Ever After parents guide

Ever After Parent Guide

Overall B+

In this re-envisioning of the Cinderella tale, Drew Barrymore plays a whole new cinder girl. No longer the little victim we know from the past, this gal saves the family farm, rights the injustices of the kingdom and wins the prince's heart!

Release date July 31, 1998

Violence B-
Sexual Content B+
Profanity B-
Substance Use B

Why is Ever After rated PG? The MPAA rated Ever After PG for brief language and mild thematic elements

Run Time: 121 minutes

Parent Movie Review

The press kit for Ever After claims the existence of over 500 versions of the Cinderella story. One would think that would be reason enough not to write another. But Hollywood can’t resist a potential re-make, so here goes Cinderella 500.1.

Amazingly, this version does add something new, besides the title. Danielle (Drew Barrymore) is a different cinder girl—not the little victim we know from the past. With a 20th century attitude in 16th century France, this gal doesn’t need a fairy god-mother.

Danielle’s widowed and titled father died shortly after taking Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) as his second wife. The mother of two spoiled daughters, she quickly spends the money he leaves them. Next she begins paring down the support staff, and then assigns Danielle (who is now nicknamed Cinderella) many of the household chores.

Alas, hope is on the horizon. Prince Henry (Dougray Scott) has an order from the king to find a wife in five days, or accept an arranged marriage with a Spanish princess. Rodmilla sees this as the opportunity to trade rags for riches, and starts pruning her eldest daughter Marguerite (Megan Dodds) to be his bride of choice. But we already know to whom he will lose his heart.

Even with the predictable ending, there are many surprises along the way that will keep viewers interested. This fun romantic tale doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still showing young audiences a good role model in Danielle. Even when covered in dirt from tending the farm, she still exhibits a confident inner beauty that the prince can’t ignore. The only moment of regret is the inclusion of a revengeful scene near the end. It’s a pity the scriptwriters didn’t consider the idea of forgiveness instead.

Ever After originally received a PG-13 in theaters due to some confusion about muffled profanities. These were supposedly removed for the home video release. I only detected a few minor words, some swordplay, and brief sexual innuendo, leaving a film that many families will find enjoyable and able to share with their children. Indeed, Fox Studios has managed to raise this aged tale from the ashes once again.

Directed by Andy Tennant. Starring Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott. Running time: 121 minutes. Theatrical release July 31, 1998. Updated

Ever After Parents' Guide

What attitudes does Danielle exhibit that make the Prince fall in love with her? What things about her make her an unlikely match for royalty? How realistic are any of these qualities to be for 16th century French women?

This movie includes a depiction of Leonard Da Vinci (played by Patrick Godfrey), who was both an artist and an inventor. Click here to learn more about the real Leonard Da Vinci.

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Ever After movie is January 4, 2011. Here are some details…

Ever After releases to Blu-ray on January 4, 2011.

Related home video titles:

Some of the other 500 versions of the Cinderella story that have been put to film include: Cinderella, A Cinderella Story, Maid in Manhattan and The Prince and Me.

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