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CINDERELLA – Review by MaryAnn Johanson

MaryAnn Johanson , , , , ,
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Did we need another Cinderella movie? Disney’s live-action reboot of its own classic cartoon is only six years old… and as I wondered back in 2015: Why are we still telling this story? Even if we had, as a culture, embraced the dark version the Brothers Grimm told us, we wouldn’t need to keep reupping it. But we sure as hell do not need more of the version we keep getting: “fantasies” about acquiescent-doormat young women who endure abuse with equanimity. We sure as hell do not need to be filling the heads of girls with any more “some day my prince will come” nonsense. Be your own prince, girls. Save yourself.

But then I saw Kay Cannon’s take on the fairy tale, and — huh — turns out I am here for it. The Pitch Perfect creator has, perhaps unsurprisingly, reimagined Cinderella as a karaoke jukebox musical, with hints of Moulin Rouge! and The Greatest Showman abounding. It’s not anywhere near as good as those cinematic gifts, alas, but it’s pretty darn fun. Continue reading…

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MaryAnn Johanson

MaryAnn Johanson is a freelance writer on film, TV, DVD, and pop culture from New York City and now based in London. She is the webmaster and sole critic at FlickFilosopher.com, which debuted in 1997 and is now one of the most popular, most respected, and longest-running movie-related sites on the Internet. Her film reviews also appear in a variety of alternative-weekly newspapers across the U.S. Johanson is one of only a few film critics who is a member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (the Webby organization), an invitation-only, 500-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities. She is also a member of the Online Film Critics Society. She has appeared as a cultural commentator on BBC Radio, LBC-London, and on local radio programs across North America, and she served as a judge at the first Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Festival at the 2003 I-Con, the largest SF convention on the East Coast. She is the author of The Totally Geeky Guide to The Princess Bride, and is an award-winning screenwriter. Read Johanson's recent articles below. For her AWFJ.org archive, type "MaryAnn Johanson" in the Search Box (upper right corner of screen).