This updated Cinderella tale is the brainchild of James Corden (Carpool Karaoke) and Kay Canon (Pitch Perfect) and it is just what the world needed in 2021. It’s musical, magical, and motivational.
Overall, the reviews of this Amazon Original film are hardly singing it praises (pun intended) but it wouldn’t be the first time the public disagreed with the critics…
Some reviewers have likened the film to a long compilation of TikTok videos. I can see the resemblance but I disagree with reinforcing the negative connotations associated with social media to degrade the film. Why shouldn’t the film have a TikTok-like aesthetic? The public clearly love TikTok; it’s a $250 million business. If the public want a hundred and thirteen minutes of musical numbers loosely strung into a rags-to-riches story, you give it to them!
This is not a Disney production. It has its own frame of reference which feels more musical theatre than Hollywood film. My review of Disney’s 2015 live action Cinderella starring Lily James can be found here, and so, I haven’t made a comparison between the two in this review. Nevertheless, please don’t let its non-Disney-ness put you off either.
Unlike Disney’s Descendants, this adaptation of Cinderella does not feature all original music. In fact, there is only one original song entitled Million to one which Cinderella (Camila Cabello) belts out at pivotal moments throughout the film. For this reason, I did feel a rush of disappointment when the film opened with a huge cast of villagers performing a musical number to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation. Fortunately, the feeling quickly passed as I began to recognise the songs. With that, all thoughts of originality were instantly replaced with song lyrics and crediting the production team for its application and timing of the chosen songs. Twenty minutes in and I was already searching for the soundtrack online.
There is something sentimental about the town crier’s (Doc Brown) role in the film, and it was not the villagers backing vocals or their ability to improvise instrumentals. It was something more subtle. If ever there was a rap song that even I can recite, it’s the theme from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It’s this kind of shoutout to my own childhood that engages adult viewers. The selected songs span at least three generations of viewers, and this makes it feel like you’re not just watching the film for the kids’ sake but truly engaging in it with them. Hence, giving the adult viewers a sense of belonging and familiarity which only builds their emotional investment in the film. When you are emotionally invested, you are better able to suspend your disbelief, especially when it comes to magic.
There is no doubt that this is a revisionists’ adaptation of the Cinderella tale. Camila Cabello plays a strong-willed, hard working young woman who aspires to economic independence as a fashion designer. Just when you expect her to throw it all away to marry the Prince, she does the opposite. The Prince, however, is depicted as lazy and immature. His life lacks direction. That is, until he meets Cinderella. Then, he steps down from the thrown; albeit a role he won’t grieve, to enable Cinderella to pursue both a relationship and a career.
Prince Robert (Nicholas Galitzine), unlike everyone else, is a completely two-dimensional character. The dialogue gives zero insight into the inner workings of his mind or who he is as a whole person. Hence, he serves more as a prop for the other character’s development than as a character in his own right. He didn’t even have the agency to pursue Cinderella. His father, King Rowan (Pierce Brosnan) had to explicitly tell him what was in his own best interest. I found this quite frustrating.
The moral of this revised tale is, I think, to promote feminism. Yet somehow it conveys the message that yes, a woman can have it all but she is the only one. It seems to suggest that a good relationship needs one superstar and one cheerleader. Feminism is about promoting equality between men and women. It is not about women being more, or better than men. So, either the brains behind the film did not have a clear understanding of feminism, which I doubt, or they were blinded by their commitment to developing a strong, independent Cinderella that the Prince was left wanting by comparison. Therefore, the feminist message became misshapen.
Unfortunately, the film’s strength may also be it’s downfall. The film’s overt response to the political and social climate of 2021, may mean that is becomes ‘stuck in its own time’. Future generations may find it difficult to fully engage in the text due to its topical nature. That said, with the emergence of streaming services like Amazon Prime, films that are older or more obscure are finding themselves in the ‘most watched’ category. It’s important not to underestimate the trust we place in our streaming service’s curation of content to meet our specific interests. As a result, younger viewers are finding themselves immersed in films that they would never select for themselves. It’s a case of “if it’s on Netflix, it must be good.” And just like that, middle class Californians are spending their winter nights of 2021 caught up in the drama of Blue Heelers. This is a long-running Australian police procedural that won many awards but never quite cracked the US market when it aired back in the 90’s. I have this on good authority, it’s not a hyperbole.
Fingers crossed Cinderella is on its way to a pedestrian crossing near you. Or preferably, near me.
Enjoy!
Cinderella is available exclusively on Amazon Prime. Click here to start your free trial.
Some of the other Cinderella adaptations include:
· Perrault 1694 Donkeyskin
· The Brothers Grimm’s 1856 Cinderella
· Disney’s 1950 animated film Cinderella
· Disney’s 2015 live action film Cinderella
· Jacob’s 1894 Catskin (More English Fairytales)
· Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1957 television musical
· Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1997 television musical
· The Broadway Theatre’s stage musical Cinderella
· Prokofiev’s 1945 ballet Cinderella
· Massenet’s 1895 opera Cendrillon
· Ever After: A Cinderella Story 1997
· A Cinderella story 2004
· Imperial Ice Star’s Cinderella on Ice
Tanya Simic 