Cast: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver, Vivica A. Fox, Joanna Lumley, Patrick Bergin, Jimi Mistry, Eric Idle, Parminder K. Nagra, Lucy Punch, Jennifer Higham
Director: Tommy O'Haver
Producer: Jane Startz
Screenplay: Laurie Craig, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, based on the novel by Gail Carson Levine
Cinematography: John de Borman
Music: Shaun Davey
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
Those who have enjoyed Gail Carson Levine's Newberry Honor Book will find little that is familiar in the cinematic mauling of Ella Enchanted. The original story is a charming fairy tale about a young woman who finds herself and romance as she seeks to undo a curse that has plagued her since infancy. The filmmakers, apparently concerned that such a story would not find an audience, decided to "spice up" the material by adding a villainous, evil uncle (right out of Hamlet, no less); a regicide subplot; contemporary references; repeated, failed attempts at satire; a blatant anti-bigotry message; and plenty of pop songs. The result is an unappealing mess, made less bearable by uniformly lackluster performances and the cheesy special effects.
Many fans of the genre had hoped that the dual-barreled success of The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter movies would usher in a golden age of cinematic fantasy. If that's the case, then Miramax has again exhibited a propensity for employing the reverse Midas touch. These days, a majority of what the Weinsteins touch turns into dross. It's hard to figure out who would pay money to see Ella Enchanted. It's targeted at pre-teen girls, but it's unlikely that many of them will find much that's appealing in this motion picture. The filmmakers were apparently aiming for something in the vein of Shrek or The Princess Bride. Instead, at its best, Ella Enchanted echoes Willow and A Knight's Tale. Although I appreciate that it is not the best approach to adapt a book verbatim to the screen, some degree of respect for the content and tone of the source material should be observed, which is not the case here.
Ella of Frell (Anne Hathaway) is a spirited girl with a slight problem: she has been cursed almost since birth. When the fairy Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox) visited her as a baby, she was noisy, and would not quiet down, so Lucinda bestowed upon her the "gift" of obedience. Whenever anyone commands Ella to do something, she must obey. Now that she's a young woman, this albatross has become a major impediment, especially once her bitchy step-sister discovers her secret. So she must embark upon a quest to locate Lucinda and get the fairy to lift the curse. She is abetted by her house fairy, Mandy (Minnie Drive), and a talking book (Jimi Mistry), is accompanied by an elf (Aidan McArdle) she saves from Ogres, and falls in love with the soon-to-be ruler of the realm, Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy). However, although the prince has high ideals, the same cannot be said of his uncle, Prince Regent Edgar (Cary Elwes), who does not want the rightful king to take the crown.
When it comes to the inclusion of several cartoonish, over-the-top characters, such as Edgar and the talking book, one has to wonder what director Tommy O'Haver and his screenwriters were thinking. Edgar is a scheming buffoon who seems loosely modeled after Chris Sarandon's character in The Princess Bride, but is written without the sardonic edge. (Elwes played the romantic lead in The Princess Bride, so he got to observe Sarandon up-close.) The mix of contemporary morals, colloquialisms, and pop culture references (Prince Char has a fan club and is often the featured cover boy for teen magazines) with a medieval-inspired fantasy setting is jarring. And the use of popular songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s (including "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart," "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," "Respect," "Somebody to Love") makes this sound like more like a soundtrack advertisement than a motion picture.
As Ella, Anne Hathaway exudes energy, and she's perky enough, but she does not give a riveting performance. Hathaway fails to do with Ella what actresses like Mandy Moore and Lindsey Lohan do with similarly screenplay-challenged protagonists in other teen-oriented motion pictures. As in The Princess Diaries, the most notable thing about Hathaway is her beautiful, bright smile. Her romantic opposite, Hugh Dancy, is equally easy on the eyes, but no better when it comes to acting. There's no evidence of romantic tension; these two generate as much heat as a pair of icicles. Meanwhile, Cary Elwes only stops chewing the scenery long enough to converse with a CGI snake named Heston. (Named after Charlton?) Bend It Like Beckham's Parminder K. Nagra is grossly underused as Ella's best friend (she is discarded 20 minutes into the film). Eric Idle (in a failed attempt to invoke the spirit of Monty Python), Patrick Bergin, Joanna Lumley, Vivica A. Fox, and Minnie Driver all have small, forgettable parts.
For movies made in the '00s, poor special effects are unacceptable, yet Ella Enchanted is replete with them. The most glaring example occurs when giants are shown interacting with normal-sized human beings - it's obvious that blue-screen superimposition was used. This kind of visual technique wouldn't have impressed audiences 20 years ago, much less today, when recent feature films have shown hobbits being carried around by Ents. Filmmakers should have more respect for their audiences.
The book Ella Enchanted is a wonderful fairy tale that has been, is, and will be treasured by children (especially girls) between ages 7 and 14. The movie is an embarrassment - another example of Hollywood excess overwhelming and sinking an otherwise unassuming story. This is one instance when I can most heartily advise ignoring the multiplex and video store on the way to the library.
© 2004 James Berardinelli