The new Cinderella reimagines a classic Disney princess tale breathing new life into a dying narrative

But is it worth the watch?

When I first heard there would be another live action Cinderella movie, admittedly,  I wasn’t game to watch it. The last attempt at a Cinderella retelling, brought to us by Disney, back in 2015 and starring the lovely and talented Lily Allen felt very much in line with the original animated movie - entirely unrelatable “fantasy” and a mismatch with the modern values and aspirations that I wanted my daughter to grow up with.

The classic story follows the storyline that a woman’s dreams, wants and wishes originate from her role as defined by traditional social milieus - placing a woman’s value at her ability to be “princess worthy” and this worthiness to be measured by her ability to attract a wealthy male who will provide for the family. It also romanticizes a culture of victimization (Cinderella is treated like vermin by her stepmother and stepsisters) and perpetuates female cattiness and antagonism  (All the females in her life are secretly jealous of her and insecure and are also the biggest perpetuators of the abuse).  Then again, the Real Housewives franchise has made a killing off of perpetuating similar tropes. That said, I can’t say I’ve ever walked away from a Real Housewives episode wishing I was a Real Housewife or romanticizing their life - their riches, maybe.

But back to Camila Cabello or Ella, as she plays in Amazon Prime’s newest cinematic release of Cinderella which premiered this past weekend and whether or not it’s worth the just < 2 hours of entertainment. This question I feel can only be answered by you. What I can do is share some of the nuggets about this film which may or may not tip the scales for you.

This film marks the 1st time that a female has directed a Cinderella movie. And for a movie that is chiefly centered around female experience, that’s pretty revolutionary and mind boggling. And this woman not only directed the film but she wrote the screenplay too. Her name is Kay Cannon and in addition to working on New Girl and 30 Rock, co-producing Baby Mama, she was also created and produced the show GirlBoss on Netflix which was based on the life of fashion retail entrepreneur Sophia Amoruso who The NY Times coined as “The Cinderella of Tech” Hmmm….Sound familiar? Now that you know that, the synergy between Ella, a fashion-forward budding dressmaker/business owner in this version of Cinderella and real life Sophia/GirlBoss, a fashion industry maven, suddenly resonates that much more. In this way, the reimagining of having Ella transform into her own GirlBoss makes sense. After all, she had a template to go off of.

Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, and Descendants’ fans will dig the narrative set to music and intricately choreographed moves. Parents will enjoy the nod to pop song favorites of their youth and today.

Check out this soundtrack (no really, check it out. Credit: Screenrant):

“Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson/”You Gotta Be” by Des’ree 

“Somebody to Love” by Queen 

“Material Girl” by Madonna

“Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire

“Am I Wrong” by Nico & Vinz

“Whatta Man” by Salt-N-Pepa ft. En Vogue/”Seven Army Nation” by White Stripes

“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran (this version made me fall in love with this song)

“Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez 

There are additionally songs written by Cabello and Idina Menzel (stepmother) that steal the show including “Million to One” which serves as the theme song and is used in reprisals and “Dream Girl” written by Menzel.

I choose myself is a popular motif throughout the film and depicted as a more noble calling but it’s also fraught with a depiction of grit and persistence that may not reflect reality.

Refreshing as it is to watch Ella embrace her true love and find purpose and fulfillment thru her dressmaking, especially set to all the showy, fun numbers, there was something about the way the film ended that reminded me of the British royal family and specifically Prince Harry and Megan Markle. I couldn’t help but feel that the Prince’s finding himself by losing himself in Ella isn’t equating to him really finding what it is that compels him to leave this world a better place. Am I cynical in believing that his love for Ella isn’t enough? That at the end of the day, if not a vocation (he is a Prince), he’ll still want to find a passion all his own, think Robert’s Ridiculous Magnets or Robby’s Running Shoes? or Reiki by Robert? I mean is love for Ella the endgame for Robert? Well, for now maybe it is. That said, bursting ambition of one partner may not be enough of a flame to burn for both long term?