Ever After (1998)

Entertainment Weekly
"...Unexpectedly witty..." 09/04/1998 p.58

Premiere
"...[A] surprisingly clever take on the classic fairy tale....[Barrymore displays] her enthusiasm and wit..." 08/01/1998 p.24

New York Times
"...[Barrymore gives a] buoyant, unaffected performance..." 07/31/1998 p.E12

Box Office
"...[Barrymore] is thoroughly likable....Anjelica Huston is wonderfully hateful yet magnificently subtle....A lively sense of humor keeps up the pace..." 10/01/1998 p.56

Apollo Leisure Guide 8 of 10
Ever After gives us some of the basics of the Cinderella story, including the downtrodden young woman and the nasty stepmother. But in place of passiveness, she's got self-assurance. In place of magic she's got initiative... The script is right on the mark, giving us a strong Cinderella without coming across as the least bit self-consciously politically correct. - Brian Webster
 
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
``Ever After'' opens with an old lady offering to tell the true story of ``the little cinder girl,'' who was, she says, a real person, long before she was immortalized by the Brothers Grimm in the Cinderella myth: ``Her name was Danielle. And this ... was her glass slipper.'' The movie that follows is one of surprises, not least that the old tale still has life and passion in it. I went to the screening expecting some sort of soppy children's picture and found myself in a costume romance with some of the same energy and zest as ``The Mask of Zorro.'' And I was reminded again that Drew Barrymore can hold the screen and involve us in her characters...The movie takes place in 16th century Europe, although it is a Europe more like a theme park than a real place, and that accounts for Danielle's remarkable ability to encounter the rich and famous--not only Prince Henry of France, but even Leonardo da Vinci, who functions as sort of a fairy godfather...Drew Barrymore has been in the movies for 19 years now (she was in ``Altered States'' when she was 4, and starred in ``E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'' at 7). I seem to have known of her for decades, and she's still only 23. Child stars have a hard time of it, convincing us to forget their cherubic little faces, and there is usually a period of trouble along the way. Now her adult career is safely launched...``Ever After'' has been directed by Andy Tennant, whose ``Fools Rush In'' (1997) was also a Cinderella story of sorts, about a rich developer (Matthew Perry) who falls in love with a poor little Mexican-American camera girl (Salma Hayek) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I liked that movie for its human comedy and romantic energy, and the same qualities are abundant in ``Ever After''--along with lush scenery, astounding locations and luxuriant costumes. Also Leonardo da Vinci, who functions like a cross between a wise old saint and the kind of artist who sketches the guests at a wedding. - Roger Ebert
 
ReelViews 8 of 10
Every once in a while, a movie surprises me. Such is the case with Andy Tennant's Ever After. Based on the lackluster previews, I was prepared for the worst, but, instead of getting a juvenile, pointless re-telling of the classic "Cinderella" fairy tale, I was confronted with a delightful re-interpretation. While I won't claim that Ever After is the best cinematic version of the fable, this is deft storytelling, and sure to be a hit with almost everyone who sees it (except, perhaps, unromantic cynics)...Movies like Ever After, if fashioned with little skill, become curiosities for pre-teen girls looking for a summer afternoon at the movies. However, Tennant takes this familiar material and crafts a charming, captivating motion picture...Drew Barrymore, continuing to rehabilitate her once-tarnished image, proves that her winning turn as a romantic lead in the otherwise-dreadful The Wedding Singer was no fluke. As Danielle, she radiates tremendous appeal. Like Prince Henry, we are immediately taken not only with Danielle's beauty (which shines through the dirt on her face) but with her spirit. Speaking of the Prince, Dougray Scott (who can also be seen in this summer's Deep Impact) manages the difficult feat of making Henry likable rather than bland (blandness is often the unfortunate fate of the male leads in movies like this). Anjelica Huston and Megan Dodds turn on the bitchiness as step-mom and step-sister, and veteran actors Timothy West and Judy Parfitt have comical turns as the King and Queen of France. Patrick Godfrey's wise-but-humorous da Vinci is a delight...Tennant, who showed skill at the helm of a romance with his last film, Fools Rush In, has found the right tone for this effort. The love story is wrapped around interludes of comedy, adventure, and drama. It never seems to matter that we know the entire story from the beginning -- the characters, not the plot, capture our attention. - James Berardinelli