Movie Review: Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted (2004) 

Directed by Tommy O'Haver

Written by Laurie Craig, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, Jennifer Heath, Michelle J. Wolf 

Starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, Vivica A Fox, Minnie Driver, Joanna Lumley

Release Date April 9th, 2004

Published April 8th, 2004

You have to be a man very secure in his manhood to walk into a video store and rent a movie like Ella Enchanted. A lesser man would drag a child with them (niece, cousin, daughter, any girl under the age of 12). So on sheer manhood sacrificing, I deserve some respect. As a critic I say I have to watch it because it's there, but in all honesty I was kind of looking forward to the film. And no pervy insinuations about Anne Hathaway, I was intrigued by the film’s trailer and after seeing the film, I was right to get it.

Anne Hathaway, the rising star of The Princess Diaries (I haven't seen either PD films, this film was hard enough to rent), stars as Ella of Frell, a commoner who at birth is given a unique and horribly thought out gift by her fairy godmother Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox). The gift is obedience. Ella must do anything she is told to do by anyone.

The gift is obviously more of a curse, especially after Ella's mother passes away and commands her never to tell anyone about her "gift", she doesn't want anyone to use it against her. Years later, when Ella's father (Patrick Bergen) remarries to a harridan played by Joanna Lumley, a typecasting that Lumley may never escape, she brings along horrendous daughters who soon discover Ella's secret and begin using it against her.

Regardless of her curse/gift, Ella still grows up independently minded with a surprisingly political spirit. She leads protests on behalf of Ogres, Elves and Giants who have been enslaved by the evil King Edgar (Cary Elwes). Edgar is to give up the crown soon to his nephew Prince Char (Hugh Dancy). Think Prince Harry of England plus a rock star and you'll understand how much the girls of the kingdom love Prince Char. Ella however, as the plot dictates, isn't as impressed.

Ella and Prince Char are soon thrown together and it's dislike at first sight for Ella who believes the Prince is as evil as his uncle. The Prince is soon to win Ella over however and the two go on to fall in love. However there is still the problem of Ella's curse and the Prince's uncle who secretly plots to kill the Prince and remain king. The thrust of the plot is Ella's journey to find her fairy godmother and get her curse lifted and then save the Prince and get married, happily ever after, yada yada yada.

Simply take a little Cinderella with some cliffs notes Shakespeare and you can figure out where this plot is going. What works about Ella Enchanted, based on a popular book series by Gail Carson Levine, is the upbeat fairy tale style of the film. The film is bathed in a magical, pixie dust glow, saturated fantasy colors and modern touches for comic effect. There are malls, bicycles and modern politics. Don't worry it's all handled very lightly. All of it played for witty effect.

Director Tommy O' Haver crafts a wonderfully surreal fairy tale that evokes a live action Shrek in it's magic and whimsical fairy tale aesthete. O'Haver doesn't condescend to his young target audience, his musical choices, Elton John and Queen, are not known to younger viewers but are a treat to audiences who remember them. The songs are also weaved into the plot, the lyrics match the action onscreen, not an original concept but cleverly done.

Anne Hathaway has a terrific comic spirit that shows why those Princess Diaries movies have been so wildly popular. She is a tremendously likable presence onscreen. She is attractive with a mischievous glint in her eye. She has terrific comic chops and shows she's up for anything by singing two songs. Compared to contemporaries like Hillary Duff or the Olson Twins, she is a breath of fresh air.

The discovery here is Director Tommy O'Haver whose breakthrough feature Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss was a minor gem from 1998 that most people missed. O'Haver has a wonderful comic touch. This is material that could collapse if overdone but O'Haver never let's it get away from him. From the first frame the GGI kingdom grabs your attention, little comic moments float by as the camera floats to Ella's cottage for the first scene.

The Director really helped himself by filling his cast with talented supporting actors like Cary Elwes, who lends the film a little of that Princess Bride karma, Minnie Driver, and Parminder K. Nagra who is a little underused but terrific when she's seen. Hugh Dancy, in his first major role, holds his own opposite Hathaway whose presence could have overwhelmed a lesser actor. Dancy was unrecognizable in his small role in King Arthur so this film is the highlight of his resume.

For what it is, a kid's movie, a movie meant for young girls, Ella Enchanted ranks with the Pixar films in the way it provides thrills for audiences. Ella is not as funny or as artistically accomplished as Pixar's films or Shrek but by the lowered bar for family films that appeal beyond demographic boundaries, you can throw this film in the conversation with Nemo and the rest.

Movie Review Owning Mahowny

Owning Mahowny (2003) 

Directed by Richard Kwietniowski 

Written by Maurice Chauvet 

Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Hurt, Minnie Driver, Maury Chaykin 

Release Date May 2nd, 2003 

Published August 12th, 2003 

Obsessive and addictive personalities often make great film dramas. Think Nicolas Cage's dying alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas, or Jason Patric's drug addicted cop in Rush. To a lesser extent Vin Diesel's adrenaline junkies in Fast and The Furious and XXX. Add to those performances Philip Seymour Hoffman's engrossing gambling addict in Owning Mahowny, a performance so strong it elevates a rather mundane drama to unexpected levels.

Dan Mahowney is yet another of those indistinct characters that Philip Seymour Hoffman excels at making memorable. He's a dull looking banker with a secret life as a big time gambler. At first it's endless weekends at the local racetrack, then it's betting on major league sports with his small-time bookie played by Maury Chaykin. Once Dan receives a promotion at the bank and the ability to write checks to himself from his clients’ accounts, Dan is off to Atlantic City. There, his obsession grows from two and three thousand dollar bets to ten, fifteen and one hundred thousand dollar bets.

Aided by the casino boss Victor Foss (the invaluable John Hurt), Dan is able to open a line of credit with the casino that he grows into the millions. All the while he haphazardly attempts to hide his gambling from his cuckolded girlfriend Belinda (Minnie Driver). Cuckolded not for another woman but by Dan's gambling which is closer to his heart than any human being could be.

As much as I love Minnie Driver, she just doesn't fit the role of Belinda. Her innate intelligence and the residue of her wonderful characters from Good Will Hunting and Grosse Pointe Blank, make her difficult to believe as a spineless enabler of Dan's obsession. In addition, her good looks overpower the characters' frumpy clothes and hairstyle. You can almost see her glamorous black curls trying to fight their way free of her ugly blonde wig.

Director Richard Kwietniowski working from a complicated novel from writer Gary Ross has the difficult task of making a rather mundane dramatic setup entertaining. It isn't easy to make bank fraud seem exciting. He succeeds only because his star Philip Seymour Hoffman is so fascinating you can’t stop watching him. It's a performance of quiet desperation that pours out of his skin. His every facial movement evokes drama and tension, far more tension than the situations surrounding him.

Hoffman has done this before, rehabilitating material that may not be worthy of his talent. Owning Mahowny is worthy of his considerable talent and only he can make it work. It is a brilliant performance, engrossing and entertaining. For fans of Hoffman, it's a true feast. For the casual fan, it works only because Hoffman is so good.