Drew Barrymore stars as "Danielle" (it's one of her stepsisters who refers to her as "Cinderella," and she means it derogatorily), and she's never impressed me more. I never thought much of her until "The Wedding Singer," where she was really good in her role. As for THIS movie, she absolutely shines. Her accent trails off every now and then, but you can't help but to totally love her character. She brings a believable toughness to the role while maintaining beauty, charm, and wit.
Anjelica Huston is perfectly cast as "Rodmilla" the stepmother. Her character is far too complex to simply label her "wicked," but she's still not very likable. Huston hits the right note every time she's on-screen. Dougray Scott is just great as "Prince Henry." He plays the role perfectly. Also, Patrick Godfrey is magnificent as "Leonardo da Vinci." Yes, THAT one.
"Ever After" was directed by Andy Tennant, who last directed Barrymore in the "Amy Fisher" TV-movie that she starred in. Most recently, he directed "Fools Rush In." The script was written by Susannah Grant (who was one of the writers in Disney's "Pocahontas") as well as Tennant and Rick Parks (his debut as a feature film writer).
Definitely
not a flawless movie, "Ever After" still kept me involved from the start.
It's a very modern version with no talking mice, no fairy Godmother, and
"the stroke of midnight" means little, but there's still plenty of magic
to go around.