cannot leave everything to Fate, boy. She's got a lot to do. Sometimes you must give her a hand."

Surprisingly, this film is not as mushy as it could have been. Mainly because there is as much conversation between the prince and Danielle as romance, making EVER AFTER much more watchable than one might think. However, if you don't like Drew, you won't like this film. She's a very strong, intelligent and sweet Cinderella, however her pouty lips and sad eyes can get a bit tired if you're not a fan. Her accent is just abismal as well. Either use it consistantly or just speak normally. The sometimes English thing was just irritating, especially when they were supposed to be from France. Anjelica was vicious with just the right touch of camp to make her step-mother memorable. Dougray Scott is charming, but he's nothing to write home to mother about. EVER AFTER is a sweet, well-done update to this classic story. One may ask if it was worth retelling this story again...and I say YES. Though for the reasons listed above, I just couldn't rate it any higher. However, if you're in the mood for romance, you won't be disappointed. If you're a guy, don't bother. This movie isn't for you.

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