"Ever After..."

I saw a commercial on television for some movie starring Drew Barrymore called, "Ever After." It looked and sounded fascinating. I have always loved the story of Cinderella, especially the Disney version. So I knew that this movie was a must- see for me. I hoped it would be good and not too bland or "Disney- ish." Because although I mentioned above that I like the Disney version, everyone does know the story of Cinderella and it can get a little old after a while if you see too many movies about the same exact thing, right?

I was not dissapointed on July 25th when I saw a sneak peak of it at a local theater. Although there are hundreds of versions of Cinderella, this one took on a whole new meaning. It was fresh, imaginative, captavating, realistic, and fascinating, as I hoped it would be. Really fantastic. The cast did a excellent job, and Drew Barrymore was absoulutely marvelous. No one could have ever done as good of job as she did! (She played the Cinderella character named Danielle.)

"Ever After" did follow the traditional Cinderella story, but not too closely. Danielle grew up with her wicked stepmother and two stepsisters- an unkind one and a nice one. Her mother and witch- like sister forced Danielle to be their servant. Her only friends were the old servants and an artist.

The love story? Well, Danielle and the young Prince Henry met unexpectedly one day and fell in love. But instead of only falling for her good looks, the prince falls for her strong opinions and courage.

In most versions, Cinderella and the prince are married and live happily ever after. But don't be too confident that this willl be the same in "Ever After..." the two face many obstacles. The prince's parents wish him to marry another woman, and they won't hear of the Prince of France marrying a servant girl. Not to mention the fact that Danielle's stepmother and unkind stepsister will do anything to stop her from being even near the prince.

This isn't your typical fairy- tale. It's a wonderful story and I suggest you see it as soon as it's on video, if you missed it in theaters! This magical movie will be released on video across America on March 2, 1999.