Underrated and ahead of its time: Ever After

The other day I had a thought: "I miss the 90s". It was really a great time to grow up for so many different reasons. We are the last generation to be raised without social media: what a blessing. We had amazing emerging music scenes. We had amazing sitcoms. We all wanted to be marine biologists... probably thanks to Free Willy. We didn't trample each other for a pink St@nley cup. And we had the best romcoms...

The only romcoms I like stem from the 90s. A friend of mine has an appreciation for timeless romcoms like I do, so tonight we had another movie night. Last time, we chose Never Been Kissed. And without even consciously realizing that our next pick also featured the amazing Drew Barrymore, we chose one of the most underrated romcoms of our time: Ever After.

Remember Ever After? A Cinderella-kind-of story? The dreamy Dougray Scott with his 90s flowing brown hair, and the charismatic-faced darling, Drew Barrymore? This movie was really ahead of its time, because hear me out...

Danielle, played by Drew Barrymore, is actually an incredible character that is worthy of our attention - even moreso than some of our iconic Disney princesses. Not only is she a survivor, but throughout the movie she does not let her values go, she does not betray who she is or where she comes from, and she is strong, opinionated, and courageous. She is loyal, clever, fights injustice, and doesn't require rescuing - actually, SHE ends up saving HIM in a sword-fight, and the one time he comes to her rescue... she has already rescued herself by the time he shows up!

But the best, and most underrated, part... HE is the one who undergoes a transformation that leads to a change in HIS perspective - and it's from following HER lead. Our Feminist Hero! Does he still get to be her shiny prince? Yes, of course! But with her strong and loving character, he is able to see how wrong he was. He learns about what honour really means, and asks for her forgiveness.

Another piece I reflected on is unresolved trauma: enter Anjelica Houston. Yes, the evil stepmother, but we actually get to learn why she is the way she is, and how she was not able to break her trauma patterns. First, her husband dies unexpectedly, and with his last breath he tells his daughter, not her, that he will love her forever. And in a matter of seconds, she is in charge of three daughters and a manor that she never had the intention of leading, and had only just arrived the day prior. Jealousy and resentment rule and she never forgives it. What's more, we find out how she was treated by her own mother; she hints at criticism, obsessive tendencies, neglect, and emotional abuse. She never healed from this, and so will parent with the resources she was given.

There are also numerous fun supporting characters, like Jacqueline, who supports Danielle in her own way and redeems herself; Gustave, who acts like her little brother and supports her in her time of need; Leonardo DaVinci, who not only adds humour, but also acts as a small father figure in her life; and the women servants in the home who stand by her and also provide comedic relief.

It has a lovely vibe throughout, with lovely scenery of course, and a beautiful story in which the girl is not broken and doesn't need saving, but in which the boy is able to see things from a different perspective by following her lead. A fairytale worth sharing!

In love and literature,

Nadine