Review of Ella Enchanted (2004) by Chris O — 24 Nov 2014

This was an interesting movie to watch a decade after it was released and you realize how far the fairy tale genre has really come, with twists like Maleficent and the upcoming Into the Woods stealing the show out from under the sugary sweet archetype. It's also a pleasant reminder of how far Anne Hathaway has come as an actress. She started her career with many of these sweet princess roles, essentially Anne Hathaway playing Anne Hathaway. She did it well, but it's a good thing she's branched out since then. I also enjoyed the addition of Cary Elwes, who as always played Cary Elwes very well. I enjoyed the random cameo of Heidi Klum as a giantess.

That being said, this was not a good film. It's a trotted out old narrative stuck in a deep rut, a classic fairy tale with a couple of schmaltzy and supposed-to-be-funny twists. I also found myself peeved that the story brought out issues of patriarchy, classism, racism, and servitude without even trying to actually address critical issues. Just as one example, I found myself miffed that Ella got to break through her "gift" but the Prince, who was born into a class system at the high end of the privilege spectrum. He mentioned several times that he had never felt like he would be a good leader, that he didn't get a say in the matter, but where was his resolution, his freedom. It all basically went away because some pretty girl told him he'd be good at it. I guess it's more important to obey social order than a magic spell. And don't even get me started on how problematic it was that the only black character was the neglectful fairy godmother, perpetuating the archetype of the bad black mother.

Ok, sorry, getting off the critical high horse now. This is a cute movie and all. It's entertaining enough and full of wonder, charm, and reasonable acting to keep young children afloat. However, some adults may not be able to look past the blatant use critical race/class issues as a plot device without true engagement or resolution.