Cinderella (2021) Review

Cinderella (2021) Review

Dir. Kay Cannon 

 

Amazon’s new star-studded musical might be the definition of ‘so bad it’s good’. 

 

 

Bizarre cameos, cringeworthy pop song integration, a weak attempt to modernise and ‘girlboss’ one of the oldest fairytales of all time. Throw all these things into a blender, add one spoon of James Corden and way too many spoons of pointless side characters and you get Amazon’s new adaptation of Cinderella.

 

Perhaps best watched under the influence of alcohol, or with a group of giggly mates, this naff reimagining is as fun as it is utterly paper-thin. You can’t call it joyless, but it will have you smiling and laughing mostly for the wrong reasons.

 

A miscast leading lady in the croaky pop-singer voice of Camilla Cabello, who can’t do much to salvage what is a poorly written and slightly annoying version of Ella. Her unconvincing romance with the disguised Prince Charming just adds more plot holes to an already thin of logic fairytale.

 

For some reason, this film is littered with random British comedians and talent. Be it Kettering’s own James Acaster completing a trio of mice (one of the few comedic elements that worked) or the joyful rapping of Doc Brown who pops in a couple of times but feels like he’s in a completely different film. 

 

Overall, the casting seems to have been the only thing in the film that has had money poured into it. Whether that be getting the utterly tiresome James Corden involved, though thankfully not in a primary role this time, or getting some real acting talent in as the King and Queen; a bemused Pierce Brosnan and Minnie Driver, both of whom have way too good of a filmography to be caught here. 

 

The soundtrack is a mish-mash of oddly chosen pop songs which neither match one another or really fit the story. The producers thought they were getting a Baz Lurhman-esque romp with anachronistic pop, but instead this jukebox musical is more like Cinderella down the local rep theatre. 

 

I can safely say that the worst pantomime Cinderella you’ve seen is still better. 

 

Yet with so much wrong, there’s still fun to be had. It’s a proper social event movie; perfect for a movie night with mates. The cameos and random comedians keep the film alive, and some people genuinely try to carry the film (Indina Menzel in particular, who’s talents as a singer are never fully capitalised on). 

Unfortunately the best elements of Cinderella are the lesser seen ones; such as the wonderful Billy Porter as an all-new fabulous Godmother, who pops up to steal the show and then never returns, leaving the film’s high point unmatched. 

 

Watch it with your friends, your partners, your drinking buddies. Don’t look for a masterpiece, look to have fun, and despite some people’s best efforts to make this a joyless ride, it’s not utterly devoid of entertainment value. 

So bad it’s good.

 

 

4/10

 

Review by Elliott Thomas Griffiths