Cinderella 2021 Movie Review: Camila Cabello's Musical Fairytale Has Happily Ever After For Everyone
Cinderella is only good for its one-line pitch. The story does not have to suffer for the sake of experimentation. However, the film is worth a watch for the carefree experience it is trying hard to sell.
Available
On:
Amazon
Prime
Video
Duration:
113
minutes
Language:
English
Story:
Cinderella
is
a
musical
modern-day
retelling
of
the
Disney
fairytale.
It
follows
Ella
a
peasant
girl
who
dreams
of
owning
a
boutique
and
selling
dresses
designed
by
her.
Meanwhile,
Billy
Porter
plays
Fairy
Godparent
aka
Fab
G
who
helps
Ella
reach
the
royal
ball.
Review:
Over
the
course
of
the
film's
promotion
the
makers
have
revealed
that
the
idea
of
the
retelling
began
with
producer
James
Corden's
concern
about
how
outdated
fairytales
are.
The
Amazon
Prime
Original
serves
its
purpose,
the
film
is
inclusive
and
breaks
stereotypes
not
only
for
women
but
also
children
who
have
dreams
for
themselves,
who
want
adventure
and
hope
to
discover
the
world.
Camila
is
introduced
as
a
peasant
girl
Ella,
who
is
stuck
in
her
basement
designing
clothes
for
no
one
in
particular.
She
dreams
that
someday
she
will
be
able
to
start
her
own
boutique
called
Dresses
By
Ella
and
sell
her
designs
across
the
world.
Ella
is
told
off
by
her
stepmother,
Vivian
(Idina
Menzel)
reminding
her
that
women
cannot
own
businesses.
Meanwhile,
Vivian
is
obsessed
with
having
a
better
future
for
herself
and
her
daughters.
Her
priority
is
marrying
the
girls
off
into
a
rich
family
so
they
can
all
live
in
luxury
and
comfort.
Prince
Robert
(Nicholas
Galitzine)
also
gets
an
interesting
twist
of
his
own
in
the
new
retelling.
He
is
shown
as
an
adventurous
lad
looking
forward
to
taking
his
father's
place
as
King
because
it
is
expected
of
him,
not
because
it
makes
him
happy.
He
refuses
marriage
proposals
brought
for
the
sake
of
land
and
territory
and
chooses
to
find
his
true
love.
We
also
get
to
see
the
King
and
the
Queen
struggle
with
their
relationship,
while
the
smart
and
intelligent
princess
fights
for
a
room
at
the
counsel's
table.
Robert
first
sets
his
eyes
on
Ella
at
a
public
event
and
is
impressed
when
she
defies
the
King.
He
then
proceeds
to
look
for
her
in
disguise
and
buys
a
dress
designed
by
her.
On
offering
an
invite
to
the
ball,
Ella
refuses
to
go
since
she
is
not
looking
for
love.
But
Robert
convinces
her
that
he
will
introduce
her
to
possible
clients
from
all
around
the
world.
The
rest
of
the
story
goes
pretty
much
the
same
except
for
the
ending
which
gives
second
chances
to
every
single
character.
The
makers
have
made
the
film
more
about
new
beginnings
and
acceptance
instead
of
that
action
and
consequences.
Cinderella
does
not
take
itself
too
seriously
nor
does
it
give
an
audience
the
chance
to
hate
any
characters.
The
stepsisters
are
shown
open
to
Ella's
contribution
and
the
only
time
stepmother
does
get
mad
at
her
is
when
she
realises
if
Ella
comes
to
the
ball,
her
daughters
will
not
have
a
chance
to
win
Robert's
heart.
Camila
Cabello's
Ella
is
the
most
underdeveloped
character
in
the
film.
Her
only
trait
is
she
wants
to
become
a
businesswoman,
even,
people's
princess
Gwen
(Tallulah
Greive)
who
has
a
screen-time
of
lesser
than
ten
minutes
has
a
more
rounded
personality.
Camila
also
seems
more
robotic
as
an
actress
but
gives
an
incredible
performance
as
a
singer.
Prince
Robert
and
Queen
Beatrice
(Minnie
Driver)
are
two
characters
and
actors
that
will
surprise
the
audience
the
most.
On
the
other
hand,
Idina
Menzel
is
the
only
star
who
makes
a
mark.
She
is
not
only
perfect
as
the
stepmother
but
is
also
the
only
character
who
makes
a
deeper
connection
with
the
audience.
The
soundtrack
of
the
film
has
several
hit
pop
songs
and
few
originals
like
Million
to
One,
and
Dream
Girl.
While
some
of
them
feel
very
out
of
place
for
the
time
and
countryside
but
they
fit
right
in
with
the
film's
tone.
Unlike
Emily
Blunt's
Mary
Poppins,
the
soundtrack
of
Cinderella
is
actually
enjoyable.
The
screenplay
is
based
only
on
inclusivity
and
breaking
stereotypes,
it
is
not
necessarily
focused
on
building
a
story
or
giving
the
audience
a
dramatic
representation
through
the
retelling.
While
the
original
Cinderella
had
moments
of
sadness
and
misery
even
loss
of
hope,
Camila
Cabello's
musical
is
oozing
sunshine
even
in
the
lowest
moment.
Overall,
Cinderella
is
good
only
for
its
one-line
pitch.
The
story
does
not
have
to
suffer
when
trying
to
be
more
inclusive.
If
the
director
and
writer
Kay
Cannon
had
spent
more
time
on
paper
the
execution
could
lead
to
more
appreciation
of
all
the
diverse
characters.
However,
the
film
is
worth
a
watch
for
the
carefree
experience
it
is
trying
hard
to
sell.