“Ella Enchanted” is on a par with other such fairytale fantasy adventures as “The Princess Bride.”
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04/09/04
Ella Enchanted (2004)
50
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Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:111
Fresh:55
Rotten:56
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Hathaway is a charming heroine, but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry.
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Similar to SHREK and THE PRINCESS BRIDE, this fantasy adventure, based on a book by Gail Carson Levine, combines fairy tale with sly, 21st century pop humor. Teenage Ella (THE PRINCESS DIARIES'... [More]
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Joanna Lumley, Cary Elwes
Director: Tommy O'Haver
Reviews for Ella Enchanted
Ella would be a lot more enchanting if it weren't such a pandering piece of product.
04/09/04
It's ultimately Hathaway's show, and she makes the most of it, showing off her natural knack for physical comedy, her sterling singing voice and her beguiling charm.
04/09/04
Hathaway's sweetly earnest performance makes this ambitious and occasionally downright weird tale work.
04/09/04
Ella Enchanted simply reinforced for me how much I loved The Princess Bride. There's nothing like a pale imitation to stir up affection for a film that really got it right.
04/09/04
Except for these ogre-sized missteps -- the occasional overacting, the self-conscious and over-used '70s dance music -- Ella has a lot to recommend it.
04/09/04
It's barely got a laugh in it.
04/09/04
Enchanted, no, but I wouldn't begrudge any young girl from thinking so.
04/09/04
Talk about enchanting.
04/09/04
It's a cute idea that has won the hearts of young readers and should have done the same as a film, but it's not buoyant enough.
04/09/04
This flat-footed, tongue-in-cheek fantasy never really manages to garner more than a chuckle, despite its amusing premise, and at least a couple of promising gags.
04/09/04
Every single attempt at levity or whimsy not only fails but actually melts down with a rancid nuclear tinge.
04/09/04
Though slightly uneven, this film version of Ella Enchanted never wavers from the magic of author Gail Carson Levine's words for girls: The demands of obedience should not be used to chain their souls.
04/09/04
Hathaway plays Ella straight, but appealingly, and is the actor least suspected of being put through Photo Shop.
04/09/04
An ugly-looking mismash of a fairytale.
04/08/04
Whether audiences find it charming or dreary depends upon their tolerance for cutesy ideas indifferently executed.
04/08/04
It’s the Moulin Rouge of children’s films... more magical than Harry Potter and more human than Lord of the Rings.Ella makes Harry Potter her b- -… witch.
04/08/04
Fractured fairy tale is a delight for younger teens and 'tweens, thanks to charm, heart and star Anne Hathaway's enthusiasm.
04/08/04
To watch the witless, ham-fisted attempt at fairy-tale romance that is Ella Enchanted, you'd never know the book it's based on is actually rather clever and charming.
04/08/04
Hathaway is gorgeous and goofy (in a young Julia Roberts way), but the film doesn't know if it wants to be postmodern cool or silly fun.
04/08/04
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