Cinderella undergoes a massive makeover not only by her Fabulous Godmother, aka Fab G (Billy Porter), but also through the alterations made to the original fairytale. The trailer of Cinderella looked promising and exciting and the film delivers on the same and how!
Kay Cannon, best known for writing, directing and producing the Pitch Perfect series and New Girl, has directed this mind-bending and snarky take on ‘Happily-Ever-Afters’. This feminist adaptation gives back Ella (Camilla Cabello) her autonomy and highlights the female characters that surround her. In a rather uplifting way, we witness art through excellent choreography of the songs and the grand but believable cinematography that comes with a fairytale romance.
Ella is passionate about dressmaking and wants to be the ‘one in a million’ who makes it on her own without having to marry a man to get all the comforts of life. Her stepmother (Idina Menzel) is not the evil stepmother that we are used to seeing but rather a woman who had her dreams squashed by patriarchy and wants a better, pain-free life for Ella. We feel empathy towards her by being lured into songs that make us want to groove.
The movie offers wonderful anecdotes, witty remarks and humour packed in with modern lingo. While the ballgowns transport us to a time of the Kings and Queens, the concept of the film and the ending snaps us right back to reality. Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine) comes across as a feminist himself who does not wish to squander Ella’s dreams but supports her all along. Having a beautiful relationship with his sister and mother, we see the making of a modern man.
With a supporting cast of Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver, James Cordon and John Mulaney among others, the acting department is excellent as is this film’s ranking on the diversity meter.
Personally I enjoyed the humour as it was unexpected from the fairytale precursors & norms we already have and I loved how Kay Cannon has picked loopholes in the original story and made it relevant to 2021. Knowing that little girls will grow up watching not only Billy Porter as the Godmother but also an independent & entrepreneurial version of Cinderella gives me hope that they will aspire to be their own knight in shining armour!
Cinderella is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
