# Ever After (1998)

### reviewed by
Richard Matich

              Ever After-A Cinderella Story [1998]

A retro reveiw by: Richard Matich. Once upon a time there was a movie studio that wanted a fortune of gold. To achieve this they hired one of the fairest in the land. Drew[Barrymore] was her name, and she couldn't have been more lovely than in this story. They also hired an Oscar winning actress[Anjelica Huston] to "over" act the wicked step mother role. The the prince would be played by a talented new arrival[Dougray Scott]. But alas! The story is an old one that, for all their gimmicks and updates, appears to be as bland as the MGM costume dramas of the '30s. They may find a pot of gold, yet it will be ill gotten. The story seems pointless. You have seen it all before in books and on television. Its an expensive "made for tv" movie or mini series. It looks like, but lacks the charm of, The Adventures Of Robin Hood[1938]. The movie is made for that "family values" crowd that never seems to like anything of much "lasting" value. The filmmakers get so desperate to keep this sham of a plot going that they even put Leonardo da Vinci in as a character. He does not seem to fit in a Cinderella movie. The studio probably wanted another Leonardo. Anything to rob the mass movie audience of more cash. The da Vinci character made me angrier than anything I have seen on screen in many years. It is like in Sleepless In Seattle when the two people meet at the top of the Empire State building. Why that building? Why not have them a-top of any non famous building? Doesn't the Empire State Building observation area close before the famous climactic scene was supposed to have taken place? The hack who directed this bland cinematic merriment is not interested in such matters. He was awfully busy conspiring with composer George Fenton. They create a score so loud and intrusive so as to take your mind off the film's many long pauses while waiting for any real action or dialogue to begin. Is there any good news about this fractured fairy tale? The part of King Francis is played with comedic perfection by Timothy West. The scenes with him are the funniest of the film. There is some humor to the movie, but unfortunately, not enough. Soon after this particular ball begins this chariot turns into a great big celluloid pumpkin that never seems to get moving.

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