Some movies I find quite easy to review. Star Wars Episode IV, A New Hope is a great movie. Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace, not so much.
There is one type of movie that I believe defies reviews, and that is the goofy comedy. I honestly believe that these are movies that you either like or don’t, and to hell with logic. Gene Siskel once said that there are two things that you cannot explain: what is funny, and what is sexy. I couldn’t agree more.
The movie Ella Enchanted is a movie that will have you either giggling or rolling your eyes constantly. To give you an idea of what you’re in for watching this movie, follow this recipe:
1. Take Gail Carson Levine’s novel.
2. Add some ’70s and ’80s rock and roll.
3. Add all the historical accuracy and high brow humor of A Knight’s Tale.
4. Shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass.
5. Garnish with Anne Hathaway’s inhumanly beautiful smile.
6. Serve cold. Drink it with your tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Ella’s fairy godmother, Lucinda, gives Ella the gift of obedience. Anything anyone commands her to do, she must do. In a little twist from the book, the movie Ella must literally do what she is told. (For example, in the movie Ella is told to “hop to it,” and she actually starts jumping up and down. In the book, if Ella were told to “hop to it,” she’d simply start her assigned task right away, since that’s what the person commanding her obviously meant.)
Ella’s father, a widower in desperate need of money to keep up the household, marries Madame Olga, and Olga’s daughters Hattie and Olive become Ella’s stepsisters. Hattie (the evil one) discovers her secret and becomes so cruel to Ella that she finally leaves home to find Lucinda and break her curse. And from this point, the movie differs significantly from the book. (In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say the movie is merely “inspired by” Levine’s book. I mean, the characters’ names are the same, for the most part, but that’s about it.)
While going through the woods, she comes across an elf named Hermey Slannen, who feels oppressed, and doesn’t want to make toys in Santa’s workshop sing and dance for the amusement of humans, he wants to be a dentist lawyer. Go ahead, read that sentence again, I’ll wait.
(Hitting “Fast Forward” button)
Rudolph and Hermey are nearly eaten by the abominable snowman. Ella and Slannen and nearly eaten by ogres.
The Handsome Prince saves them and escorts them to the Island of Misfit Toys Giantville.
Along the way, Ella and the Handsome Prince fall in love. (Whatever.)
The Handsome Prince’s evil Uncle Edgar uses Ella in an evil plot.
The evil plot is foiled. (Yay!)
(Hitting “Play” and returning to normal speed.)
Ella and the Handsome Prince live happily ever after. No fancy ball, no glass slippers, no pumpkin coaches.
The Good: Like I said, this is an intentionally silly movie, so depending on who you are, you’re going to put the humor in The Good, The Bad, or The Ugly category yourself. Me, I only laughed out loud a few times during the flick, but I was grinning stupidly throughout pretty much the whole thing, so it won me over.
And, like most good, goofy movies, it will shock you with some pretty strong poignant moments. Early in the movie, Ella, at Hattie’s command, says unbelievably cruel things to her best friend, Areida. I couldn’t believe how great the scene was, making me all glassy-eyed and all. A later scene in the “Hall of Mirrors” had me almost peeing my pants with anticipation. Very well done stuff.
And what was the best thing about this movie? Being able to watch Anne Hathaway for an hour and a half. Jesus, Mary, mother of God.
The Bad: If you were watching this movie in 1950, when you got to the scene in Giantville, and you saw little Ella, little Slannen, and little Handsom Prince, walking and talking with giants hundreds of feet tall, you’d think “Wow! What great special effects!” Watching it in the Two Thousand and Oughts, you’d think “Wow! What great special effects… if this was 1950!” Pretty much all of the Giantville sequence is done in front of a blue screen, and it really shows. But you know what, I don’t really care. Not everything can be Lord of the Rings, and I think it’s unfair to compare the effects in this little kid’s movie to the big blockbusters, as I’ve read in some reviews. I found the low-tech effects kind of quaint, actually, and they don’t hurt the movie in my arrogant opinion.
The Ugly: It’s a small thing really, but who the hell holds a mandolin up to his or her chin and bows it like a violin? Apparently several people in the land of Frell.
[ Have you read Joe’s Ella Enchanted book review yet? If not, you can check it out here. ]
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Ella Enchanted
Studio: Miramax; August 24, 2004
Genre: Fantasy
