Produced by the popular actor and night time show host, James Corden decided that what we needed was another Cinderella. The movie includes stars such as Camilla Cabello, Idina Menzel, John Mulaney, and Missy Elliot. The movie is a “Jukebox Musical,” because it coordinates all different types of pop songs into a musical. This is definitely not the Cinderella an audience would have ever imagined. For instance, Cinderella wants to be a famous dressmaker and has an oddly closer relationship with her stepmother and sisters. Prince Charming isn’t so prince-like because of his dream to be living outside the palace. 

There are pros and cons coming from viewers of the movie regarding Billy Porter’s appearance as a gender-less fairy godparent. Some fans are happy to see more inclusion in the LGBTQ+ community and Billy Porter adds his effortless flair to the role. Cinderella watchers complained about how Fab G (Fabulous Godparent) was playing a stereotypical gay role. The whole Fab G scene has watchers questioning their loyalty to the new movie. @zactivist on TikTok posted a video with 1.6 million likes quoting, “This is exactly why I am not watching the Cinderella remake! This scene looks horrible and forced-like something from an Anti-LGBTQ mockery. It’s a hard no for me!”   people agreed that it was “too forced” while others state that they’ve been waiting for some representation in films and for watchers to be thankful.

Some more complaints arose just from the opening of the movie and how “bad” the song remake was. Many watchers joked that they felt sorry for Janet Jackson because the Cinderella ensemble literally destroyed the song. A lot of people think there should be fewer songs involved in the story and more acting and storylines and such. In my opinion, I thought the songs were sung very well but the music producers chose too many different categories for each song. One example I found was the strong distinction between the rock classic Somebody to Love by Queen which was sung by the Prince and a more pop-type piece Am I Wrong by Nico and Vinz.  if they had stuck to a theme it would have been more entertaining and almost easier to understand. One of my favorites was Material Girl.  Originally sung by Madonna, it was covered by the stepsisters. They really stuck to the 80’s vibe and the choreography and delivery were very entertaining to watch. 

One thing that an audience member will really enjoy is what they did with the set and the costumes! Just from watching the beginning the team really went all out with the colors and imagery in the village. The set was very detailed and the costumes really complemented the opening set with ranges of different and eye-catching colors and a variety of materials. The stepmother and stepsisters’ house was just like I had imagined: very Victorian and some rooms such as the dining room were filled with bright colors. The tableware and even the utensils captured the era so well and the whole imagery was very easy on the audience’s eyes. In this rendition, Cinderella is living in the basement and the set captures the dark and dreary sense of loneliness Cinderella is feeling reflected onto the set, and the dresses that she has been making reflect what truly makes her happy. The ballroom is absolutely gorgeous as it is filled with reds, blues, and gold making it look very magical and appealing to audiences. Flowers and candles are also scattered throughout the scene adding a bit of romance. As for the ballroom outfits, the costume designer did an absolutely fantastic job with capturing the elegance of the time but adding in a few modern twists not only to the dresses but the hair as well. I feel as if the costume designer wanted to add a little bit of wacky modern “met-gala” fashion into the mix and it worked out perfectly. The only negative thoughts I had were on Cinderella’s dress. I am not a fan of the white at all because white reminds most people of weddings and that is not something in my opinion that should be even in question when entering a ball. I wish they added that element of blue from the original Cinderella and did something with that because it would be more exciting to see an updated version of the dress rather than a whole new dress itself. The white dress threw the whole ball scene off.

I would recommend this movie to families with young kids for a nice movie night. I don’t think it’s necessary to rewatch a second time. As an audience member, you will be entertained and find it easy to laugh. In the end, it’s worth the watch to experience a little bit of magic!