Ella Enchanted Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)April 22nd, 2004
ELLA ENCHANTED
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Wonderfully sweet and thoroughly enjoyable, ELLA ENCHANTED is like a live-action SHREK. This twist on the Cinderella story is complete with a handsome prince and evil stepsisters. The supremely likeable Anne Hathaway (THE PRINCESS DIARIES) plays Ella, a girl who wants to change a kingdom and who falls in love with a prince, known by his teenage fan club as Prince Char (Hugh Dancy).
The movie is set in a funny faux medieval village that looks like a new MedievalLand at Disneyland. Mixed with the ersatz scenery is very modern music and dialog, which makes for a magical and inviting kids' movie that will charm the adults as well. The humans share the kingdom with ogres, giants and elves, who are all mistreated, thanks to the evil regent, Prince Edgar (Cary Elwes), who is ruling the country until Prince Char ascends to the throne. One elf, Slannen (Aidan McArdle), wants to be a lawyer, but elves are only permitted to do singing, dancing and tomfoolery. Ella strives to be the voice of the downtrodden non-humans citizens of the land.
As a baby, Ella was cursed with "the gift of obedience" by a mischievous fairy (Vivica A. Fox). Ever since then, Ella snaps her shoulders back and speeds off to do anything asked of her. Most people in this fairytale remain oblivious to the secret reason behind Ella's strange behavior. Usually her "gift" ends up getting her into no end of trouble, as when her stepsisters, Hattie and Olive (played poorly by Lucy Punch and Jennifer Higham), tell her to steal stuff at a market. Sometimes it works the other way around, as when a mean kid tells her, "Bite me!"
The old songs are good-spirited and done joyfully, and the film's many special effects are imaginative. The script is a riot with funny little bits everywhere. Some of the best of these blink-and-you'll-miss items are the parchment recycle bin in the library, the hand-operated escalator in the town's pseudo mall, the newspaper ad for an "abacus programmer" and the book on Fairy Mandy's (Minnie Driver) bookshelf. Fairy Mandy, probably one of the worst fairies on record, has "Spells 101 for Dummies" prominently displayed on her sparse bookcase.
As the clock ticks down to midnight, the prince admonishes Ella not to believe everything thing she has read about him in "Medieval Teens." I hope I won't be giving anything away to say that they end up living happily ever after. This pleases every group but one. Prince Char's fan club is left in tears after seeing their hunk married.
ELLA ENCHANTED runs 1:35. It is rated PG for "some crude humor and language" and would be acceptable for all ages.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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