Movie Review

Film Review: CINDERELLA (2021): Light-hearted, Studded with Humor, and Generally Uplifting

Nicholas Galitzine Camila Cabello Billy Porter Cinderella

Cinderella Review

Cinderella (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Kay Cannon, and starring Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Nicholas Galitzine, Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, Tallulah Greive, Maddie Baillio, Charlotte Spencer, James Corden, James Acaster, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett, Doc Brown, Luke Latchman, Fra Fee, and Jenet Le Lacheur.

Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect) wrote and directed this latest re-telling of one of the oldest folk tales, part jukebox musical with some original songs co-written by pop vocalist Camila Cabello and Idina Menzel (Frozen), as well as some Rap interludes by Doc Brown in the role of town crier.

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Producer James Cordon (Into the Woods) put a new spin on the plot, though the same basic story follows its many predecessors: Cinderella, an orphan, lives in the household dominated by her stepmother and two stepsisters. By way of a fairy godmother, Cinderella gets a makeover, goes to the ball, charms the Prince, but loses her glass slipper when she flees at midnight. After some tribulations, our heroine and the Prince marry and live happily ever after.

But that’s where the similarities end, reworked into the context of present-day social sensibilities in a wholesale departure from its theme, even to outright contradiction. But there is a long historical precedent for this.

The legend of Cinderella began its oral tradition in 7 BC, when Basto, Greek scholar, told the story of a slave girl named Rhodopis (‘rosy-cheeked’) who, after a series of misfortunes, marries the Pharaoh. From there the story spread, word-of-mouth, to Rome, Persia, Malta, and to Henry II’s English court around 1170.

Independent tales of the ‘Persecuted Heroine’ (as cataloged in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther folklore index) appeared elsewhere. In Asia, the sad story of Ye Xian was popular in China from around 860 BCE; in Vietnam she was called Neang Kantoc, and in Japan, Ubagawa. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, several different versions (including one where the hero was male) were recounted in “The Tales of the Arabian Nights.”

All these survived in the oral tradition until 1634, when Giambattista Basile first printed the story of in Naples. This served as the foundation for the popular tale today, thanks to Charles Perrault in 1697, and later the Brothers Grimm in 1812 among the most popular. Since then, the hapless waif has made her way into scores of adaptations in every medium, including a 1945 Soviet ballet by Prokofiev.

This latest twist on the folk tale with Ms. Cannon at the helm is light-hearted, studded with humor, and generally up-lifting. But instead of the meek, obedient, and patient heroine, this one is  full of spunk. This sets up the main thematic twist, where female empowerment prevails in one way or another.

For example, stepmother Vivian, portrayed by Idina Menzel, is not so much cruel as stern and sincerely protective of Cinderella. She presses a “suitable” marriage over her stepdaughter’s dream of becoming a successful dressmaker and business owner. Vivian shares the consequences of indulging her own talent as musician.

While Vivian still shows deference to her own daughters, Malvolia (Maddie Bialillio) and Narissa (Charlotte Spencer), they often rely on Cinderella’s advice. Like the many versions before this one, this is the story of women stuck in the mire of social convention. But in this one, the women form a bondage of sisterhood in which their talents could blossom independently of husbands and fathers.

The most rock-ribbed authority is King Rowan himself (Pierce Brosnan). Like Vivian, he presses a political marriage on his rebellious son, Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine). The King is deaf to any whisper of social progress, either from his wife, Queen Beatrice (Minnie Driver) or their level-headed daughter, Princess Gwen (Tallulah Greive).

Yes, that’s right: a daughter, full of practical ideas to benefit everyone in the kingdom, high and low. This is a brand-new twist, and it’s a huge one that stretches all the way to the end.

The Ball itself is great fun. The guests are outfitted wonderfully; the decor and furnishings are a pastiche of anachronisms that span the centuries. The ethnically assorted beauties meant to entice the Prince into marriage join in a vigorous, group roundelay. But then Ella appears in a dress of her own design, courtesy of her Fabulous Godmother (Billy Porter), whose portrayal opts for high-camp magic over the traditional wise old dame.

The rousing musical numbers include lovely original pieces by Jessica Rose Weiss, Camila Cabella and Idina Menzel as noted, and well-known pop numbers, appropriate to the plot points, among them “Somebody to Love,” “Material Girl,” and “Shining Star,” accompanied by extraordinary choreography.

The performances across the board are in good step with the pacing and ambiance of the film. The quips are tossed around confidently in modern parlance, and most of them work, as do the romantic ones. One very powerful dramatic scene deserves a mention when the Queen, confronts her obstinate husband and reminds him of happier times in their marriage.

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If we consider again the cross-cultural heroine mentioned above, we may better appreciate this latest addition to the Cinderella pantheon. Certainly it stresses message over moral, one example being the struggle between progress and conformity. But perhaps that is the real beauty of folklore; it stands the test of time because it carries context within itself. It changes as we change.

Rating: 7/10

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David McDonald

David Erasmus McDonald was born in Baltimore into a military family, traveling around the country during his formative years. After a short stint as a film critic for a local paper in the Pacific Northwest and book reviewer, he received an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University, mentored by Ross Klavan and Richard Uhlig. Currently he lives in the Hudson Valley, completing the third book of a supernatural trilogy entitled “Shared Blood.”
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