Movies to Own: Ever After

Once upon a time (somewhere around, let's say, 1998), the magnificent Drew Barrymore starred in a movie about one of the most well-known fairy tale characters of all: Cinderella. In Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Drew plays as a young farm girl named Danielle whose father married and brought home a Baroness, along with her two daughters. When leaving on another business trip, Danielle's father has a heart attack and leaves Danielle in the care of a noble woman who seems to have a chip on her shoulder.

Sound familiar? Ever After is a retelling of the timeless Cinderella story, but under the classic and well-known exterior is a new take on the matter. The movie actually begins with the queen of France holding an audience with the Brothers Grimm to set them straight on the fairy tale which they had recently published. While the brothers try to defend their take on the story as it being a myth of which perhaps nobody will ever know the facts, the queen astonishes them with a tale of her great-great-grandmother and the factual events which occurred.

Because Ever After is told in a way which treats the Cinderella story as fact, the story itself is a lot more "down to earth" than the traditional fairy tale; you won't find magic and talking mice and fairy godmothers here. What you get instead is a marvelous story about a simple farm girl who, through several strange twists of fate, falls in love with the prince of France under the pretense of being a noble woman. Unlike many Cinderella stories, the two meet and fall in love long before the masquerade ball, and the fabled glass slipper plays a significantly different part in the story (the prince certainly doesn't need to search the kingdom for the slipper's owner if he already knows who it belongs to, right?).

The new take on such a familiar story is what makes Ever After such a great movie for first-time viewers; it may not leave you guessing, but it is nice to see how the plot details have been manipulated to make a unique movie despite using such an old formula. For repeat viewers, Ever After still has plenty to offer: great acting, beautiful costumes, and plenty of stellar moments which never get old no matter how many times you see them.

The talent of Drew Barrymore, Angelica Houston (the stepmother), Dougray Scott (Prince Henry), Timothy West (King Francis), Patrick Godfrey (Leonardo Da Vanci), among others, really brings this movie to life. Each actor and actress fits their respective role perfectly, adding plenty of depth to the characters which they portray. Angelica Houston makes a particularly cruel stepmother who is easy to hate (and hate with a passion), while Drew gives Danielle enough emotion to really make her a sympathetic character. Dougray Scott as Prince Henry also makes a fairly believable prince who wishes nothing more than to be rid of his crown despite his still-spoiled royal outlook on life. The cast of characters in Ever After is actually quite large and, while not every one of them gets the same amount of time in the spotlight, each brings a particular bit of flavor to their role and even the supporting characters deliver standout performances.

Ever After is set in feudal France, in a time when nobility and royalty were still on top of the food chain. It is this medieval setting which allows the Cinderella story to take on a nice, classic feel, and the décor and costumes of the movie really bring that anachronistic feel to life. The costumes in this movie are especially gorgeous, and they range anywhere from peasant garb to royal robes. Understandably the most amount of effort seems to have been placed on the wardrobe of Cinderella herself, and I must say that Drew Barrymore has never looked as stunning as when she dons any one of the many noble gowns and headdresses she wears in this movie. The rest of the outfits, from the king's robes to the simple attire of master painter Leonardo Da Vinci, also add a nice flair to this movie, sticking to the old-fashioned flavor of the era.

Don't get too caught up on the details, though. While the sets – everything from castles to farmland to a monastery – certainly look fitting for the time period, I'm sure that there are historians who would be able to find plenty of faults with their historic accuracy. While the Cinderella story is told as a factual tale within, the movie itself is still to be regarded as fiction. Despite some inaccuracies, the overall feeling of the movie is still very 16th-century, making it a special treat for fans of the medieval/renaissance look who aren't too particular about the details.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. The interesting new take on the classic fairy tale, beautiful sets and costumes, as well as the outstanding performances of all involved make it a film which is worth watching time and time again. No matter how many times I see this movie, the humor is still funny, the romance is still exciting, and the touching moments still get to me. It is easy to recommend Ever After to anyone who isn't afraid to give a "chick flick" the time of day. Do yourself a favor and, if you don't already own this movie, go out and pick it up; it's worth more than just a rental.