CINDERELLA – Review by MaryAnn Johanson
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…