Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.
Ever After is a solid, well-crafted fairy tale retelling that grounds the Cinderella story in Renaissance France with some historical texture (the Leonardo da Vinci inclusion is charming). Drew Barrymore brings warmth to Danielle, and Anjelica Huston is a memorably cold stepmother. The film's plotting is competent and engaging without being particularly inventive, and the cinematography is pleasant but unremarkable period-romance fare. The ending delivers the expected satisfaction of the fairy tale form without surprising anyone. Its novelty lies in the grounded, feminist-lite reimagining — Danielle is an active protagonist rather than a passive one — but it doesn't push far enough to be truly distinctive. A thoroughly enjoyable mid-tier romantic drama that earns its reputation without excelling in any single dimension.