Critic Reviews
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Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Drew Barrymore plays the complicated belle of the climactic ball and develops a convincing intellectually based friendship with the prince.
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Leonard Klady, Variety
The script by Susannah Grant, Rick Parks and director Andy Tennant successfully maintains the story's period trappings while introducing a heroine with modern resonance.
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Wally Hammond, Time Out
Given that this is adolescent romance, never straying far from traditional stereotypes, its 'progressive' feel-good aura is mainly down to Barrymore, whose limitations are only exposed in big love scenes.
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Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Though director Andy Tennant was enthusiastic about putting this kind of spin on Cinderella, his touch turns out to be counterproductive.
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John Hartl, Film.com
Ever After is a droll, uneven treatment of a familiar story that could become as popular with children as the 1950 Disney cartoon version.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The old tale still has life and passion in it.
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Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Charmng [thanks to] its game cast who are having an obviously marvelous time sashaying about and saying gaily artificial dialogue.
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S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Charming take on Cinderella tale has strong heroine.
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, Film4
An affable film that helped affirm Drew Barrymore's place in the Hollywood firmament as something cosier than a one-trick wild child.
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Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Once upon a time there was a feisty young woman who didn't sit around twiddling her pretty thumbs and singing "Someday My Prince Will Come."
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
A delightful movie, full of feisty, three-dimensional characters romping through comedy, romance and otherwise gloriously colorful moments.
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Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Drew Barrymore is delightful as Danielle, straightforward yet provocative, beautiful even when her face is smeared with the ashes from the fireplace.
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Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
You won't see a fairy godmother flitting from scene to scene. Nor will a pumpkin magically transform into a chariot.
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James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
The real magic is found in Andrew Dunn's stunningly lovely photography, which makes every scene look like a vintage storybook illustration.
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Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
One of the year's best films.
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Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
The bottom line is: it's cute. And it's relatively inoffensive.
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John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
There are a few nice moments when Barrymore's acting talent shines through, and the same can be said for Huston and Scott. But as a romantic comedy, this film is only slightly above average.
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Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
A high-spirited Renaissance romance starring the thoroughly modern Drew Barrymore.
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John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...altogether enchanting entertainment.
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Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix
Barrymore aces her 16th-century elocution, but her vampy magnetism -- always her dominant charm -- is snuffed in this goody-goody role.
Read all 20 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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I loved this movie when I was younger. It's a great Cinderella story, full of wonder, magic, and romance. The costumes and settings are beautiful. The story is good, and so is the acting. I recommend it.
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Often lacks the plausibility and seriousness that the premise suggests but the chemistry between Barrymore and Scott just shines with an incredibly well written script. Ultimately it wins us over with it's unrelenting charm and wit.
Where Disney's version relied on actual… More
Often lacks the plausibility and seriousness that the premise suggests but the chemistry between Barrymore and Scott just shines with an incredibly well written script. Ultimately it wins us over with it's unrelenting charm and wit.
Where Disney's version relied on actual magic and animated impossibilities, the magic in this film comes from it's fun, emotion and uplifting qualities.
In the end it's a harmless romance that works through n' through despite the fact that many feel it's merely a re-telling. A well made chick-flick.
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A classical re-envisioning of the much loved fairytale seemed like a good idea, an exciting challenge for many a young aspiring director one would have thought. Unfortunately that director was Andy Tennant. Contrary to popular belief, the story of Cinderella wasn't written by… More
A classical re-envisioning of the much loved fairytale seemed like a good idea, an exciting challenge for many a young aspiring director one would have thought. Unfortunately that director was Andy Tennant. Contrary to popular belief, the story of Cinderella wasn't written by Walt Disney (to be fair, Tennant makes that much clear here but the fact still seems lost after reading the reviews here on flixster) and this is not a 'remake' of the Disney version. This is a retelling of the story or an altered version for a brain-dead audience. The story is without author, it is a folk tale, a mix of older stories with Greek and Chinese origin, first published in the 1630s. It has many versions depending on who tells it and when it was told, so it is open to change/adaptation/re-working. That is not the point I'm angry about, it's the way it has been gone about. The possibilities were endless but the best Tennant seems to have come up with is a bizarre Hodge-podge of ideas from other fairytales and various different times in history. The set designer was obviously straight from doing Panto at Blackpool, mixing various pieces of old and new and many things that weren't even invented in the early 1500s. In fact, very little here resembles what is known about the 1500s, it's much more like the mid-1600s and here lies my point. Leonardo di fuckin' Vinci was not born in the 1600s, he was also only 52 when he painted the Mona Lisa and not about 92 as he is portrayed in this film (he only lived to be 67 anyway). What the hell is Leonardo di fuckin' Vinci doing in this film anyway? Is that the big plot deviation that is supposed to be clever and original about this version? Complete and utter bile, by all means let your kids watch it, fill their heads with nonsense, confuse them with historical inaccuracies and turn them into zombies so they can be just like you. Then more films like this will be made and independent cinema can die a horrible death while Hollywood gets richer while you get dumber. In conclusion, I do not like this film.
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One of my favorite romance movies. Feels like you're slipping into an Austen adaptation with kick.
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A well done retelling of a classic fairy tale. I like all the main players and thought the script was smart and different enough to keep you interested in a story that most folks know by heart.
The set design was excellent and getting into the world that the movie was set in was… More
A well done retelling of a classic fairy tale. I like all the main players and thought the script was smart and different enough to keep you interested in a story that most folks know by heart.
The set design was excellent and getting into the world that the movie was set in was easier because of it. Drew Barrymore shines in this movie and for me it's the one I think of when her career comes to mind. Seeing Scott reminds me that this was the guy who almost became Wolverine and it makes me wonder is he could have pulled it off.
The film has enough love story to keep the ladies interested and a little swordplay humor to keep the guys watching. A good blend of film that helps watch a chick flick with the wife a good time for all.
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"You are the only mother I have ever known. Was there ever a time, even in its smallest measurement, that you loved me at all?
- How can anyone love a pebble in their shoe?"
Ok. 'Ever After' is a film that I thought I would not be seeing anytime here. On my… More
"You are the only mother I have ever known. Was there ever a time, even in its smallest measurement, that you loved me at all?
- How can anyone love a pebble in their shoe?"
Ok. 'Ever After' is a film that I thought I would not be seeing anytime here. On my lifetime that is. But I did. And I actually liked it a bit.
Everyone who knows something about good stories in books or cinema, should've heard about Cinderella and her glass shoe. The Disney animation is a classic that will always be remembered but I can't actually recall seeing a film about it with real actors in it. Anyways, I'm not gonna go into the story that much because all of you know how it will all end. The only interesting question here is that how much tears will it jerk out of you? And will the shoe fit? Oh, that one you should know...
'Ever After' has a lot of talent in it. Anjelica Huston and Drew Barrymore, most known of her marriage with the great Tom Green (or was it something else..?), are well known names. I especially enoyed watching Huston work. Perfect in her role as the stepmother. Barrymore is cute as hell in her role and delivers a nice performance as well.
What the hell was Leonardo da Vinci doing in the movie and why was he speaking english as if it was his mother tongue? Shouldn't he be in Italy painting The Last Supper or Mona Lisa or inventing stuff? I really don't like it when filmmakers try to combine different persons, actual or fictive, and try to create something nifty.
But otherwise, 'Ever After' is a nice movie. Emphasis on the word "nice". The movie will deliver laughter and tears. For me only laughter but I'm sure that those of you who haven't had enough of romance will surely cry their eyes out at the end. Why 3 stars then, you may ask? Here's the reason. Like I said, it was nice and I really liked the King.
"Off... With his head..." (The King half asleep)
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drew barrymore is brilliant as the lead character in this film. gorgeously lit with even more incredible costumes, this film will be an instant hit with all girls.
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Loved the adaptation and costumes if nothing else. Hah!
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Even though Drew Barrymore was kind of a cocktease, I felt very femininely empowered after watching this.
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Solid kid's entertainment and occasionally amusing
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Another Cinderella Story. Its OK - adds a few wrinkles to the old standby fairy tale.
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Exquisite retelling of the <i>Cinderella</i> story with a luminous Drew Barrymore as the young charmer who rises above her station to steal the heart of the prince. Anjelica Huston is excellent as the wicked stepmother who schemes to keep Barrymore away from her true love,… More
Exquisite retelling of the <i>Cinderella</i> story with a luminous Drew Barrymore as the young charmer who rises above her station to steal the heart of the prince. Anjelica Huston is excellent as the wicked stepmother who schemes to keep Barrymore away from her true love, the crown prince of France. Director Andy Tennant delivers a live-action fairy tale filled with heart and humour, and just the right amount of magic.
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Ever After, has to be one of my all time favs of Drew Barrymore. This is a lovely take on the tale of Cinderella..with Drew playing the lead. Anjelica Houston plays a perfect wicked step mother looking to make the best for her and her children even if that means getting the lovely… More
Ever After, has to be one of my all time favs of Drew Barrymore. This is a lovely take on the tale of Cinderella..with Drew playing the lead. Anjelica Houston plays a perfect wicked step mother looking to make the best for her and her children even if that means getting the lovely Cinderella out of the picture all together. Beautiful film that you will all enjoy.
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Great movie. I enjoy it alot, a different kinda version of Cinderella but still quite good. Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart.… More
Great movie. I enjoy it alot, a different kinda version of Cinderella but still quite good. Take away the Fairy Godmother, and what have you got left from the Cinderella fable? The story of a girl for whom a bad stroke of luck is no match for her internal strength and purity of heart. Drew Barrymore plays Cinderella's alleged inspiration, Danielle, in this romantic drama that purports to tell the "facts" behind the Grimm brothers' story. One of three daughters of a man who dies and leaves her fate in the hands of a conniving stepmother, Danielle is cast into the lowly role of a servant. Meanwhile, her sisters are evaluated as possible mates for a French prince, but he's far more intrigued with Danielle's intelligence and beauty not to mention her way with a sword and fist. Directed by Andy Tennant , Ever After has that rare ability to win the heart and mind of a viewer simply by being committed to its own innocence, particularly where Barrymore's luminous performance is concerned.
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Drew Barrymore is good in all her movies. A nice girl fantasy movie; it's set on Earth, so no imaginary creatures appear. The awesome music used the trailer wasn't even in the movie!
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Fantastic. The best film that Drew Barrymore has ever been in.
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Excellent take on a classic fairy tale.
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boring, but i like the guy that plays leonardo
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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