Overall, I enjoyed watching this. The acting was okay, with the best performance undoubtedly being Bernadette Peters', who as the Stepmother is one minute hilariously over-the-top, the next minute dead-serious wicked. And she's a great singer, too! Even if the song she sings wasn't in the original libretto of this musical, it's a great showcase for her talent. Otherwise, the rest of the cast was just okay, though Paolo Montalban was as good as he could be as the Prince. The sets had that fairy tale quality, and the whole production was pretty charming. The songs were pretty good, too, and performed well, even though they often sounded suspiciously like R&B/gospel/pop tunes when being sung by Whitney Houston and Brandy. That's a problem with this movie; while, as I said, the songs are performed well, most of the performances are probably not what Rodgers and Hammerstein had in mind. This modern approach is somewhat jarring, and isn't an asset to the updated script. The message Whitney delivers as the Fairy Godmother, that you should do what you want to do yourself instead of just dreaming about it, is fine... until she does all the work in providing transportation and clothes for Brandy (Cinderella) to go to the ball while Brandy just stands there in awe. These flaws are annoying, but otherwise this was an enjoyable movie. Your kids will probably love it no matter what I say, anyway.
Review of Cinderella
