Cinderella (2021)

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Kay Cannon 
Starring: Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel & Billy Porter
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour & 53 minutes 

Once upon a time, a beautiful girl fell in love with a handsome prince, and they lived happily ever after. This is the story that has been told to all of us in fairy tales for years. A girl achieves all her dreams simply by finding love with a man who gives her all she needs. An example of this kind of fairytale is “Cinderella.” On September 3rd, Amazon Prime released their version of the classic starring pop star Camila Cabello in the titular role. Over the years, there have been so many versions that when learning of yet another one being released, it begs the question: is this necessary?” To see the same story over and over again could be “bippity boppity boo-ring” but this new installment in the ‘Cinderella’ franchise adds some different aspects that make it worthy of being seen.

The first aspect this film adds is female empowerment. In Amazon Prime’s “Cinderella,” Ella (Cabello) dreams of opening her own shop, Dresses By Ella. She lives in a very patriarchal society where the idea of a woman in business is laughable to its citizens. To see Cinderella have dreams of her own and be actively pursuing these dreams is very progressive. Her focus is on selling dresses. If love comes her way, then it does but she does not want to sacrifice her dreams for a romance. This idea makes this film something I am glad my daughters got to see. Cinderella is still practically a servant to her stepmother, Vivian (played by the wickedly talented Idina Menzel) and her two stepsisters, Malvolia and Narissa. The film follows all the normal beats you would expect from “Cinderella,” but there is another layer that supports this female power notion. The Prince has a sister, Gwen, that is very interested in running the country. To see two women going after their dreams in a fairy tale is very comforting and shows a progression in fairytale storytelling that is heading in the right direction.
 
Another aspect this film adds is the movie musical element. There are some original songs (“Million To One,” being the best) but the film has lots of pop and rock songs that give the film almost a “Glee” aspect. From being a fan of the “Glee” TV series, every week, I would get excited to see what songs they were going to cover that week to tell their stories. After the first couple of pop songs, I got curious as to what was coming next. The highlights for me were the Prince singing “Somebody To Love,” the Wicked Stepmother singing “Material Girl,” and the Prince and Cinderella singing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Another thing this film has in common with “Glee” is that in focusing on the songs that were going to be performed, it took away from some depth in the storytelling. Most of the characters almost appeared to be one note and were not as complex as they could have been, which took away from the film.

The three standouts in the film were Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel and Billy Porter as the Fabulous Godmother. Cabello does an exceptional job as Cinderella by truly diving into the character and making us feel her passion. It makes us root for her. Menzel is equally as fantastic as the stepmother, Vivian. Menzel could not have done better with what she was given. I just wish she would have been given a little more. That leaves Porter as the Fabulous Godmother ... and let me tell you, he is quite fabulous. The character that left me wanting more was the Godmother. I wish we could have seen more but I know this role has always been a very supporting one. Casting Porter as the Fabulous Godmother is another aspect that makes this film exciting because Porter knocks it out of the park.

While the progressive storytelling and musical aspect has been added to the “Cinderella” story, the film does not focus enough on character development for viewers to fully embrace each character. It makes the film good but not great. While this may not be the best version of “Cinderella,” it will be a mostly entertaining two hours for you and the family.