EverAfter (1998)

the audience applauded

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Memorable, crazy movie

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Well, it is a fairy story, (sort-of), with an awful step- mother(Huston), and step-sisters, one of whom looks so much like the main character Danielle (Barrymore) that I had difficulty connecting with either! So, the casting people could have done better? The other sister is blonde, and instantly recognisable.Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) is the star of this movie for me, although the others get the main billing. He gets a lot of time and can show a lot of emotion and attitude that adds so much to any movie. And I liked the brief appearance of Timothy West as the Prince's father. And then there is Leonardo Da Vince no less! and he gets some great lines and scenes.

The film Ever After is told by an elderly woman who talks to the Brother Grimns and Charles Pennault on Danielle who would soon be an inspiration for their fairy tale Cinderella(which we all grew and love today). But this version of Cinderella isn't like any other Cinderella adaptation.Released in 1998 the film stars Drew Barrymore(sporting a British accent) as a young woman named Danielle who lives with her evil stepmother played by Angelica Huston and her daughters(one of Danielle's stepsisters is nice to her, the other stepsister treats her like dirt). Danielle father you see married a baron (who is Huston's character)and he tragically dies of a heart attack as he was going away on a business trip and he collapsed and died as Danielle and the baron watched in horror.Meanwhile later on in the film Danielle meets a handsome prince named Henry played by Dougray Scott, whom she had no idea was a prince as she threw something at him and she apologized to him.She disguises herself as a countess and meets Henry again as she tries to save a man who is been sold off,and Henry assumes that Danielle is a countess. But will he love Danielle for her real self and not as a countess named Nicole(who is the name of Danielle's deceased mother)?. Overall I really enjoyed this version as well as it had more screen time with Danielle and the prince BUT I have a few issues with it.1. What is Leonardo Di Vinci got to do with Cinderella? Cinderella has a fairy godmother NOT a famous painter.2. Shouldn't Henry assume that the countess was Danielle since he seen her face before?3. The romance between the prince and Danielle was very well done and Danielle is a very headstrong girl who can stand up to herself,but Cinderella wasn't like that at all.Bottom line I must be the only person who prefers Lily James' outtake of Cinderella but I grew up with the tale of a young servant girl who wins the heart of her prince and doesn't meet him until the ball and she loses a glass slipper and doesn't tell the prince who she is or her name.This was a good movie too but like I said I prefer Lily James' version.7/10Kudos though for not having Ever After predicable even though parts of it was as I knew Danielle would be with the prince in the end.

The well known familiar fairy tale is bought into Renaissance Italy. Her evil stepmother Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) has reduced Danielle (Drew Barrymore) to little more than a maid after the death of her father. Marguerite (Megan Dodds) is the horrible stepsister, and Jacqueline (Melanie Lynskey) is nice one. Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) can't stand his home, and runs into Danielle one day as well as Leonardo da Vinci (Patrick Godfrey) rescuing his Mona Lisa painting. Leonardo would be the fairy godmother.Drew Barrymore is doing a weird British accent in a costume drama taking place in 16th century Italy. There are castles and horses but little grandeur. Although it's a nice idea, it doesn't have any tension or magic. It's not gritty enough to be real nor beautiful enough to be fanciful. The story itself is good triumphing over evil just like the fairy tale.

Rating: A+With a great script, captivating plot, and accomplished actors, Ever After is an entertaining and highly enjoyable historical romance film. Given the medieval scenery and attire, the film pulls the audience directly into the bustle of the late eighteenth century. From sword fighting, romance, comedy, and drama, this film seemingly pulls all of these aspects together into one great film. Each time that I watch this movie, I feel connected to the main character Danielle, played by Drew Barrymore. Through each climatic scene where she faces set-backs and adversity I want her to succeed and find romance in the end. This film, and more specifically Barrymore's acting, has the ability to make the audience feel sad when Danielle is rejected by the prince in front of the entire kingdom or when she is sold off to pay her step mother's debt and happy when the prince saves her and asks for her forgiveness. Although the film is set in the eighteen century, it is easy to relate to Danielle, who despite hardships, has managed to make the most out of her seemingly horrible life. This film is a retelling of the fairy tale Cinderella. With evil step mothers and sisters, an extravagant ball, a pompous prince waiting to marry for love, and even with a glass slipper, the film aligns itself with the same occurrences of the classic fairytale. Noticing the cyclical nature of fairy tales and how they are often redone, it is important to take a look at the common theme between fairy tales and their remakes. In both the fairytale version and in the movie Ever After, the main theme that is shared is that evil behavior will have repercussions and that good will always prevail. In both of the films, the step mothers serve as an oppressive force to the main protagonist. However, in Ever After one of the step sisters helps Danielle, yet comes short of advocating against her mistreatment. Nonetheless, in both of the films, the main protagonist succeeds and finds love when truly all hope seems lost. The glass slipper is probably the most apparent similarity between the two films, which indicates the importance of the symbol. At the end of Ever After, Prince Henry played by Dougray Scott, after begging Danielle for forgiveness, kneels down and replaces the slipper Danielle lost at the ball. This also happened in the classic story. Yet in Ever After, Prince Henry rejected Danielle for falsely imposing as a countess. In the final scene, Prince Henry, after saving her from Pierre Le Pieu, a vile man who is taken with Danielle played by O'Brien, has to ask Danielle to forgive him for his past actions. Although the core message has transferred between the two films, there are differences. In Ever After, Danielle does not represent the typical female fairytale character waiting idly for the price to sweep her off of her feet. Danielle has read books and often times challenges Prince Henry about various topics. Her conviction astounds Prince Henry, who falls in love with her personality over her looks. They say that behind ever great leader, is a strong woman providing support, and that notion is clearly represented in the movie, as Danielle offers her ideas on how to improve the kingdom. Ever After offers the audience the possibility to escape into a new and exciting world, where true love always prevails and evil people are always punished. In contrast to the real world, Ever After offers the audience a chance to escape into a different time period and a new life where there is always a happy ending.