When a story has been told what seems like countless times, writers often neglect a backstory to help usher audiences into the main story, which can lead to some lack of understanding by those who are unfamiliar with that story. Writers Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant and Rick Parks made sure not to overlook this detail and helped to make the story of Danielle (Drew Barrymore) more appealing (Danielle was also a new and interesting play on the name Cinderella). The writers did a wonderful job of using Danielle’s father, Auguste (Jeroen Krabbé), to help audiences empathize with Danielle. While the typical premise of Cinderella’s family is enough to make anyone feel for her, adding another dimension to her difficulties allowed the film to flow more smoothly and be more inviting for audiences. Tennant chose to reinvent the wheel when it came to the character of Danielle. Cinderella has been a beloved character since she was first introduced in the first century A.D. Through countless retellings of the story (most popularly Disney’s Cinderella [1950]) people have fallen in love with this character and while the reasoning behind changing the character is obvious, it seemed forced and weak. Danielle’s personality changed from tomboy to smitten young girl quite regularly throughout the course of the film and everything Tennant and Barrymore would have wanted to accomplish with the character flew out the window. Trying to modify an age-old story to appeal to new audiences (as well as old ones) is an understandable move. Reimagining this story and these characters allowed for new successes in the field of princesses and romance, however, this reimagination fell short of expectations. This film felt less like a fun twist on the story of Cinderella and more like it was being dragged through the mud. With the exception of Danielle’s backstory, it seemed that every aspect of the film hailed in comparison to the more well-known story. The intent is greatly appreciated but the product is sadly underwhelming. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120631/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
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