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Ella Enchanted
Miramax Films

Ella Enchanted reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 53 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.9 out of 10
based on 30 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for some crude humor and language

Starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Dancy, Cary Elwes, Minnie Driver, Vivica A. Fox, Joanna Lumley, Patrick Bergin, and Eric Idle

A fairy Godmother granted Ella (Hathaway) the gift -- and curse -- of obedience at her birth. As a result of this unfortunate circumstance, Ella cannot refuse any command, and is often left at the mercy of unscrupulous personalities. In a bid to regain control of her life, Ella goes on a quest to free herself from this mysterious curse. (Miramax)


GENRE(S): Comedy  |  Fantasy  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Laurie Craig
Karen McCullah Lutz
Kirsten Smith
Gail Carson Levine (novel)
 
DIRECTED BY: Tommy O'Haver  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: August 24, 2004 
Video: August 24, 2004 
Theatrical: April 9, 2004 
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
A high-spirited charmer, a fantasy that sparkles with delights.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
The hoot and giggle of a girl-power fairy tale blended from potions of ''Monty Python,'' ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,'' and ''Shrek.''
Read Full Review
75
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
As an alternative to the slick, instantly forgettable fare usually made for kids and preteens, Ella Enchanted brings a little bit of magic to the multiplex.
Read Full Review
75
San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein
The movie doesn't aspire to be art, merely to entertain adolescent girls, which is practically guaranteed by the luminous presence of Anne Hathaway.
Read Full Review
70
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
None of it would work without Hathaway, whose self-possession and lack of irony represents a throwback to old-fashioned Hollywood wholesomeness and glamour.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times Dave Kehr
The messages blend seamlessly into the fantasy and comedy in what is surely one of the best films for older children in quite some time.
Read Full Review
70
Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
In the end, it may leave its audience, young and old alike, just as charmed as its bewitched young heroine.
Read Full Review
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Tries to both spoof the fairy tale and retell it from a fresh angle. Curiously enough, its strength lies in the clever approach, and not the goofy comedy around the edges.
Read Full Review
63
Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder
The movie's computer-generated castles, magic visuals and sloppy effects echo a low-budget fantasy movie on cable. It's glossy, shiny candy that tastes oddly familiar yet lacks sugary punch.
Read Full Review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
Hathaway may be in a royal rut, but the tiara seems to fit.
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60
Washington Post Teresa Wiltz
Good and entertaining fun.
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60
Empire Jo Berry
Anne Hathaway delivers another likeable performance in a tweenie treat that has enough smarts to keep older viewers engaged, too.
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60
TV Guide Angel Cohn
Audiences, especially preteens, will be enchanted by Ella.
Read Full Review
60
Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf
Offers considerable charm and an obvious desire to please.
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50
Village Voice Ed Park
Transpires in a somewhat chintzy fantasy kingdom lousy with more cameos than your typical Love Boat season.
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50
Variety David Rooney
The glue that holds the sweet teen-fantasy together is star Anne Hathaway, who continues to evolve into a luminous young lead.
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50
LA Weekly Staff (Not credited)
While the lovers here are sweetly believable, the film's murky giants-alongside-man effects shots are strictly Darby O’Gill and the Little People.
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50
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Likely to cast its spell primarily on adolescent girls, while their elders might well find it more than a little tedious in its familiarity and artificiality.
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50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
An ugly-looking mismash of a fairytale.
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50
USA Today Claudia Puig
It has a few moments of fun and whimsy, but it lacks the joyous spirit and intelligent humor of the children's novel on which it's based.
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50
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
Ella Enchanted is one cute movie.
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50
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The special effects look like a high school science project: The giants are clearly rear projections behind the real actors, and that snake is as rubbery as a garden hose.
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50
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Too bad the filmmakers didn't trust the material. For Ella doesn't need music and references to other, better, movies to cast its unique spell.
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50
Premiere Glenn Kenny
Ella Enchanted seems squarely aimed at 12-year-old girls, or, I don't know, maybe 8-year-old girls.
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40
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
This has wit and energy to burn, but I can't call it escapism, because tackiness and snarkiness are among the things I most need to escape.
Read Full Review
40
Film Threat Kevin Carr
Really doesn't take itself seriously. In fact, it so doesn't take itself seriously that it has a negative impact on the film.
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40
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Nothing un-beguiles a fairy tale more than forced whimsy and labored magic, which is precisely what plagues Ella Enchanted.
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38
ReelViews James Berardinelli
The result is an unappealing mess, made less bearable by uniformly lackluster performances and the cheesy special effects.
Read Full Review
38
Boston Globe Ty Burr
The producers of Ella Enchanted probably assume, correctly, that many more kids haven't read the book than have, and they're out to give that audience a slick, shallow good time.
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30
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
This might not matter so much to the youngest members of the audience, but for anyone over the age of 10, it’s strictly a colorful bore.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Maddie S. gave it a10:
I agree with Julia R. Hugh Dancy is Definitely on my top 5!

sonya c. gave it an8:
Very enchanting and magical. nice clean family movie.

Ilze S. gave it a 7:
Good, but I expected a lot more.Anne Hetaway is great actress, she is perfect. So great is also her new movie:Princess Diaries:A Royal Engagement. This one is pretty and really funny,but I like Princess Diaries much better.

Julia R. gave it a 10:
Hugh Dancy is so HOT!

Harrison B. gave it a 9:
Funny, and very romantic. Ella Enchanted is full of happiness. It's like Shrek and The Princess Bride combined. Anne Hathaway was sensational. A very good fairy tale.

E. Q. gave it a 9:
Great movie.

Chad S. gave it a 5:
"Ella Enchanted" loses its non-girl audience somewhere between the second and third act when the romance storyline takes precedence over the "Shrek"-lite humor. Didn't the screenwriters realize the comic potential of having the elf pine over the beautiful Ella, like Duckie (Jon Cryer) and Andie Walsh (Molly Ringwald) in "Pretty in Pink"? How boring. Two good-looking people get together. However, an alternative reading of "Ella Enchanted" reveals the dark possibilities of a submissive girl who will do anything you say. In the library scene, under Edgar's (Cary Elwes) command, Hathaway assumes a suggestive position, which hints at the provocative underbelly of this kid movie.

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