Instinct Although part of the

Instinct

Although part of the plot may seem borrowed Frank Capra, and many since, its a theme so many of us would do well to explore-what our lives Read more Published 1 month ago by P. Fass 0 out of 5 stars Shrek Everafter suprisingly awesome! They just keep coming up with new material to make you laugh, pay attention, catch the subtleties. Worth the buy! Published 1 month ago by Lance F. Scott If you have all the other Shrek movies this is a must have. Great way to end the series. Love this one and all the others! Whats this? Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people. Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below. If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us. Is there any other feedback you would like to provide? Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. Whats this? After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Original aspect ratio: 39:1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 1 Spanish: Dolby Digital 0 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 1 In a re-telling of one of our most beloved tales, a resourceful young woman must overcome the schemes of her evil stepmother to be with the one she loves the Prince of France who has fallen for her beauty and intelligence. With the ingenuity of Leonardo Di Vinci and the strength of love, the young woman realizes that the Cinderella story can come true. Ever After writer/director Andy Tennants retelling of the Cinderella storywas greeted upon its 1998 release with heaps of critical praise, mostly for its costume romance lushness, the buoyantly charismatic performance of its then-23-year-old star Drew Barrymore, and its vaguely feminist, the princess can save herself message. The question now, some 13 years later, is how well does the film hold up to scrutiny? Was all that acclaim just hot air from the Hollywood hype machine, or does Ever After have real lasting merit as a revisionist, girl-power fairy tale? I may get hate mail from legions of women who were, say, between 8 and 18 when the film debuted, but Im going to have to argue the former. Ever After is cute, a little pious, and fine for a feel-good evening inits perhaps the ultimate pre-teen slumber party moviebut its not nearly the you go girl game changer that some writers made it out to be. Its more of a cotton candy filmfun, fluffy, and by the time youre finished with it, teeth-achingly sweet. You may think you know the Cinderella storythe pumpkin carriage, the friendly mice, the fairy godmotherbut Ever After wants to set the record straight. The film begins with the Brothers Grimm visiting an erudite old dame who claims that Cinderella was an actual person named Danielle Barrymore who lived in 16th century France. Naturellement, we then flash back to this bygone era of once upon a time to learn how the story really went down. Which is, by and large, the Disney version of the tale, only sans-magic and with the addition of the spunky, newfangled idea that a real princess doesnt need saving. Dont worry, she still gets to fall in syrupy, lovey-dovey love with the long locked man of her dreams. Its just her choice this time around. After her doting father dies of a massive coronary, Danielle grows up as a servant to her icy stepmother Rodmilla Anjelica Houston and two step sisters, brunette overeater Jacqueline Melanie Lynskey and svelte Marguerite Megan Dodds, an uppity blond intent on winning the hand of Prince Henry Dougray Scott, a rogue royal who cant stand the courtly life hes supposed to lead. Henry is also faced with an ultimatum from his portly father, King Francis Timothy Westhe has five days to announce a marriage to the girl of his choice, or his father will choose for him. When Danielle poses as a courtesan to free a servant her stepmother sold into slavery, she inadvertently draws Henrys attention, and the two fall secretlyinevitablyinexorablyin love. The trouble, of course, is two-fold: Henry doesnt know that Danielle is but a lowly peasant, and Rodmilla, who will do just about anything to make her own daughter Marguerite the next queen of France, hates her with a spitefully irrational passion. The whole charade is revealed at a swanky royal ball, where Danielle shows up wearing some oh-so-1990s glittery makeupnot to mention a pair of angel wings made by, no kidding, Leonardo di Vinci Patrick Godfrey, who serves as a kind of surrogate fairy godmotheronly to be publicly disgraced by her stone cold bi-otch of a step-mum. She flees the scene, leaving behind that iconic glass slipper, but you know how these stories always endwith a chaste kiss between reunited lovers. Where Ever After differs from previous retellings of the age-old story is that Danielle is presented as a smart, capable, dignified woman who finds herself before she finds a prince. She certainly doesnt need rescued.