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Movie Review - Ella Enchanted
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Tommy O'Haver |
| Starring: |
Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, and Vivica A. Fox |
| Rated: |
PG (some crude humor and language) |
| Length: |
95 minutes |
| Genre: |
Fantasy/Romance |
| Website: |
Ella Enchanted |
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PLOT
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Ella has been gifted/cursed/enchanted with a spell that makes her obey what anyone tells her to do.
This is only merely annoying until this knowledge gets into the wrong hands. She goes on a trek to
find the godmother who placed the spell on her, for only she can remove it and prevent her from hurting
the people she loves. Castles, ogres, giants, elves, a prince, and song and dance ensue.
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MS. ANG'S TAKE
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I wanted to see this movie. Okay? There, I said it. I was curious. That and I like Anne Hathaway.
Granted, I only saw her in "The Princess Diaries" (has she even been in anything else?) but I really
liked her. And she didn't let me down for this film. Something about the way she can be goofy and silly
and stupid and try to look bad ... but never really does. A real Everywoman. And I wanted to check out
Cary Elwes. I've loved him from his first "As you wish."
So, it opens with a sweeping panoramic flight through the Fairy Tale Kingdom. It is immediately evident
that there is no history or progression in this realm, as anachronisms are thrown at you left and right.
Yes, I used a big word. Let it be our word for the day. Look it up. Okay, I'll tell you, it means
"a thing out of place in time." It also happens to be my favorite word, and very appropriate for this
movie. Examples: a paperboy tossing the paper onto the porch of a thatch-roofed cottage, midriff-baring
iridescent gowns, taxi-colored horse drawn coaches ... so let me just say now, if this REALLY bothers you,
you probably won't like the movie. It bothered me at first, but then I thought, if I can get over it in
"A Knight's Tale" then I can deal with it here.
The stepmother is cruel, the stepsisters are mean and stupid, the King is scheming and evil, and Ella is
our hero caught in the middle. True, the prince saves her a few times, but, she really does kick some
butt. And the prince is an ... *ahem* ... ENCHANTING young man. Hugh Dancy makes a satisfying prince,
having just the right amount of ... well, everything. Charm, wit, tenderness, humor ... excuse me while
I sigh wistfully ... *aahhh.* To me, he looked like a cross between Orlando Bloom and Rufus Sewell. And
his voice sounded like Joseph Fiennes. Go figure.
Some very cool parts: Ella is at a giant's wedding, looking for her godmother, and is forced to sing a
song. She is nervous and embarrassed at first but as they cheer her on, telling her to "Sing louder"
and "Put a little more soul into it," she must obey, and it turns into a very worthy movie musical
moment, even though that's not quite the point of the movie.
And also when the stepmother is trying to make herself look younger for the ball, a man sells her
"Batox" - bat droppings and ox blood. She arrives at the ball with a grotesquely pulled back face and we
all have a good laugh at our youth-obsessed society.
Small parts by Minnie Driver, Heidi Klum, and Parminder K. Nagra (of "Bend it Like Beckham") round out
an entertaining cast. The ending ... well, I won't spoil it too much ... okay, who is really going to
see this? They all live happily ever after and a great big choreographed dance sequence commences. I
cringed at first when the music started playing, but it really was very funny and entertaining. The movie
never takes itself too seriously, and, besides Anne Hathaway's charm and appeal, that is the biggest thing
keeping the movie afloat. It definitely won't have a cult following like "The Princess Bride" and wasn't
even as memorable as "A Knight's Tale," but children and fairy tale fans like me should enjoy it.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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I don't know your mom, Johnny, but she might like this. There's certainly nothing here to offend her. I
don't think this would offend a 6 year old.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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I didn't see the trailer, but I saw a lot of commercials on TV. I think there were more angles and
interesting things going on than what those ads led me to believe there would be, but they give you the
general idea.
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THE GIST
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Don't expect "Ella Enchanted" to be TOO serious (you have seen the commercials, right?), but it is a fun
little piece of fluff. The actors did what they could with the story, cheesy as it sometimes is, and I
think it turned out all right. Definitely not for the man in your life, enjoy this with your girlfriends,
kids, or wait for DVD. There are so many cute little moments that I won't spoil, and when you add them
all up, they make for a very satisfying, happy-ended, frumpled fairy tale.
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