You can never go wrong with a Drew Barrymore movie. While I was skeptical at first when this movie came out, I was pleasently surprised in the end. The new updated and mature telling of the Cinderella story is a must have for the die hard romantics. The performances by Anjelica Houston and Megan Dodds are to be noted. I loved the twist on the other step sister played by Melanie Lynskey (she also starred in "Heavenly Creatures" with Kate Winslet). This is a must have DVD for any Drew Barrymore fan.

Those responsible for the casting and historical setting of this version of "Cinderella" must own the same book on The Renaissance that I own from the National Geographic Society. I say this because on one particular page on the Court of the real King Francis I, there is featured a painting called "Three Female Musicians", in which three dark-haired, dark-eyed ladies play instruments. The casting of Melanie Lynskey as Jacqueline de Ghent, the Good Stepsister, could well have been inspired by this painting. The same page also features an engraving of a tennis match such as the one featured in this film, which French nobles would have played in the 16th Century.
As the heroine of the tale, a still-baby-faced Drew Barrymore delivers a fine, charismatic performance as the scullery maid who will not be broken by the authority of her cruel stepmother(Observe,the French don't have a word for "stepmother", so there is a certain irony to the fact that this story takes place in France).
Anjelica Huston matches acting genes with Drew Barrymore as the conniving, overindulged stepmother of noble blood who uses her servants as pawns and refuses to cut her losses in order to adapt to economic adversity. It should be obvious to a viewer that she could have made the three young girls in her care work together to maintain the manor rather than pit them against each other.
As the Older Evil Stepsister, Marguerite, Megan Dodds was an interesting choice for the part because her pinched-faced cruelty is obvious to the audience, but not so readily obvious to the handsome Prince Henry, played by a befuddled but good-intentioned Dougray Scott, nor to the King and Queen, played by the appropriately strong and regal Timothy West and Judy Parfitt. Dodds'perfomance reminds me of the old adage, "An indulgent mother makes a sluttish daughter."
Melanie Lynskey's performance as the good Stepsister along with the performances of the actors who play the three servants, is one of the redeeming qualities of the otherwise miserable household. The presence of da Vinci in the story adds a divine benevolence to this tale, and as a child, I did read a version of "Cinderella" in which a male figure had the role of the Fairy Godmother.
I have wondered why the accents of the principals were English rather than French. But ultimately, we watch an assertive young woman with a keen intellectual ability form a necessary and loving alliance with a Prince which appropriately takes place over time, proving her mettle against both his tormenters and her own, going out of her way to rescue those she loves, inspiring a childhood friend to do the same on her behalf, encouraging the understanding of societal outcasts, improving the quality of life for her small circle of friends, and justly putting her tormentors in their rightful places.
This is a beautiful movie--a da Vinci painting come to life. However flawed it may be, it should inspire any viewer to great things!

Very often "realistic fantasy stories" flop like dying fish. "Ever After" is one of the few exceptions, a sparkling tale about Cinderella in a semi-historic setting, with an outstanding cast, strong script, and a delightful love story. What's a fairy tale without magic? It's "Ever After."

Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is a young girl raised alone by her father, who encourages his daughter's intelligence, curiosity and strong will. But her life takes a tragic turn when her father marries a haughty social-climber Baroness Rodmilla De Ghent (Angelica Houston), and brings her and her two daughters Marguerite and Jacqueline (Megan Dodds and Melanie Lynskey) to live with Danielle. He dies tragically of a heart attack, leaving his daughter alone with his widow. Years later, Danielle is treated like one of the servants, with whom she is a loyal friend. Her only relics of her past life are a pair of shoes and a beautiful dress left by her mother.

When one of the servants is imprisoned falsely for theft, Danielle goes to try to save him. And there, she bumps into the young Prince Henry, who is being pressured by his stuffy parents to marry -- and Rodmilla is targeting him as a potential mate for one of her daughters. But Henry falls in love with Danielle -- her intelligence, her political knowledge, her love of fun, her bravery, and her strength.As Danielle and the prince grow closer, the scheming of her stepmother threatens to destroy their relationship.

The director knows the right way to mix comedy and drama in a way that seems entirely plausible. When Henry "dumps" the Spanish princess, or when he wakes his parents with all sorts of bright plans, the audience laughs out of affectionate amusement. You like or dislike the characters exactly as the director wants you to. And he apparently knows that magic is less in plot elements than in the atmosphere -- though the setting is medieval France, there is the sort of bright, ornate look to the castle and clothes that you see in fairy tales. (The only exception is the painfully-90s gown and sparkling makeup that Danielle wears at the climax. This is medieval France, not the Butterfly prom!) The script is full of funny or tense moments, and the frequent uses of Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" add an extra dimension of realism. And, in perhaps the most brilliant move in this film, one of the stepsisters is not "wicked." Rather the chubby, not-as-pretty but good-natured Jacqueline adds a silent ally to Danielle and prevents Jacqueline and Marguerite from turning, essentially, into one character.

Drew Barrymore is exquisite as Danielle, putting on Danielle's intelligence, wit and strength with ease and believability. Thankfully Danielle is never turned into a feminist in the usual sense of the word; she is unafraid to show that she is every inch a man's equal, but the movie doesn't bash viewers with that theme. Dougray Scott is equally good as Henry, mixing pride and confusion, sweetness and boredom into a very believable young prince. Anjelica Huston is almost hammily enjoyable as Rodmilla; Dodds and Lynskey are even better as her daughters. And even Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey) makes an appearance to help smooth out the course of true love.

This is a family movie in the best sense of the word. The plotline and scripting are clever enough for adults to enjoy thoroughly, but there is nothing that the kids can't watch. So get everyone together and watch this enchanting retelling.