I've only seen one other version of the made-for-TV Cinderella's, and that was the one with Lesley Ann Warren. Even though Warren can't sing a lick, I think I liked that one more a bit more than this (not by much, though.) First of all, the multi-racial casting seemed like a good idea, but it wasn't the MULTI-RACIAL CASTING that was the film's downfall, it's the casting in general. For example, Brandy is not a great actress in particular, and her singing is about five times worse. She has that pop-star wanna-be flavor in her voice, which makes her singing breathy and not meant for musical theatre. So right away, Brandy is a weakness in the movie. However, the Prince had a beautiful voice, but let's face it; he looked nothing like a Prince. Sure he was rather attractive, but not the Princey material. His acting was passable compared to some of the other ham-jobs done by the other performers.
Speaking of hammy, what about those stepsisters? I thought they were way too over the top, not even in a funny way. Bernadette Peters completely outshines them with her superb beauty and talent. Even though Bernadette's song had little to do with the rest of the show, it was brilliantly performed and beautifully vocalized as usual, and I was happy to see that she was given the chance to sing.
Whitney Houston was rather unlikable. I hated her hair, her costumes were tacky, and her added song at the end was annoying and unnecessary. The way she tried to up-stage Brandy in Impossible/It's Possble was pathetic, because even a drunk money could upstage Brandy.
The things I thoroughly enjoyed were the performances by Jason Alexander and Whoopi Goldberg. They had me laughing hysterically every time they cracked a joke, and their characters turned out to be some of the more interesting, well-portrayed ones out of the bunch. I just love "The Prince is Giving a Ball," it's so much fun and I find myself getting up and dancing with the rest of the cast while the song goes on.
The use of color was creative and pleasing. It's always wonderful to see bright colors. And the sets were a bit bizarre, but made the film feel more fairytale-like, along with the elaborate costumes (my favorites being Brandy's ball gown and all the clothes of the stepmother.) Even though the film has it's faults, it's certainly worth seeing if you love Rodgers and Hammerstein. Without it's flaws, it's quite a competent movie.
Speaking of hammy, what about those stepsisters? I thought they were way too over the top, not even in a funny way. Bernadette Peters completely outshines them with her superb beauty and talent. Even though Bernadette's song had little to do with the rest of the show, it was brilliantly performed and beautifully vocalized as usual, and I was happy to see that she was given the chance to sing.
Whitney Houston was rather unlikable. I hated her hair, her costumes were tacky, and her added song at the end was annoying and unnecessary. The way she tried to up-stage Brandy in Impossible/It's Possble was pathetic, because even a drunk money could upstage Brandy.
The things I thoroughly enjoyed were the performances by Jason Alexander and Whoopi Goldberg. They had me laughing hysterically every time they cracked a joke, and their characters turned out to be some of the more interesting, well-portrayed ones out of the bunch. I just love "The Prince is Giving a Ball," it's so much fun and I find myself getting up and dancing with the rest of the cast while the song goes on.
The use of color was creative and pleasing. It's always wonderful to see bright colors. And the sets were a bit bizarre, but made the film feel more fairytale-like, along with the elaborate costumes (my favorites being Brandy's ball gown and all the clothes of the stepmother.) Even though the film has it's faults, it's certainly worth seeing if you love Rodgers and Hammerstein. Without it's flaws, it's quite a competent movie.