Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ella (Cabello). Her parents died when she was young, so she now lives with her cruel stepmother, Vivian (Idina Menzel), and two stepsisters, Malvolia (Maddie Baillio) and Narissa (Charlotte Spencer), who treat her like a servant. Because of the cinder that always gets on her face, they mock her by calling her Cinderella.
Despite their viciousness, the young girl is adamant about opening her own shop. So she makes gorgeous outfits in her basement room with her three adorable companion rats.
One day, during the guard-changing ritual, Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine) noticed Ella's beauty and fell in love with her right away.
The next day, dressed as a commoner, the Prince goes to the market and finds Ella trying to sell her dress, which he buys from her. He then invites her to an upcoming party, promising to introduce her to people from all over the world to whom she might sell her dresses.
However, by the time Ella is ready to attend the ball, her stepmother has destroyed her dress. With no suitable clothes left to wear, a magical butterfly (Billy Porter) arrives out of nowhere to assist her.
Fairy tales are one of the many subgenres in desperate need of fixing. Tall tales are told and retold many times that it loses any moral value.
With today's very open and progressive audiences, filmmakers should stop focusing on problematic narratives like in which women are objectified, muted, constricted, and ignored for the benefit of the love story. Gone are the days wherein a prince charming can swoop in at the last minute to save the beautiful maiden then get all the credit. Strong female characters no longer require men. Recent movies such as “Frozen” and this film make it possible to communicate a positive message to young viewers by changing the old story.
With that said, Key Cannon’s “Cinderella” is well-intentioned and genuine in its message that it is really difficult to hate all of the nonsensical things that happen in between. If there is one thing that this version of Cinderella should be remembered for it is giving Ella personality and substance. People, especially women, can now relate to her. The only unfortunate thing about it, it’s only her that received a total makeover. The other important characters like the Stepmother and the Prince Charming remain flat and uninspiring.
This can be attributed to the writing. The script is cringeworthy and they glittered it with oddly placed musical numbers and gags.
Following its announcement, there is legitimate concern about how Kay Cannon would alter the classic story. The Grimm Brothers' version of the tale has very overt problems and eliminating them from the narrative can seriously detract it from its fairytale-like allure. In Cannon’s "Cinderella," these problems like Ella’s passivity and meekness despite abuse are recognized, but they are not addressed sufficiently.
Another weakness is the casting of Camila Cabello. To be fair, the casts are all talented, with some having theater experiences and others being musicians. However, despite its abundance of talent, this film fails by giving newcomer Cabello the leading role. Everyone knows she can sing, but she is clearly 'acting' in this film. Her portrayal of Ella is not as natural as expected; everything she says and does appears rehearsed and calculated.
“Cinderella” might not be the tale we always dreamed of having. It is clearly not the best version of the story as there is still a lot of room left to improve it. But it did change the way people should see Ella and that itself deserves credit.
With that said, Key Cannon’s “Cinderella” is well-intentioned and genuine in its message that it is really difficult to hate all of the nonsensical things that happen in between. If there is one thing that this version of Cinderella should be remembered for it is giving Ella personality and substance. People, especially women, can now relate to her. The only unfortunate thing about it, it’s only her that received a total makeover. The other important characters like the Stepmother and the Prince Charming remain flat and uninspiring.
This can be attributed to the writing. The script is cringeworthy and they glittered it with oddly placed musical numbers and gags.
Following its announcement, there is legitimate concern about how Kay Cannon would alter the classic story. The Grimm Brothers' version of the tale has very overt problems and eliminating them from the narrative can seriously detract it from its fairytale-like allure. In Cannon’s "Cinderella," these problems like Ella’s passivity and meekness despite abuse are recognized, but they are not addressed sufficiently.
Another weakness is the casting of Camila Cabello. To be fair, the casts are all talented, with some having theater experiences and others being musicians. However, despite its abundance of talent, this film fails by giving newcomer Cabello the leading role. Everyone knows she can sing, but she is clearly 'acting' in this film. Her portrayal of Ella is not as natural as expected; everything she says and does appears rehearsed and calculated.
“Cinderella” might not be the tale we always dreamed of having. It is clearly not the best version of the story as there is still a lot of room left to improve it. But it did change the way people should see Ella and that itself deserves credit.
2/5
"Cindrella" (2021) is available on Amazon Prime.