Ever After (1998)

EVER AFTER  (1998)  ¢ ¢ ¢ ¢
    D: Andy Tennant
    Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott,
    Melanie Lynskey, Jeroen Krabbé, Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau sits down with the Brothers Grimm and sets the record straight on Cinderella. In her version, Cinderella doesn't just inherit her father's love of books, but his skill with a sword and dagger. Her keen sense of justice and strong-willed gift for diplomacy help her win the heart of the prince. One of her stepsisters turns out not to be so bad after all. And the fairy godmother role is taken over by Leonardo da Vinci , who uses Cinderella as the model for one of his most famous paintings. (It's not the Mona Lisa, though she turns up here, too.) Tennant and his co-writers might've taken a few liberties with the fairy tale, but they've created what's probably the best, and undoubtedly the most literate, live-action Cinderella movie yet. Barrymore plays the lead with spirit and intelligence and not a trace of irony. She's an appealingly down-to-earth Cinderella, just the kind of girl a prince could fall for. Jeroen Krabbé as her father and Dougray Scott as the prince resemble each other just enough to make Cinderella's attraction to the prince interesting. And Anjelica Huston plays the wicked stepmother with all the warmth and charm of a coiled rattlesnake. Be ready to hiss loudly whenever she appears.