Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)

I do believe that Cinderella will be a story told over and over again. Back in 1998, Drew Barrymore told the famous tale in another unique way. ‘Ever After’ maintains the Cinderella tale: a young girl is left with her evil stepmother and two stepsisters. She becomes a servant in her own home, although once she’s grown up, she catches the attention of a Prince who will do anything to find his true love again.

‘Ever After’ is set in the 16^th Century in France. The film constantly flitters between the two main protagonists. Firstly, Danielle (Drew Barrymore), aka our Cinderella. Danielle lives with her stepmother (played by Anjelica Huston), and her stepsisters, Marguerite (Megan Dodds) and Jacqueline (Melanie Lynskey). Once again, the stepmother is unnecessarily cruel to Danielle and favourites her own children, in particular Marguerite. Jacqueline, on the other hand, has to be one of my favourite characters in the film. Her innocence and kindness are constantly shown on screen portraying that Danielle is not fully alone in her family. From the get-go, Danielle is feisty and will do anything to save her own farm, anything to bring back the life and memory of her father. She is a wonderful character to watch.

Secondly, we follow the Prince of France, Henry (Dougray Scott). Once he hits our screens, we discover he is angry by his upbringing. He feels forced to live a life of royalty that he does not want. As one of the guards says, “he suffers from an arranged marriage” and all he wants to do is find his own path and his true love. This character is definitely not one to love from the beginning of the film, I actually find that he is a character that you need to learn to understand throughout the film rather than just seeing him as throwing a fit because he can’t get what he wants.

‘Ever After’ is a drama of romance and comedy. The comedy is not slap-you-in-the-face funny, but rather just the occasional chuckles or smiles. There is obviously romance with the story of Cinderella, you can’t expect any different. Additionally, there are a lot of twists and unexpected occurrences in this film, which differs quite dramatically from the traditional tale of Cinderella. Yes, the essence is there, but there’s a lot more to it than the bare bones. The most important one being that this Cinderella doesn’t need a Prince to save the day. Lastly, I cannot say the acting in this film is phenomenal, it is quite sketchy at times, but it adds to the comedy. It’s a cheesy film, not the best well-made, rather the opposite. Do remember it was filmed in 1998 and that definitely reflects throughout the film. Nevertheless, I do love this film. It’s soppy and funny in its own way. Besides, who doesn’t love a story of Cinderella?