Cinderella (2021) (Musical Hell Review # 122)

[@angelofmusic1992]

I saw someone on tumblr once talk about how a modern interpretation of Cinderella could work if they focus on the abuse and how it's very difficult to leave situations like that. And the Prince is desperate to find Cinderella after the ball not because he wants to marry her, but because he recognizes that she's in an abusive household and wants to get her out.

[@mageofmagic870]

Now that's a version of the story I would love to see! Especially since it seems like a shocking amount of people forget that Cinderella is a survivor of abuse.

[@morley364]

I commented this elsewhere, but seeing Billy Porter as the godmother made me really want a version with the cast of Pose. Stop using old, outdated ideas of what feminism and girlbossing has to look like and actually explore gender and power. Dominique as the stepmother (or any main character, really) would be amazing as well. Give me trans Cinderella, Hollywood, you cowards!

[@MM-qj8ys]

just watch Precious lol no prince needed

[@lauriechan1426]

Watch the version with Hillary Duff and Jennifer Coolidge

[@webkinzgirlist]

Oh you just exactly described Not Cinderella’s Type (2018)

[@KirbyIsCute]

One thing that's always important to remember Cinderella kindness. Being raised in an abusive household, being forced to do chores, it could be easy to grow up bitter but Cinderella doesn't let her situation change who she truly is. When I saw the scene of Cinderella sitting on the King's late father's statue and mocking him, I knew this wasn't Cinderella. It's so damn disrespectful and I was surprised she wasn't ordered to be executed or something. I'm so tired that movies and shows think what makes a strong woman these days is to be a bitch.

[@colleen4ever]

They should have just had her say, "I'm so sorry, I just wanted to see you better." and leave it at that! Bleachers weren;t even invented yet!

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

Something I don't think Disney's Cinderella gets enough credit for is her determined optimism (Disclaimer: This will be way too long, she is my favourite princess, lol.) Her hope is a defining part of her character, and she collects scraps of happiness wherever she finds them, standing up for herself so that she can go to a party for just one night, and making her own dress so that her stepmother will be forced to keep her word. She handles all the humiliation she goes through with grace and poise, though not confrontation (apart from the scene where she pipes up and argues back when her stepsisters start laughing at her for wanting to go to the ball,) and that's not really her fault, because she's an orphan with nowhere to go, and would be on the street if she stepped too much out of line. Literally the only point where she breaks down and gives up is when she does everything right and her stepmother still finds a way to snatch her victory from her, by getting her stepsisters to ruin her dress. And even *then,* she still has hope, because the Fairy Godmother says that that's what called her. But we're supposed to think that THIS Cinderella is strong because she makes snarky comments and isn't *gasp* ladylike.

[@scylla1772]

@@colleen4ever if get requests were played totally sincere, it would've genuinely hilarious. If you'd been raised in a basement, you might just be naive enough to request bleachers from a king while sitting on his statue

[@pcbassoon3892]

Well women only get to have one personality and nice and kind isn't it.

[@mattr75]

THIS. I'm so sick of modern movies and shows making unlikable female characters that try to claim are "strong", when they really aren't. Disney Plus' She Hulk show, quite a few Netflix shows, and the recent Rings of Power series from Amazon are all guilty of this

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

Ever After: Cinderella turns the Prince's head by publicly calling him out on his callous disregard and challenging him with philosophy, risking pissing off a royal to save someone she cares about Cinderella 2021: Cinderella turns the Prince's head by sitting on a statue

[@sxatcychan1988]

Ella Enchanted (the book): Ella turns the Prince's head by acting as a translator between them and lost gnome child.

[@annettehernandez3985]

Lily James Cinderella: tuns the prince's girl by playfully teasing him and treating everyone with immense kindness

[@cecilbenderman6240]

reason a million why i firmly believe ever after is one of the best cinderella adaptations in the world

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

@@cecilbenderman6240 THE best.

[@eamonndeane587]

Point Goes to Ever After.

[@littlemisstfc]

The absolute irony of Cinderella being barred from dress making by her stepfamily is that being a seamstress and doing sewing work is one of the *few* things women are allowed to do back then. As other comments pointed out, *maybe* the story could work with the stepfamily taking credit for Ella’s dresses, but that’s too generous to this movie.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Yeah, I was confused by that. People kept looking at Camilla Cabello as she grew a third head or just murdered a puppy but she was selling clothes? How does this economy work?

[@animeotaku307]

Hell, you can still have a “wants to start her own business” subplot, but make it about class instead of gender. Rich clients are where the money is, but the materials to make what they want are expensive, so Ella can’t get past that hurdle. It would be a lot more insightful than “no, you’re a girl. Girls don’t do business.”

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@animeotaku307 They could even have the stepfamily be dead broke but they don’t want to do anything to get out of it but still want to give off the illusion of being wealthy and the prevent Cinderella from getting a job because it would ‘embarrass the family’.

[@mageofmagic870]

@@animeotaku307 That would make so much more sense and it would honestly make for a pretty good movie if we get to see her up in the middle of the night trying to make dresses that appeal to richer clients while being stuck with less expensive materials like linen and cotton! It would really make her a more memorable Cinderella in general, since pragmatism and resourcefulness aren't typically what come to mind when we think of Cinderella!

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

They literally stopped at THE most basic concept of feminism - "Women don't need to be homemakers!" - and stopped there, touching on none of the sexist ideologies and attitudes that actually create societies where men and women are shoved into boxes.

[@mattmclaren3067]

With Robin Williams, you had the adorkable class clown who was really sweet to his little brother. With Steve Martin, you had a self aware, unapologetically nerdy class president. With James Corden, you have the annoying drama club diva you can't help but feel deserves the bullying.

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

These are absolutely accurate 😂😂😂😂

[@ryanschwartz4959]

That… would explain why Corden was cast as Barry in Netflix’s “The Prom”. I mean, who else would you get to play a washed-up, egotistical actor who desperately needs to take a level in humility?

[@mattmclaren3067]

@@ryanschwartz4959 fair. If only he had the skill and pathos to play the character as anything other than a reductive stereotype, we might have had a better time overall.

[@patriciomejia1114]

So he's basically Rachel from Glee.

[@mattmclaren3067]

@@patriciomejia1114 kinda. Although at least Rachel displayed occasional vulnerability, even if she tended to learn all the wrong lessons from it.

[@milesbrad9975]

I really resent the idea that Cinderella is a bad role model for women for numerous reasons. It's victim-blaming a woman who is stuck in an abusive situation and likely knows no way of getting out of it. It also is a mindset that suggests that traits such as kindness and perseverance are inferior characteristics, which is inhumane. As much as it's a positive thing that we are now doing away with the outdated damsel in distress trope, the need to produce "girlbossification" to create "strong women" is hugely toxic in itself, because you remove characters the chance to be human. The greatest female protagonists - Mulan, Clarice Starling, Thelma & Louise etc. Work because they are three dimensional vulnerable characters. Bottom line, just let women be vulnerable, not imperfect machines

[@katherinealvarez9216]

👍

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Being strong doesn’t always mean in a physical sense and I think that’s what Cinderella represents.

[@issakelly8071]

I agree. It doesn't make sense for the time period Cinderella is set in, which is the 17th century. If she just left her home, what options would she have? There was no going out to get a career for her. Cinderella's strength is her ability to endure such abuse and cruelty and never let that break her. She doesn't need to be more a girlboss, she already is..

[@janebyrne6463]

Good thing we are finally going past the girlboss trope. Yes, there are many females who are more type a than I am (I've always been more type b).

[@issakelly8071]

@@janebyrne6463 it's essentially just "alpha male" "capitalist" claptrap given a feminist veneer.

[@Anynom]

This line from Twitter last year is just perfect: "James Corden is the most 'betrayed humanity to get plugged back into the Matrix as a movie/TV star' person who ever lived."

[@ericspearman2998]

I am not up on the whole Corden thing, and don’t care to be either since he is not really a star on my radar, but I just have to say that I thought he was great in Into the Woods. Of course he had better material, director, and cast mates to back him up. He worked very well with Emily Blunt. I still love that film.

[@mothturtle7897]

@@ericspearman2998 He's a talented actor. A lot of his early work was great. Unfortunately he's also a twat with a giant ego.

[@themysteriouscrumpet]

Well he must have signed SOME kind of Faustian pact to get put in everything even though no one can tolerate him.

[@melanino]

Omg i died for hours at this comment

[@mellemadswoestenburg1296]

@@ericspearman2998 that was Diva's example. He works very well as a simple humble guy who reacts to absurdity. I really liked him in that role too. In pretty much everything else and in real life he's just insufferable.

[@katherinelynch4193]

Your description of the king's characterization made me realize something: the royal family is basically the Simpsons. We have a selfish, semi-abusive father, a long-suffering and sensible mother, a rebel son and an overachieving daughter. It's the classic sitcom family with all of the jokes (or at least the good ones) scrubbed out.

[@colleen4ever]

Only thing is the King is slightly smarter than Homer.

[@ggrarl]

"We have three kids, Homer." "Marge, the dog doesn't count." "Maggie!" "Oh yeah."

[@SpamEggSausage]

the Simpsons has had all the good jokes scrubbed out over the past several years

[@claytontessmer3566]

Atleast Homer SImpson has his good moments and is actually funny when giving the right material. King Rowan is just a borderline bully/asshole with no redeemable qualities.

[@trinaq]

Oh yes, excellent call on the possible unintentional similarities between the two dysfunctional families. You'd ask yourself what Marge and Beatrice see in Homer and Rowan respectively, and I was just as disgusted as Diva was when they rewarded Rowan with an undeserved happy ending after constantly verbally abusing and dismissing his wife.

[@lordultimus559]

Okay, that bit about the fairy godmother being a caterpillar that Cinderella saves is actually a neat idea.

[@SEGASister]

Now if only their wardrobe as Fab G was more than just _orange_

[@colleen4ever]

The he's not really her godparent.

[@willlyon7129]

Basically one good turn deserves another.

[@lillianward2810]

Yeah, I think that’s a nice touch.

[@BrightWulph]

@@SEGASister I mean it's not bad, but it does make him look like a jaffa cake. (Type of English and Australian sweet/dessert)

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

If I had a nickel for every Cinderella adaption where somebody to love was sang, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice

[@coffetrueno9791]

What movie is the other nickel?

[@abbieananas]

@@coffetrueno9791 Ella Enchanted (I think)

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

@@abbieananas this

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@abbieananas Yep, it's from Ella Enchanted you're right. And Anne Hathaway performs it *so* much better.

[@B2WM]

@@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose Robert tried and he tried and he tried... And failed.

[@masonallen3961]

Material Girl was written as a parody of 1980s materialism and consumerism. I know it’s not really relevant in this case but people have been misinterpreting that song ever since it was released and it’s a big reason why Madonna dislikes being referred to as a Material Girl. I would love to see Material Girl in a jukebox musical about the French Revolution. There it would be really fitting.

[@SpamEggSausage]

a lot of Madonna fans say that but I can't see it

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

Les Miserables but it’s Material Girl

[@johnvinals7423]

Surprised Baz Luhrmann didn’t use it in his film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby”.

[@genera1013]

I can totally see some peasants singing it as they plan Marie Antoinette's fall, like a more malicious version of the "Look at me, I'm Sandra D" scene from Grease

[@werwolfnate]

@@johnvinals7423 Because he already used lyrics from it in Moulin Rouge for female leads first song.

[@davidspring4003]

The awkward moment when Ella Enchanted (a movie that wasn't even a musical) did a better version of Somebody to Love 18 years ago

[@conoryoung1761]

Honestly, I never got the impression that this Cinderella was suffering all that much. She's spotlessly dressed, we see her bringing tea to her family once (with everyone else pitching in on chores so the work clearly isn't just being heaped on her), and she can apparently afford enough fabric to fill up her bedroom/art studio in the cellar with multiple half-finished dresses. At worst, she just comes off like a fashion or costume design major with some obnoxious roommates.

[@mareofmaers3590]

...Thinking about the movie, given that it seems the writers did not understand that Cinderella's story is one of an abuse victim being rescued, I wouldn't be surprised if they just dropped that kinda important plot element.

[@avalasialove]

It’s also weird how the stepmother and stepsisters make snide comments about the dirt on Ella’s face when there’s clearly no dirt. It almost feels like a weak reference to the part of the story where she gets covered in cinders from sleeping in front of the fireplace.

[@trinaq]

I hope that Diva eventually reviews "Dear Evan Hansen." What may have worked better on stage is just a disaster on screen. They removed all of the songs condemning Evan for his toxic actions, and barely gave Amy Adams anything to do, as well as cutting many of her songs.

[@timothymclean]

Until then, I recommend Sarah Z's video on the musical. Sarah Z is a completely different genre of video essayist, but she still knows her stuff.

[@Gingersnaps1978]

Jenny Nicholson has an incredible video on it!

[@jeremyusreevu237]

Schaffrillas Productions also did an epic takedown of DEH

[@pcbassoon3892]

I've never seen the play, but the movie is terrible. I would love to see that review.

[@arrow_of_ravenclaw5155]

Still mad we were robbed of Amy singing anybody got a map

[@jacobbelow4136]

That’s a good rule of thumb to keep in mind from today’s case: There’s always something new you can do with a classic archetypal story, but when you go around parading it your version like “not like others”, you’re only setting yourself up to be a laughing stock. Chances are there’s someone somewhere in the world who had the same idea you had, so rather than try to use “unique” as just a branding title, think of a story that you genuinely want to tell and let it unfold organically into the best possible version of itself. It may not have the title of “first to do it”, but it will at least be something to be proud to say you created!

[@daniellevinson6975]

👏👏👏

[@avalasialove]

Here’s something that hasn’t been done before(at least in a western movie adaptation.) Have the story of Cinderella set in a completely different country or culture. There’s been a Cambodian Cinderella, a Caribbean Cinderella, even a Native American Cinderella. Where are their movies?

[@chasehedges6775]

The original Disney films and Cinderella 3 are the best versions of Cinderella, honestly

[@thecinematicmind]

I agree

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

Plus Ever After, & the 1997 version of R&H! Shoutouts to Ella Enchanted (2004) and Three Nuts for Cinderella as well.

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

We stan a Himbo Prince Charming.

[@trinaq]

Preach, they actually understood the source material better than this tripe.

[@ForrestFox626]

You forgot R&H

[@HLGamez]

The issue with them making Cinderellas story about how she can’t make dresses because sexism is that it undermines the real reason she shouldn’t make dresses: they all look fucking hideous. Seriously I don’t know who in the costume department though beige and lilac was a winning combo but they should be punished for it. Ella’s ballgown is also hideous, why is the silhouette reminiscent of the inside of a Kleenex box? Costuming is so important to storytelling and by having every outfit your dressmaker main character designs look hideous, it undermines her entire arc of overcoming unfair obstacles because honestly she shouldn’t be allowed to design outfits.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Honestly that would’ve been a great twist.

[@justsomeartist8895]

I actually like the color palette, but it’s ill suited to the character. They’re soft, pastel colors, they’re delicate, demure even. If this were more true to the original Cinderella it would work, but the entire point of this Cinderella is that she is NONE OF THOSE THINGS. She’s assertive, ambitious, she marches to the beat of her own drum. Her dress should be every bit as loud and bombastic as the Fairy God parent’s, it should demand your attention. Not to mention the actual make of the dress is just awful. It’s like they wanted to imitate the fluffy floating feel of the Disney live action Cinderella’s dress but completely copped out.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@justsomeartist8895 Personally I think they should've done a darkly colored, avant-grade ballgown.

[@kenthuang436]

I’ve seen drag queens make better dresses out of literal garbage on RuPaul’s Drag Race than I saw Cindy made in this movie.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

You know there is possibility to this type of story if one Cinderella wasn’t needlessly quirky and we actually see her being exploited and abused, if they gave her a different job than one that’s been ‘acceptable’ for women since the Middle Ages, if the dresses were not hideous, and for The Fairy Godfather to play more of a role. So the rewrite I can up with is that Ella’s parents were the most talented dressmakers in the kingdoms with her mother being exceptionally gifted at the craft and her father running the financial part of the business and their dream was always for Ella to inherit. Unfortunately, Ella’s mother dies and the business begins going under so Ella’s father marries her stepmother in exchange for the wealth of her family. However, he too mysteriously dies, and instead of the business going to Ella like her parents wanted it instead goes to her stepmother and stepsister who begin to ruthlessly extort Ella for the sewing talent she inherited from her mother and to do all the household chores because they’re ‘too good for peasant work’ after they spent all their money on frivolous items. Ella is eventually at her wit’s end and just wants out of the abuse she endured so she decides to remake her mother's old dress to sell for some money for herself but accidentally runs into a servant whose actually the prince in disguise who saw her determination and beautiful dress and invites her to come to the ball to present the gown to the queen and princess since they were in need of a new royal dressmaker. Ella agrees and goes back home to prepare but when she gets there, her invitation is stolen by her stepmother who won’t let her go and even pours ink all over the ball gown she designed. This tears Ella apart and she runs to a family friend, a textile maker. They tell her there’s still time to fix it and the two work together to repair the gown and make it incredible. The textile maker proceeds to give her slippers made of colorful crystal that seem to have a magical quality to them and gets Ella to the ball with her unique gown and slippers turning every head and she even gets to spend time with the prince. However, when she presents her dress to the princess, her stepmother takes credit for the dress, and Ella is cast aside as a liar by the princess and her stepmother which caused her to run away leaving behind a glass slipper that was given to her by the textile worker. The prince defends her to his family but he doesn’t have proof that she was the real designer. So he decides to find her and prove it. They first try the store only to see it's been deserted and Ella nowhere to be found so they use the only clue they have, 'the glass slipper' and search for who could've possibly made something so well-crafted until their investigation leads them to the textile maker who reveals that they were the ones who created the slippers. When asked how a simple textile maker could craft something so marvelous, the textile maker just says 'everyone has their secrets' before revealing that Ella has decided to try and run away. The prince is horrified by this and demands to know exactly where she went to the textile maker, seeing the prince's love and resolve reveals, she went to her mother and father's graves under the hazel tree in the cemetery. Thanking the Textile Maker, the prince, and his entourage make their way toward the cemetery where they find Ella sleeping on the graves of her mother and father, shivering and alone. The prince removes his own cloak and lays it over her which immediately wakes her up but upon seeing who it is, Ella glares and throws his cape back at him. The prince understands her anger but gently tells her its not too late to stop her stepmother to which Ella angrily yells about he doesn't know anything about her or her life or how she's been treated for years by that woman and how she's taken everything she ever loved from her. The prince, silent for a moment then agrees with Ella saying he doesn't know what she's been through but he does know he likes her a lot and wants to help her. Ella, having never been offered help before is shocked by his gentle admittance, and allows herself to be covered by his cloak again before being hoisted onto his horse. The two travel throughout the night until they arrive at the castle where the queen and the princess are at their wit's end with the stepmother and her daughters and their lackluster dresses and designs. Upon learning this, the prince tells Ella this could be her chance to prove she wasn't lying about being the true designer. Ella still isn't sure due to her self-confidence being in the ground but the prince promises her she can do it so she agrees to try. The prince then gives her a disguise as a palace servant and guides her to a spare sewing room in the castle where she sets to work after getting a little inspiration. After a week of non-stop work, Ella is ready to present her dresses to the royal women who are shocked by how beautiful the dresses are and even more shocked when they learn it was Ella, the girl they cast away before, who made them. When asked for proof, she describes the technique she used to make them. Seeing they were deceived, they cast out the stepmother and stepsisters and make Ella the new royal dressmaker. As for her relationship, they continue to date until he finally proposes to her and she accepts. As queen, she doesn't give up her love for dressmaking but instead uses her new power to help other people that had been in her situation like hers and she and the Prince, now King, ruled wisely and justly so that everyone lived happily ever after.

[@thenorthernbard3688]

Okay this actually sounds awesome! You should totally write it!

[@kelseytrapp9974]

I’d watch this film in a heartbeat

[@allisonelizabeth6596]

What if the textile maker was the fairy godfather?

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@allisonelizabeth6596 That’s what I was thinking but I wanted it to be more implied.

[@bookcat123]

I want to watch this one instead

[@MooTelevision]

On the topic of Cinderella adaptations, I think the 2015 version with Lily James is one of my favorites. I mentioned this to someone in the comments, but it address the criticism that Ella should have “just left the abusive household instead of waiting for a man to save her.” This version really tackles the psychological effects of abuse and shows Ella’s life before the abuse and how the it slowly started and became worse over time.. by the time it became apparent it was already normal for her. Her stepmother had already wore her confidence down. And it shows how hard it was to leave her childhood home and memories behind, especially after she promised her father to be kind and to love her stepfamily. The prince was always searching for Ella, not the pretty stranger in a fancy dress. But by the time she meets the prince, she is afraid all he only cares about the fancy dress and money due to the abuse. But in the end she faces him as her “true self” in rags and she realizes her worth due to her own kindness and love. And the prince doesn’t need the slipper to tell it’s her. It really shows how strong Ella is to always be kind and forgiving to her abusers. At the end, she was stronger for enduring so much and still managing to be loving and selfless to everyone. “Have courage, and be kind.”

[@0deadx21]

The 2015 film is a *true* Cinderella adaptation as courage and kindness is what the Cinderella story is about.

[@ForrestFox626]

Eh. It's fine

[@0deadx21]

@@ForrestFox626 _Ever After_ is not a Cinderella story, it's a Cinderella-inspired story. It will never be the best Cinderella movie.

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@0deadx21What!?

[@birdiejett3163]

Clicked immediately. Will never get tired of seeing people roast this movie

[@colleen4ever]

Me neither....me neither. Honestly when I first saw the trailer and they were singing Rhythem Nation I thought it was gonna be a unique musical with modern songs and it looked interesting. But when I saw it was...this...and I saw Billy Porter as the fairy godFATHER I was like, "Nope! Nope! Hell no!!"

[@darkhelmet87]

Maybe this is because Halloween was a few days ago, but I remember someone making the suggestion of reimagining Cinderella as a Halloween story, and they have a point. The most well known versions almost always involve pumpkins, and depending on the variant, Cindy receives help from either a mysterious old woman with magic powers, or a magic tree by her mom's grave. The big part of the story is the girl going to a party wearing an elaborate costume to take on a role she normally can't in everyday life, and a lot of emphasis is placed on the hour of midnight. And The ball being a masquerade isn't unheard of in adaptations. Just replace the word "fairy" with "witch", maybe replace the Disney version's mice with bats, and you could have the makings of a delightfully spooky fairy tale. Most of all, imaging a Cinderella in fall colors- hair either black or dark red, in a dress done up in blacks, greens and oranges

[@anib8863]

... werewolf Cinderella? Temporary imunity to the moon till midnight, a red gown, her clothes tearing as she runs away before anyone can see her... I think I'll do something with this.

[@darkhelmet87]

@@anib8863 I was thinking the classic story with a spooky theme to start- but if whoever wanted to stray a little further from traditional versions, go with vampires. Either the stepmother and stepsisters as villainous vampires, who want the royals under their sway to turn the kingdom into vampire country. Or the prince as a vampire of the romantic variety. Maybe even have Cindy being turned as a good thing. You could play it as a girl mistreated and ignored by normal humans, finding love and happiness among creatures of the night. Whichever works

[@anib8863]

@@darkhelmet87 Oooh, cool. Frankly, there are so many directions you could take with this concept and most of them could work.

[@animeotaku307]

There was a storybook I read long ago called Cinderella Skeleton that is close to what you’re talking about.

[@pompe221]

Is it possible to do a new take on Cinderella? I think there is. Make it a story about a domestic abuse survivor who gets free of her terrible living situation. If Cindy's been gaslit and manipulated since she was a little girl, that explains why she stays. Make her fairy godmother some newcomer that Cindy has helped (also explains why the fairy godmother hasn't come along sooner to help). Maybe the magical transformation also keeps anyone from remembering what she looks like, at Cindy's request because she's scared she'll be recognized and be punished by her stepmother. So the prince has to rely on just her lost shoe. When the prince and his entourage come to Cindy's house, the stepmother scoffs that Cindy shouldn't try on the shoe because she wasn't even at the ball. Then Cindy finally finds the strength and courage to defy her stepmother and tries on the shoe, right in front of everyone. And then she pulls out the other shoe, proving that it wasn't just a coincidence that it fit.

[@morley364]

I also think a trans Cinderella could open the plot to some new themes of power and gender as well!

[@ChristineTheHippie]

@@morley364 someone needs to do that!

[@KaeMcSpadden]

Another big problem with Cinderella's ball dress is because it does not showcase her talent as a dress maker, and it doesnt make Cinderella stand out of the crowd. All of the other princesses in the ball scene here have more dramatic dresses, dazzling accessories and edgier silhouettes. It is also her big moment in the story. Also if the fairy god mother in this story is supposed to be genderless, how come they are not called the Fabulous Godparent instead?

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Honestly, I think they should've gone with a simple a-line dress elegantly decorated to contrast the over the top dresses of everyone else.

[@KaeMcSpadden]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 yeah. Also I don’t like the upside down umbrella looking skirt, and why did they change the dress to a shade of purple on the poster when it is like a pale pink here.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@KaeMcSpadden Maybe to make it look better for advertising.

[@KaeMcSpadden]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 probably

[@KaeMcSpadden]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 yeah, or make her dress a striking color. Like the 2015 Cinderella with that cornflower blue and the skirt having an iridescence.

[@colleen4ever]

5:36- Well, Brandy's version did kinda answer that when she told her Fairy Godmother that when her father died she promised him she;d keep the family together. Her Godmother counters with "I don;t think this is what he had in mind"

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

I always thought it was because Cinderella is the only one who knew how to run the household while her stepfamily ‘were too good’ for doing housework.

[@colleen4ever]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 Could be both.

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 Also consider (as a commenter above pointed out) that there were almost no options for a young woman outside of her family's protection. Sure, her stepmother and stepsisters treated her like a servant, but what other choice did she have? Slaving away at one of the few menial jobs that were available to women, joining a convent, or becoming a servant in someone else's home...where the master of the house may have considered a pretty maid his for the taking. At least there was THAT much protection in the home she already knew.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@jenniferschillig3768 There was also the fact she was only about 10 when she was forced to be a servant so it’s unlikely she had a decent education

[@willlyon7129]

Cinderella with Brandy was a movie that was head of it’s time. I grew up with this version.

[@darthtepes]

Moulin Rouge was a flawless jukebox musical and I will die upon that hill. And the only one so far who made good adaptations of songs. I mean, like it it's hard?

[@eamonndeane587]

Don't forget Singin' in the Rain.

[@lillianward2810]

My favorite thing about this is that I was in a production of Cinderella in 5th grade with my local youth theatre. At the time we used unlicensed shows that were copyright nightmares, mixing in songs from the Disney version, R &H, and a few random pop songs. Guess what song the stepsisters and stepmother sang? Material Girl. When I heard that this version made the same choice I couldn’t stop laughing. Also I really need to watch Ever After again, I love that movie.

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

I love that

[@jennifermcilwrath]

Why does she even run from the ball? He knows who she is - she didn't hide her identity at the ball or at their previous meetings - and he's happy to marry her anyway. It isn't framed as though she makes the decision to reject his proposal there and then, and escapes because of that decision; she’s conflicted, then jumps up and runs because she almost missed her magical pre-booked Uber home.

[@colleen4ever]

She wanted to beat her stepmother and stepsisters home before they find out who she is, and if she stayed, she wouldn;t have been able too cause she's got no ride home

[@gingersnap7822]

I honestly wish they had forgone the use of magic at all. When the Step-Mother throws ink on Ella's dress, she could have shown real ingenuity and adaptability by throwing more ink on it to make it look like a style choice, or improvised a decal/ applique to cover it. Having her design just manifest out of thin air cheapens the "I'm a working girl who can do it herself" message. Don't get me wrong, I loved Porter's performance- but having a Cinderella who can creatively solve her own problems seems much more empowering and fresh than the bibbidi bobbity approach.

[@colleen4ever]

Or do what the Grimm version did and have a bird who is her reincarnated mother throw her down her clean dress. (there was no midnight deadline in that one,. she just wanted to leave early so her stepmother wouldn;t notice she was missing when SHE came home)

[@willlyon7129]

@@colleen4ever And how the stepsisters hack off a pice of their feet to fit the slipper.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Or have them be a family friend who helps out Ella.

[@gingersnap7822]

@@colleen4ever I really like the idea of Ella just returning home at midnight of her own decision. You could even add to her "I need to leave NOW" franticness by having her see her step-family leaving the ball.

[@gingersnap7822]

@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 Absolutely! Then they can still be a character, but not be the ONLY thing that gets Ella to the ball.

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

Not sure if this gets mentioned, but even adding Somebody To Love has already been done in ANOTHER Cinderella-adjacent film: Ella Enchanted! I am so happy you've finally gotten to this!

[@thedatabase677]

Brandy's Cinderella got a call out, and that's all it took for my day to be made. My favorite interpretation.

[@frankieseward8667]

When?

[@thedatabase677]

@@frankieseward8667 when she mentioned Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, the picture of it was the Whitney Houston and Brandy version.

[@frankieseward8667]

@@thedatabase677 ah.

[@willlyon7129]

I grew up with this version of Cinderella as kid.

[@animeotaku307]

And it actually had a lot of diversity unlike this one, which had been boasting about it as a selling point.

[@stevigrega]

I was literally in the process of exclaiming out loud: "OMG, is that...James Corden" when your text popped up on screen and now I can honestly say that James Corden finally made me laugh.

[@jeremyusreevu237]

He was really good in One Man 2 Guvnors.

[@harrietamidala1691]

@@jeremyusreevu237 And the two Doctor Who episodes he was in with the Eleventh Doctor.

[@mightyfilm]

@@jeremyusreevu237 I'm going to agree with the comment about him being an everyman character and having that work because he was quite good in Smallfoot. Even gave him a decent musical number where he sings "Under Pressure" with different lyrics. His character never mugs for attention, and never gets in your face obnoxiously wacky. If ONLY he took the hint from that movie and played more of a down on their luck type than relentlessly goofy.

[@jeremyusreevu237]

@@mightyfilm Yeah, I also agree. James has a likable charm and charisma, but he doesn't have the penchant for wackiness that someone like John Cleese or Rik Mayall had.

[@mightyfilm]

@@jeremyusreevu237 Also doesn't help that he somehow picks the WORST projects possible to be a part of. Cats? Emojis the Movie? I don't think those would make a GOOD comedic actor look good.

[@jbcatz5]

With the stepmother’s desire to have a daughter marry into a rich family the film could have taken a cue from Disney’s Cinderella sequel and have one stepsister be in love with someone her mother doesn’t approve of for class reasons, or if the writers were really daring use this for an LGBT relationship. Anastasia’s arc in A Twist in Time is the conflict of who she is vs Lady Tremaine’s expectations and forms a strong emotional subplot.

[@tsifirakiehl4250]

This movie has COMPLETELY missed the point of Cinderella. The title character is supposed to start the story in a horrible, oppressive situation that she escapes at the end. This Cinderella is completely free to go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants, up to and including publicly disrespecting the literal king with zero consequences! The worst thing her stepmother does is have her serve tea once and try to arrange an advantageous marriage for her, which is established to be the norm in this setting! Also, since when were women not allowed to be dressmakers? The answer to that is SINCE ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NEVER. Dressmaking is one of, if not the most stereotypically female career to ever exist. Also also, if we’re supposed to root for Cinderella to succeed as a dressmaker, her designs need to actually look good. The ones we see… don’t. Her ballgown-which is supposed to be THE fabulous dress that makes her stick out from the crowd, the iconic moment of Cinderella-just looks like a boring prom dress. It’s bland, forgettable, and doesn’t stick out from the other dresses in the slightest. In conclusion, I’ve seen fourth graders perform a better Cinderella than this monstrosity.

[@tabathaswinburne4314]

You know a version of Cinderella where the prince is also a victim of parental abuse (even if it’s a different kind than what Ella has suffered) could be interesting.

[@TheodosiaNova]

So what I'm getting is, they wanted to do a jukebox version of Ever After, minus any character development (and the better costumes), and vomited girl boss all over it.

[@brandyloutherback9288]

Cinderella, Honey, Shouldn't you be better at dress designing? Those pink Tulle nightmares aren't doing you any favors as a designer! Also Cinderella's determination to be a dress designer could've worked better if say, her mother made dresses on the side, but couldn't do it professionally being a Nobleman's wife, but Cinderella wants to continue her mother's legacy. Also, Cinderella doesn't want to marry because her mother sacrificed her ambitions to be a wife and mother! That backstory practically writes itself!

[@kenthuang436]

RuPaul’s Drag Race had the queens make outfits from literal trash and they turned out better than several of those dresses!

[@Nightman221k]

It should be difficult to mess up such a universal tale as Cinderella. It’s pretty unwatchable that they managed to make it so hard to root for any of these characters’ goals and want to see any succeed.

[@songweretson]

"Imagine serving that swill to your future husband." *sighs* The whole reason to isolate Cinderella, and prevent her from marrying, is to cut off her inheritance! But, please. Tell me again how women were never allowed to see dresses. Or run businesses doing so. Oh. And tell me again how marrying the princess, and becoming a trend setting member of the royal family, is bad for her career. When she could then design her own dresses, learn from the greatest sewists, and get her husband to change the law when he becomes king. They really did not think things through. Or they really don't understand history. Heck, even THE SODDEN BIBLE insists that a good woman is one who runs business and deals in real estate! (Proverbs 31 for anyone who wants to fact check.) Also... This whole monstrosity was Corden's idea. He was the executive producer. Also, also... This movie rips off the 2015 Cinderella (which is my absolutely favorite version, and absolutely brilliant) so badly it's infuriating.

[@eskvar]

The world also needs a Cinderella where the prince dances around his family's tomb singing about how it doesn't matter what he does as future king, he's going to wind up there anyway. (Slipper and the Rose) I also cast a vote for Leslie Caron's Glass Slipper (though it's not really a musical) for giving her some lovely ballet scenes and for recognizing that someone who's been verbally and emotionally abused for years and is viewed by the whole town as an outcast might not always be the perfect paragon of politeness.

[@rogue7723]

The _three_ things I like about this are the interviews with Camilla and Idina, the joke the sister makes when she sees Cinderella in the dress and Idina's performance of "Material Girl."

[@trinaq]

Precisely, I would personally consider "Material Girl" to be a Saving Grace, since it makes fabulous use of Idina's amazing vocals.

[@animeotaku307]

@@trinaq I’m guessing that the reason it didn’t get that was because of the editing/staging/choreography. Though Diva has given credit to the music alone when she gave “Parents Lie” from Freaky Friday both a Saving Grace (for the music) and a Sin (for how it was filmed.

[@rogue7723]

@@trinaq I'm sure Diva would've put that as a Saving Grace had the backlighting not been so obnoxiously overpowering.

[@annabunovsky5628]

Disney Cinderella: My mice friends fixed up my mother’s old dress when I was deliberately put to work to prevent me from getting ready for the ball. When it was ripped from my body, it devalued my late mother, those who returned my kindness to them, and me as a person. Danielle in Ever After: My stepfamily burned the book that was all I had left of my father & attempted to steal my mother’s wedding dress & shoes that were meant to be my dowry. I was so devalued as a person so deeply that I faced the threat of being sold like chattel. This Bitch: I’ll gladly sell my dead mother’s broach because I’m a girl boss & my dress got some ink spilled on it because my stepmother is trying to marry me off, meaning she essentially values me as much as she values her own daughters. Also I had a ton of other dresses in my studio apartment ready to go but now’s not the time to be logical.

[@johnvinals7423]

You know what’s one thing you absolutely could do with Cinderella is make a version where she’s small and chubby while her stepsisters are conventionally attractive.

[@annabunovsky5628]

Totally! A Cinderella that confronts beauty standards could be really compelling!

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@johnvinals7423 I wrote a short story called Plain Face with that idea.

[@willlyon7129]

In my opinion Rodgers and Hammerstein with Brandy, The Slipper and the Rose, and Into the Woods are better musical renditions of the story.

[@katherineperrin4817]

If I wanted a “Not like other Cinderellas”, I’d just play Cinders for the 100th time. It’s way more well thought out than this movie clearly was.

[@philipdarrenellwell1994]

Cinders is probably the best twist to Cinderella I've ever seen, honestly. It reworks the source material to be fresh, but keeps enough to still obviously BE the Cinderella story at its core. The fact it's absolutely beautiful to look at doesn't hurt

[@PS-dm1dq]

Incredibly engaging game, I like that there's multiple romantic options, even if you do end up marrying the prince.

[@ravenshymn]

For the criminal misuse of Idena, Mini, and Billy, I propose there be a good musical film where all three can shine.

[@rogue7723]

Yeah, _all three_ of them had at least _one element_ in this I unironically liked: Idina’s cover of “Material Girl”, Billy Porter being Billy Porter and Minnie’s character ripping into Pierce Brosnan’s character for his lame-ass excuse for being an entitled, sexist, controlling jerkcock by “being stressed” and they _all_ deserved to be in a _better frickin’ movie_ together.

[@stevecrompton9910]

This Cinderella seems really unlikable. Right off the bat, she would have been arrested and or thrown out of the palace area for climbing on the king's statue, pulling on his beard and insulting the queen.

[@billuraral1870]

You want to make a modern spin on Cinderella? Easy: Make Cinderella trans. The whole transformation to your real self/surviving abusive household/finding your place with people who'll support and understand you/love wins themes are already there in the original. Even the "Cinder" name the stepfamily use to mock them can be read as deadnaming.

[@AllyGatorAnimator]

There's a book series I found a while ago (Pop 'n' Ollie) which covers fairy tales with an LGBTQ+ twist (as well as diversity as a whole). The Cinderella story is called Jamie and is all about a trans boy. It's not super in-depth or complex, as it's aimed at 5+ year olds and so is like 10 pages long, but I thought it was cute.

[@billuraral1870]

@@AllyGatorAnimator Haha, that's so cool :)

[@AllyGatorAnimator]

@@billuraral1870 It really is. My favourite part is also that the main source of conflict in each story is never the character being LGBTQ+ or, in the case of their princess and the pea story, disabled. There's one story where a prince needs to marry and the king isn't mad because he wants to marry another man, he's mad because he wants to marry a servant. The princess in their princess and the pea story likes to do extreme stunts and people are worried about her not because she's in a wheelchair, but because she's a princess and princesses shouldn't do that. Jamie isn't judged for being trans either, the conflict within the cast is that nobody wants to give him nice things to help him dress the way he wants because THEY want the latest stuff, like with Cinderella and her dress. It's a really nice touch.

[@johnvinals7423]

Also bear with me…neurodivergent/autistic Cinderella.

[@eamonndeane587]

A Cinderella played by Hunter Schafer would be great.

[@laurentrano7184]

The story of Cinderella is at least 2000 years old, possibly older. Almost every culture has a version of it. So my question to Hollywood, authors, screenwriters or anyone that puts pen to paper, is why do you insist on telling the Charles Perrault version over and over and over? Are you trying to outdo Disney? Not only would retelling a different cultures version satisfy the need for a refreshing twist, but it would also satisfy culture inclusion. I personally love the Persian Cinderella, where the Cinderella character, Settareh, finds a magical jug and is sent to the princes festival with a lovely diamond anklet. Or how about the version from Zimbabwe, where Nyasha, the kind and beautiful daughter of Mufaro and her sister, Manyara both travel to the kings court and on the way there Nyasha shares her food and water with a child and old woman, thus impressing the king and making her his bride? Domitila (Mexico), Cendrillion (Carribean), Yeh-Shen (China), the rough faced girl (Native American). There are versions from Greece, Korea, Egypt, Russia, Germany, Japan. I mean come on! It’s like they are not even trying anymore. (If no one can tell, Cinderella is my favorite fairytale). If Cinderella is so universal and popular, why do we insist on telling the same version over and over again?

[@naomistarlight6178]

I'm an abuse survivor and I think the discourse around the 1950s film often feels like blaming the victim for either loving her family enough to put up with their bullshit, or having a "freeze" response to the abuse. She is strong in how she is persistent and doesn't give up on her dreams or in other words, her hope that one day things will get better. She knows that bad situations can't last forever. Does that make her weak and naive? Well what "active" thing was she supposed to do exactly? Chop them all up with an axe? Trap them in the mansion and light it on fire? This is family. She was a kind person. So she didn't run away and join the army, it doesn't mean she's not heroic. It's just that society has trouble recognizing feminine forms of bravery.

[@mareofmaers3590]

This. Honestly, I think this kind of discourse is usually lead by people who haven't been in Cinderella's shoes (no pun intended) and want to sell the very damaging narrative that getting out of an abusive situation is a) easy and b) can only be achieved by being rebellious and hyper-independent (which in itself is a trauma reaction), completely ignoring how utterly horrible the consequences for any kind of rebellion can be in an abusive household.

[@lilyofthevalley2048]

Hearing Pierce Brosnan sing, I was reminded of *The Simpsons* episode where they get snowed in at the school and watch an old Christmas movie, and one of the elves sings to the ingénue, 🎵Spend my days pitching woo to you🎵 for three hours.

[@fanofmusicals]

1955's "The Glass Slipper" was a decent, semi-musical telling of the Cinderella story. It has one song and two dream ballets (anytime we get to watch Leslie Caron dance is fine with me).

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

I've said this on nearly every Cinderella (2021) reaction, but we already *have* a Cinderella movie where the title character wants to run a business: A Cinderella Christmas (2016), a Hallmark modern take on the story that actually holds some rewatch factor for me each year that it airs. As well as telling its premise a lot better, it also has some more creativity regarding its connections to the original fairytale. 👠🎄 Its success even followed up two other fairytale Christmas spin-offs: A Snow White Christmas (2018), which I'd argue is even *more* creative in its modernization, and A Beauty & the Beast Christmas (2019), which is admittedly sillier in tone than its predecessors but still enjoyable. And all three main romances are better executed than this 2021 film by a long shot. 💖🌹🍎

[@trinaq]

Agreed, all of these versions are much better than this one, since they seem to understand the source material more, without the whole "Not like the Other Girls" narrative.

[@TommyDeonauthsArchives]

Wait, there's a bunch of made for tv Christmas movies that aren't mopey-dopey love stories!?

[@EYTPS]

A Lifetime movie being better than one made by a major studio.... just... wow.

[@ericspearman2998]

@@EYTPS It was a Hallmark.

[@frankieseward8667]

@@ericspearman2998 even more perplexing

[@bookishnewt8468]

I wouldn’t mind seeing a Cinderella that does the ignored/darker plot details. 1) Cinderella met the Prince during a three day festival. 2) the stepsisters self mutilated themselves trying to fit the glass slipper. 3) the stepsisters were attack by birds in the end as punishment for tormenting Ella for years

[@morinomajou]

Didn't Into the Woods cover those? I definitely remember the stepsisters cutting their feet, at least.

[@colleen4ever]

The thing that bothered me about THAT version is her father was still alive and letting all these things happen to his biological daughter!! At least all the other versions killed him off at the beginning.

[@BecciTK]

I don't know a specific one in English but I'd recommend looking for adaption that are more oriented by the Brothers Grimm version, as that is the one you are describing. Most American movies seem to be heavily inspired by the french version with the fairy and the pumpkin. A few German adaptions include the Brothers Grimm elements but they typically don't get translated.

[@colleen4ever]

@@BecciTK And I think her stepmother encouraged her daughters to cut their feet saying they won;t have to walk anymore when one of them is the Queen

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@colleen4ever All of these elements were in the Brothers Grimm's Cinderella ("Aschenputtel", or "ash maiden"), which came a century and change after the Charles Perrault version. Perrault's is the more famous, with all the elements we know best.

[@allisonbergh4429]

The musical “The Noteworthy Life Of Howard Barnes” summarises at one point the current state of Broadway thus: “Witches who are greenish, girls you might call meanish, adolescent losers in a county spelling bee, Mormons on their missions, rapping politicians, blondes who woo their boyfriends by pursuing a degree, pregnant pastry bakers, kinkified boot-makers, angsty German dramas, disco-loving mamas, nannies with umbrellas, *several Cinderellas*, stylish bohemians who all have HIV” I suspect versions of Cinderella might be another plague, left out of the Bible because it’s silly.

[@Idontwantomakeupahandle]

When I think of a more modern version of Cinderella with characters singing songs like Somebody To Love I think of Ella Enchanted. They kept that she is kind. That’s why the prince falls for her. And yet despite being so early 2000s it still feels timeless.

[@animeotaku307]

Having read the book, I found the film adaptation of Ella Enchanted to be sub-par. But compared to this film it’s a masterpiece.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@animeotaku307 Yeah I remember people bashing the movie version of Ell Enchanted for a while around the early 2010s. I guess enough bad movies have come out to change that perspective.

[@animeotaku307]

@@DrawciaGleam02 I still don’t like the movie, but I’m willing to admit that that probably comes from reading the book first. On its own, it’d be a decent film. And most of the changes made were to keep with the change in medium.

[@lucasgray1492]

My thing with Cinderella is that Cinderella is kind, she has constantly been shown to be kind. In the versions of the story she is kind to everyone. She protects the mice, she helps her step sister Anastasia, she even forgives her stepmother and she helps a Stag escape a hunt. In Ella Enchanted even though she’s controlled by the spell she makes the most of her life, helping those around her and showing a kind heart even in the world of adversity. I know some see the Cinderella story as a girl waiting to be saved. But I think it isn’t. Cinderella works hard, she does the chores and she survives. It’s not easy to be subject to constant physical and emotional abuse by ones so called “family” and keep being optimistic. She continues every step of the way in these stories fighting for who she is and what she deserves even when the step-family seems to win. That’s not some weak damsel waiting to be saved, that’s a survivor with a lot of strength. And just because a man (the prince) was the reason she got to leave that abuse doesn’t mean that it makes her any less. Sometimes one needs another person’s help to remove themselves from abuse and toxicity. The story of Cinderella to me at least has always been about kindness, love, hard work, and showing that even if you work hard sometimes life is going to hurt, it’s going to fight you and you will get hurt but there is a way forward, a way towards a happy ending. Cinderella got out of the abuse through the prince and through her fairy godmother, but she also proved way before that just how much of a role model for kindness and inner strength she was. When I watched this version it wasn’t long before I knew that Camila’s version was not a true Cinderella. She needlessly mocked the King’s father, which definitely should have gotten her punished, and she also just blatantly insulted the prince without a second thought. She shows small amounts of kindness like with the mice, and the caterpillar but over all she doesn’t have Cinderella’s heart, the heart that makes Cinderella Cinderella

[@baliyae]

Cinderella is the kind of fairy tale that people like to retell because they can relate to the story on some level.

[@cam4636]

It's also the kind of fairy tale that corporations like to retell because they think their consumer base will relate to it simply for being a well-known fairy tale...

[@andieallison6792]

@cam and??

[@willlyon7129]

@@cam4636 I enjoy many interpretations of the Cinderella story set in different countries and diverse backgrounds. From Chinese Yeh Shen and The Rough Face Girl from Native America. I adore lesser known fairy tales from different cultures and countries. Especially the dark and gruesome ones, they should be great ideas for horror movies.

[@oliviastratton2169]

Seriously. Disney himself said he chose to adapt it because he personally related to Cinderella. Her abusive household environment reminding him of his early working career in animation before he became successful. Most people can relate to working hard trying to please someone who is awful to you, feeling trapped, and hoping for a lucky break. For a medieval noblewoman, a good marriage was the best chance to get a lucky break. There's nothing wrong with that.

[@HaleyRadiant]

Shocked James Corden's head on a mouse body didn't make its own sin, but yeah never want to relive that moment EVER again.....😖 Loved this review Diva! 🙌

[@tylerfish2701]

What were these filmmakers thinking when putting in some kind of lovecraftian nightmare fuel in a Cinderella movie?

[@HaleyRadiant]

@@tylerfish2701 Ikr! So effed up! 😟

[@nathanforester5993]

Yeah gave me vibes of Baby Jack Black in The House With A Clock In Its Walls, but at least the Jack Black baby was a practical effect. It's like the cover of a Goosebumps book, specifically Chicken Chicken.

[@alexanderklepp]

This isn’t a film but I feel one of the best in terms of jukebox musicals is the TV show Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist in that while they do use a lot of popular songs, they use them to reflect the characters’ feelings so well. Their usage of American Pie for instance was perfect. I’d rather not say more about the show but I’ve enjoyed it and the way it uses the songs they choose. Idina Menzel did do a great job singing Material Girl if only it was filmed better.

[@bigbearkat2010]

Agreed, my dad died around when the second season aired and I think that combination made "I Lived" suddenly into one of my favorite songs after the Peter Gallagher rendition

[@amandalynn4979]

& Juliet is really good too! Great representation and puts famous songs in new contexts!

[@johndavidtibbetts7320]

this movie is the end result of focusing too hard on girlbossing, on making your heroine "inspiring" without actually writing a character. You end up with a protagonist who makes exactly one facial expression the entire movie

[@SW23252]

Can we declare Idina's rendition of "Material Girl" this thing's Saving Grace? That was insane! 🤩

[@alaska4939]

It’s films like this that perpetuate the stereotype that woman in history were nothing but housewives and mothers. There were lots of women who were tailors, laundresses, bakers, hand maids, and more. Not to mention that wives kept records of their households and would do a lot of the book keeping especially if the family couldn’t afford an accountant. Now, I’m not saying that the past was perfect or things haven’t improved much for the better. But please, give some credit to our ancestors.

[@PugandOwn]

ngl it annoys me that for a movie that made its protagonist a dress designer, the costuming is just such a mixed bag. some of the outfits are quite nice, a lot of the dresses in the ball scenes are rather pretty and the king's various coats are good (though if you think of it in in-universe terms, dude's really cycling through military uniforms there). but then you get cinderella's disappointing gowns, or the prince and friends' discount panic at the disco business casual, or the missed opportunity of making the fairy godparent a butterfly and then NOT DESIGNING AROUND THAT FACT. good god the actual outfit is fine, but the fact they just ignored an entire class of the most beautiful insects in the gd world for their inspiration, just- gahhahhgahjfadkghafdkgh also. how much bridgerton do you think the creative team were forced to binge before working on this?

[@elizabetheowynbelle]

This adaptation makes me feel less foolish for loving the much maligned 1976 musical "The Slipper and the Rose". Oh, I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, and it definitely has its flaws, but you know what? I love it anyway. It has genuine heart, does slightly different things with the tale of Cinderella without shoving it down our throats, and I think Richard Chamberlain and Gemma Craven have a genuinely sweet chemistry. Plus, it has songs by the legendary Sherman brothers, music by trail-blazing composer Angela Morley, and the screenplay never shies away from being sincere and, yes, even corny. "The Slipper and the Rose", for all its faults, puts 2021's "Cinderella" to shame... not that that's difficult to do.

[@eamonndeane587]

That and the Wonderful Annette Crosbie as the Fairy Godmother.

[@KopaXTani]

“O no, he’s going to sing,” said everyone who saw him in Mamma Mia. Lol!

[@scylla1772]

"James. Do you mind if I call you James?" - words spoken shortly before a murder

[@ladyheavdev]

Honey, James got SLAUGHTERED in this~

[@rebeccale6012]

"The knockoff Alan Cumming" part was too true!

[@Mermain123]

if i wanted a "not like other cinderellas" i'd just reread fruitsbasket do the story where cinderella is this scary physic goth chick who wears all black and advocates for her step sister to marry the cranky prince who wants to be anywhere BUT here and i think i remember the fairy godmother had to actively make cinderella go to the ball just so the play would continue (it's been awhile since i read volume 15 and i haven't seen the reboot anime)

[@thenorthernbard3688]

That was my favorite scene I wish I could see it for the first time all over again I had no idea where it was going at all times XD

[@Mermain123]

@@thenorthernbard3688 THAT'S the kind of "Not like other cinderella's" i'd want to read i really need to watch the anime at some point considering how much i loved the orignal and the manga

[@SpamEggSausage]

I read a book a really long time ago where Cinderella was a witch. And not a nice witch. Her mother had been a witch too and was executed for it by the king and instead of the fairy godmother it's the ghost of her witch mother who wants to wreak revenge on the king and his family. She casts a spell on the prince and makes it so he's sexually obsessed with her and eventually becomes her love slave (the stepmother and stepsisters are in this version too but they have no idea what's going on)

[@Mermain123]

@@SpamEggSausage ooooo Sounds cooooool

[@rachelghoul1835]

Also she bails on the prince to open a yakiniku stand.

[@olympiadeverre]

Thank you for using the Baker as an example of a James Corden role that worked, honestly it’s the only performance of his I’ve ever enjoyed

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

He did a great job in the two episodes of Doctor Who with Matt Smith.

[@michaelhegwood9977]

The only other version of Cinderella that should be made nowadays is if it's a martial arts story. An orphan girl at a gym wants to enter a martial arts tournament so she can face off against the champion who just so happens to be looking for a wife, she trains in secret as the teacher who took her in and worked for thought she would disrespect her gym. When Cinderella announces she's going to enter not only do the students at the dojo tear up her homemade gear but also slits her Achilles heel, making sure that even if she enters, she won't be able to fight with her kick/BJJ-oriented style she's been practicing. Just as everything seems lost though a former martial artist champion notices this and takes Cinderella in, not only does she let Cinderella represent her gym under disguise but also fixes her foot and teaches her a special kick-based attack. She enters and manages to make it to the final round facing off against the reigning champ who has won the tournament so many times he's called "The Prince", they fight, and right as Cinderella might lose, she performs the magical kick that ends up defeating the champ. However, right before they're going to crown her the victor she flees back to the gym before the other students notice she's not there, but The Prince is left lovestruck. The Prince then goes around the country challenging women who resembled the mysterious in hope to find the woman who beat him, he does this until one day he ends up experiencing the same kick which defeated him. He proposes, they marry and together they open up a gym to teach underprivileged children while giving them a home, the end.

[@kenthuang436]

What about a drag version of Cinderella. I mean she does sort of transforms from a dull ordinary woman to someone who has a fabulous make over and a larger than life dress and shoes.

[@bookcat123]

Okay, so… their twist was that the prince escaped his life to Cinderella instead of Cinderella escaping her life to the prince? 🤔 Could have worked if done well. But they would have had to fully commit. Cinderella’s step family turn out to be loving and supportive, and the princess doesn’t want power, she’s just ignored (or drop her and just use the queen), while the king is full on terrible and particularly controlling/abusive to his son. Then the princess or queen can conspire with the visiting queen who usurped her throne to pull off another internal coup and that queen can conquer the country with minimal bloodshed while the prince runs off to live as a peasant…

[@aceinspaces]

I'll never get over their decision to have the fairy godmother magic up Cinderella's dress in a movie where Cinderella's character is motivated by her desire to make dresses, even if it is from one of her designs

[@Cheezbuckets]

Imagine if she had made her dream ball dress only to have her stepfamily ruin it, and the fairy godmother simply turned back time on the dress to magically clean/fix it to its original state.

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

@@Cheezbuckets It would be cool if they'd stuck with the dress being torn apart (made for a much more dramatic scene than just a splash of ink,) and it was pieced back together with magic, all the mended rips making sparkling lines that formed a pattern.

[@animeotaku307]

@@PassTheMarmalade1957 Ooh! Like kintsugi! That would be good! Maybe Cinderella could be the one who suggests doing it, since it would show her creativity more.

[@luciakaminski779]

Also, in the end she get's hired for a dress she didn't make. And, at least in my opinion, the dress didn't look like the one in the skech, so that's also by magic.

[@angelabryant9766]

Okay...it's really hard to convince me this is 'love at first sight' when the prince pulls an O-face at the sight of her charming rebellion. Yeaaaaah, he's in love, suuuure, totally doesn't just wanna lose his virginity or anything...

[@dunes8817]

More like "lust at first sight"

[@colleen4ever]

At least in the original story he was charmed by her mannerisms and kindness when he was dancing with her as well as her dress. But don;t ask me why he still never thought to ask her her name!

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@colleen4ever He might’ve but she could’ve just said, ‘Nevermind about that’.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@colleen4ever I watched an MLP version where the prince recalls that Cindy was a pegasus. The duke responds with, "You couldn't tell me this EARLIER?!?"

[@justqueennothighqueen38]

"How many musical versions of Cinderella do we need?" - I'd actually say 3.5 because I would also include the underrated The Slipper and the Rose. I think it has a nice score and I love what they do with the third act which makes it feel so distinct and different. It also has my favorite version of the fairy godmother because she's an actual character and has a lot more screen time.

[@michaelreffold3170]

I'm so surprised they somehow resisted the urge to cast Shawn Mendes as Prince Robert.

[@gentlemanlygeeky4088]

Can Mendes act?

[@glamgirlsg]

I would disagree that we only need the two musical versions of the Cinderella story. Disney and Rodgers & Hammerstein are classics, for sure, but for my money The Slipper and The Rose is an oft overlooked British production with some serious talent behind it. It's available for free here on KZbin.

[@jenniferschillig3768]

Glad you mentioned that! And it had songs from the Brothers Sherman.

[@willlyon7129]

Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella and The Slipper and the Rose are the best interpretations of the story.

[@becuaseimbored3481]

This feels like a relic from 2010's pseudo feminism "Ruining your childhood" by trying the convince the internet that Disney princesses are hella sexist even if they do that by completely misinterpreting the movie and that modern Disney seems way too obsessed with

[@drewbear1969]

I'm sad that this will be someone's introduction to the story of Cinderella, and in twenty years they'll still love and defend it unironically just because of nostalgia. [e] okay and if they're going to use _Rhythm Nation 1814_ without it just being part of someone's playlist on random, "Escapade" would have been a MUCH better choice IMO, either for the ball or for the final number.

[@kenthuang436]

Or Miss You Much for the Prince as he expresses how unhappy he’s been since Ella ran away from him at the ball. It would be interesting to have a man sing the song for once and basically be a song about a guy who thinks he’s in love with a stranger whose name he doesn’t know and he loves her so much that despite her being a commoner he’s ready to tell everyone how much he loves her.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

I said once, I'll say it again: Amazon's Cinderella is probably the most juvenile version I've seen and I've seen Cinder Elmo. (Also, Dania Ramirez's Ella was a better version.)

[@xx_robotkrew_xx1446]

Idina Menzel is too good for this hellfire

[@aricaj.3006]

One of my biggest problems with this movie is that Camila Cabello's vocal style didn't match anyone else's. The pop runs were overdone, and I wish whoever the music director was had coached her to sing in a more standard style that blended with that of the rest of the cast. Every time she had a song it just stuck out in the wrong way and took me out of the movie. On another point, the queen and the stepmother had far more insteresting stories than the main leads. I would've preferred a movie fleshing them out instead. Parallel stories about two women whose youthful ambitions were stolen from them because of bad relationships. It reminds me of how Stephenie Meyer was a pro at introducing interesting back stories for her side characters but chose to focus on the bland Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle instead

[@MrDj232]

"A better movie wouldn't necessarily need to answer these questions, but it would at least know that they exist." This line fits about 90% of films and TV series of the past 15 years.

[@eisforenkai]

You know, with all the modern takes on Cinderella lately, I'm surprised we haven't gotten a trans Cinderella outside of that one Muppet Babies episode. I think there's a lot there that can be explored in terms of gender roles, gender presentation, and how the patriarchy sets people against each other. Instead we get multiple girl-boss "not like other girls" Cinderellas (this and the ALW one).

[@morley364]

Yes! I've commented something similar- seeing Billy Porter makes me want to see the whole cast of Pose do Cinderella!

[@kenthuang436]

Or RuPaul’s Drag Race queens. I think that Jinkx Monsoon would be a great stepmother and Ginger Minj and either Roxxy Andrews or Detox as the stepsisters, Shangela as the Fairy Godmother, and Gigi Goode as Cinderella. The prince I can see Ben Dela Creme imitating Paul Lynde.

[@Pinup-witch]

A take where they celebrate Cinderella as a trauma and abuse survivor who really just wants a damn night off to have fun, but trips into the prince being into her, and maybe they just don't wind up together in the end?

[@Cheezbuckets]

I finally put together why “woman can’t have job making dresses!” bothers me so much in this! It’s not a new take that dressmaking was never barred from women and it was a perfectly normal and respectable womanly job, especially if you had the drive (and money) to run your own joint, but this is, of course, a fairy tale not based on any specific point in history, and in a better story, I would totally be willing to accept “Cinderella cannot have a job making dresses because of the patriarchy or w/e”, but this particular story is *so* anachronistic and modernized from the visual design (particularly of the dresses themselves) to the music and dialogue and how the characters generally act, my brain just has a hell of a time trying to accept the story of “we are in ye olde times therefore woman no own business” while listening to modern pop songs and actors acting all snarky and “cool” and looking at a sea of modern prom dresses that don’t feel like they’re deliberately anachronistic to say something in the story, but just because the creators thought that girlboss Cinderella needed to be “cool” for its own sake. I was having a hard time for a while wondering to myself why the damn dressmaker conflict bugged me when I could happily suspend disbelief for other stories lol the purported “old fashioned beliefs” running the plot are just rubbing up against the modern stylings like sandpaper in my mind. XD

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Women did own their own businesses for centuries.

[@aprilcanipe2614]

God the Cinderella with Brandy and Whitney Houston is my all time favorite! I remember when it came on TV I was so excited and fell instantly In love! I remember my memas tv was shitty and had "rabbit ears" I hade to constantly fiddle with it! Ugh menories! 🤘🤘

[@MegCazalet]

4:38 “It’s my favorite part because you see, here’s where she meets Prince Charming, but she won’t know that it’s him til chapter threeeeee”

[@jaimeethomas7018]

Honestly I think it would be funny to see an interpretation of Cinderella where the reason the prince is looking for her the day after the ball and can’t remember her face, only has the shoe, is that he was absolutely piss drunk. Probably not the best movie premise but for a panto or similar I think it could work!

[@pikaace]

THANK YOU for giving a LEGITIMATE explanation as to why James Corden keeps failing in every role he's been in lately instead of just saying 'He's cringe.' I've been waiting for someone to put it into words for a while now

[@sauronbagginsd8032]

My two favourite Cinderella musicals will always be The Slipper and The Rose (with music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers) and of course Rodger’s and Hammerstein version, this seems………………….I don’t even have words

[@willlyon7129]

I couldn’t agree more.

[@oracleofthemundane9593]

I also love The Slipper and the Rose. Sure, it has its issues, but it also has so many delightful tunes, plus I love that it doesn't ignore the political problems of a prince marrying a commoner. Cinderella's "Tell Him Anything" is a heartbreaker.

[@sauronbagginsd8032]

@@oracleofthemundane9593 plus it explores the story from the Princes POV

[@oracleofthemundane9593]

@@sauronbagginsd8032 Yep - it's a more balanced look at the couple in general.

[@sauronbagginsd8032]

@@oracleofthemundane9593 the songs are pretty good too, Tell Him Anything is so so sad. Can’t go wrong with it, the Austrian locations are stunning too

[@mariaantoniajosephajohanna]

How did the Coming to America sequel do feminism with princesses better than this movie? Seriously, the plot even involves a princess wanting to take the throne despite her older (and much less qualified) brother being expected to take it

[@irinakermong1217]

The whole eleven o'clock dilemna (pun intended) is really stupid, when you think about it: if Cinderella becomes queen, she'll actually have the power to change things, because I highly doubt the prince will be as domineering as his father is and he isn't even interested in ruling. Why become a dressmaker when you can girlboss gaslight gatekeep your way to the throne?

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

She's all "We women can run businesses, too! We run households, we have babies, blah blah," and then totally brushes off her opportunity to be in a position of power where she can make that happen for the whole nation. She could have opened a dressmaking college, championed women's education and funding for small businesses. Instead she's totally cool with lucking her way into success by having a prince get the hots for her and introduce her to a queen who likes her work, and by having literal magic on her side.

[@irinakermong1217]

@@PassTheMarmalade1957 And the best part is that dressmaker have traditionally been women throughout history, because a married woman or a young debutante obviously wouldn't want to be seen in her underthings by a male dressmaker, right? Rose Bertin exists. Elizabeth Keckley exists.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

@@irinakermong1217 I don’t think the writers were paid to care honestly. Also it does make Cinderella come across as really shallow since it looks like she only wants the exception for herself and doesn’t want to help other women out of their situations.

[@DiegoHernandez-xt2su]

Cinderella 1950 > Cinderella 2021

[@willlyon7129]

You do know that these stories were created hundreds of years ago before the Mouse was conceived.

[@ForrestFox626]

@@willlyon7129 His statement is still true

[@DiegoHernandez-xt2su]

@@willlyon7129 I still prefer the Disney Version

[@reneeangely8446]

I love Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella the best. However, there is a couple Cinderella iterations that are worth a look. First is Jim Henson’s version called Hey, Cinderella. It sticks to the original story, but still has the Muppet silliness we know and love. And there’s Sesame Street’s version, a special called CinderElmo. It makes the central character a boy and has plenty of moments that make it enjoyable like Kathy Najimy playing the evil stepmother.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Muppet Babies (the rebooted one) has a nice version of Cinderella too!

[@reneeangely8446]

@@DrawciaGleam02 Oh yeah! I forgot about that one!

[@beckyhop13]

I'm sorry but...WHY WOULD A MOUSE NOT KNOW WHAT A PENIS IS?! MICE HAVE PENISES, TOO!

[@MusicalHell]

Maybe it's because they are so tiny? (Also I just googled "mouse penis" because of this so anyone monitoring my search history is in for an interesting afternoon.)

[@jonelrobinson582]

12:38Yes! I love Schmigadoon! Schmigadoon pulls it off a musical parody perfectly!

[@entertainmentpowerfuchs5744]

Why this Movie was never nominated for a Razzie? Good Question!

[@phoenixrising7777]

Don’t forget Ever After!! That one is great!

[@lauramacgregor2148]

0:29 I don't know - I kind of enjoyed The Slipper and the Rose.

[@jeremyusreevu237]

This movie is just...so friggin dumb. From the pitiful attempts at feminism, to missing the point of the original story, to the horrendous script, to Camilla Cabeo being in this movie just because she's famous and for no other reason, to once again making it hard to defend James Corden when he keeps being in garbage like this, Cats, and The Emoji Movie. An absolutely ridiculous movie that I'm glad to see in Musical Hell.

[@Kahran042]

If Camilla Cabeo is so famous, how come I'd never heard of her until I looked up this movie on Wikipedia last month? :)

[@jeremyusreevu237]

@@Kahran042 I'm not saying she's a megastar, but she's a non-actress that most people kinda recognize.

[@esmeraldadelatorre8676]

My ending version of the story is that the Queen kills the king for his abuse to her and Cinderella goes with the Queen to be a fashion designer the End