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Features actors: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Patrick Godfrey, Jeroen Krabbe, Megan Dodds, Melanie Lynskey & Richard O'Brian Rating:PG-13 Running time: 121 Min. Drew Barrymore plays Danielle, according to her great-great-great grand-daughter the real inspiration for the story of Cinderella. Just as in the classic fairy tale, Danielle lives with her mean stepmother and stepsisters, after the death of her beloved father. They force her to do all the work. She meets the prince, goes to the ball wearing glass slippers, and runs away before midnight. But there are some big differences. No pumpkin coach, no fairy godmother, and no bibbity-bobbity-boo. This heroine is not meekly obedient. She stays on because she wants to take care of her home and the people who work there, because it makes her feel close to her father, and because she still hopes that somehow she will find approval from the only mother she has ever known. The stepmother, played by Anjelica Houston in her most evil "The Witches" mode, is not going to give it to her. She tells Danielle that she sees her as a pebble in her shoe. All she cares about is making sure that the prince chooses her elder daughter, Marguerite (Megan Dodd), as his bride. She is willing to lie, cheat, and steal to make it happen. Meanwhile, the Prince (Dougray Scott) is not quite Charming. He appears arrogant, but is really just lonely and aimless. His parents want him to marry the princess of Spain to cement a strategic alliance, but he wants to fall in love. He meets Danielle when she's disguised as a courtier to rescue a family servant sold by her stepmother to pay her debts, and he's very taken by Danielle's passion and intellect. The stepmother finds out about their relationship and does her best to thwart it. When the prince finds out that Danielle is not really of noble birth, he's furious at first. But it all ends happily ever after, even without a fairy godmother (though with a little help from Leonardo da Vinci). This is such a great Cinderella movie!Great acting, time setting is in the 16th century France, with great costumes, makes you feel like your in that time frame when watching.Would recommend to rent or buy!Hope this helps you decide.Thanks for reading!Please click YES at the bottom.:)Read full review
Drew Barrymore.....an enigma wrapped in a mystery. There's something about her, something.....magic. She plays the role she has in this age old tale, in a very Drew Barrymore way. Not the archetypal Cinderella, this one is dangerous, quick witted, very much a hero type for today. When SHE rescues the Prince, when SHE secures her own escape, without the need for a man to save her....this movie deserves support, if only for the refreshing new taste it brings to this fable.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
...and I want them to grow up with THIS version of Cinderella in their hearts! Instead of a passive young girl, depending on a fairy godmother and magic to ease her way to the Prince, we have the self-reliant Danielle, who is generally happy, though her lot in life is far from ideal. She is honorable, in that she is determined to keep the home and the family of servants she grew up loving together. She is brave, confronting a horse thief, a band of gypsies and a very bad man, and besting them! And she is optimistic, hoping against all signs to the contrary that her (wicked, wicked) Stepmother will one day tell her that she loves her. Perhaps it is because of the gifts her Father gave her; the book, "Utopia"--and the ability to read! That will open more doors in this world than magic, and is no doubt one of the reasons Danielle's views are of the way things SHOULD BE, rather than the way they too often are! It's a wonderful story, and I'm so glad that Drew Barrymore has given us a great role model while re-telling the old fairy tale. The location shots are excellent and the costumes are first rate, so we have a visual feast as well as a morality play. The acting is of the highest caliber; could there be anyone better to play Stepmother than Anjelica Huston? Dougray Scott is a handsome, yet flawed, Prince--until he meets Danielle! And Megan Dodd plays a beautiful stepsister who learned to be evil at her mother's knee. But one of my favorite characters is Jacqueline, played by Melanie Lynskey, who is "just there for the food..." I could not begin to count the number of times I've watched it; unfortunately it's becoming scarce on television and they haven't begun to stream it on Netflix yet. So it's time to buy my own disc. I'll be watching it often; and may have to buy a couple more for two special young ladies!(They won't be 'borrowing' mine!) Thank goodness for eBay!Read full review
Everyone knows the Cinderella story, or at least the Disney version. Some may even know the story by the brothers Grimm. Now I like fairy tales, but I'd never fallen in love with one until I saw Ever After with Drew Barrymore. Few movies manage to truly transport me into their world. But from the very start, Ever After had me captivated. The world of little Danielle became mine. What did it? The location was perfect for the farm. The costumes were superb. The dialogue coach did an incredible job. And all of the actors were very Renaissance to me. The script managed to turn an unbelievable fairy tale into a story that is now very much real. Forget pumpkins and mice. This Ella of the Cinders slept with the book Utopia by her side, mingled with the other servants on the estate, and managed to befriend and eventually enlist the help of none other than Leonardo Da Vinci - a far cry from a handful of singing, dancing mice. It took more than a dance and a fancy dress to make this Prince Charming - Or Prince Henry, as the case may be - fall in love with our Cinderella. She did it with her wit, her charm, her poise, and her intellect that was way ahead of its time. Wicked stepmother? Indeed. Wicked stepsisters? Well, one of them. A fantastical creation that was masterfully crafted, this new Cinderella set the new standard for modern fairy tales. As I've already mentioned, the characters in this version of the Cinderella story are very real. Drew Barrymore was the perfect choice for the lead role. Her supporting cast was well chosen, and we see more than just the one-dimensional personalities of the old story. Bravo to the cast and the casting director. A true romantic at heart, I must admit that I'm a sucker for a good love story. But Ever After is more than just a flimsy script and a few cutesy moments. There is real drama and real emotion, real conflict and real talent to be seen. This is more than just another attempt to remake a classic story. I recommend this movie to anyone else who is a romantic at heart. Ever After would be especially good for winding down after a long week with the person you love. So cuddle up on the sofa and see for yourself. I hope you agree.Read full review
I watched, 'Ever After' on video. I feel this has been a very overlooked movie. The casting of this movie was quite well done. Not to mention the costume designs in every area of this movie were elegant, superb. Some of the films' location shots are just beautiful. This is not the traditional Cinderella story we may be used to, however, it holds its own throughout the entire movie. Anjelica Huston makes hating her easy as Daniel's (Drew Barrymore) evil stepmother. Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) was unknown to me when I saw this movie. He does well in both his acting and is quite easy on the eyes. I found this story-line made me want to cheer for the good characters as well as the 'evil' characters getting their, "Just Desserts" I think this movie is a must see for the sentimental viewer as well as anyone who just plain appreciates the art of cinema. This movie is well written, cast, directed and full of great arty film making.Read full review
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