Cinderella is so ‘Disney’ it almost hurts. (Cinder)Ella is so wholesome as to be almost beyond belief.
Her step-mother and sisters are evil beyond redemption and the prince is handsome and honourable beyond reproach. None of this is unexpected, of course – Disney is as Disney does and it’s perfect little girl fodder, complete with doe-eyed innocence and glittery flouncy dresses. And it’s all shot with an impossible beauty that can only be achieved on a perfectly lit studio set.
Nothing is a surprise – the goodies get their fairy tale ending and the baddies get their just desserts. It’s just all so very… ‘nice’. Without being remarkable in any way, it pushes all the right buttons and duly hits all the appropriate marks. No one will go home disappointed but neither will anyone go home completely wowed.
The standalone pinnacle of the film is Helena Bonham Carter’s scene-stealing turn as the Fairy Godmother which is just fabulous in every way. The rest of the cast, which includes Cate Blanchett and Stellan Skarsgård, play strictly by the numbers – again, not disappointing just unremarkable.
Cinderella is completely harmless holiday fare that, at the very least, will be a welcome relief from the endless re-watches of my young one’s Barbie DVDs at home.
Stuart Jamieson
www.facebook.com/Cinderella
