Screenwriter's Series: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith
The Screenwriters Series will examine the filmography of a screenwriter with the hope of finding out what helped them break into the industry or continue to find success. "Story By" credits will not be used: only films with official WGA Screenplay credit per IMDb will be used. This includes screenplays with multiple writers that may or may not have collaborated.
THIS MONTH'S SCREENWRITERS: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith
MOVIE: Ella Enchanted (2001)
Starring:
Anne Hathaway as Ella
Hugh Dancy as Char
Cary Elwes as Edgar
Aidan McArdle as Slannen
Joanna Lumley as Dame Olga
Lucy Punch as Hattie
Jennifer Higham as Olive
Minnie Driver as Mandy
Vivica A. Fox as Lucinda
Director: Tommy O'Haver
Budget: $31 Million
Box Office:
Opened: $6.1M
Final: $22.9M
Plot:
At birth, Ella was given the gift of obedience by her reckless fairy godmother Lucinda. Because Ella must obey anyone who gives her a direct command, her mother makes her promise at her deathbed not to tell anyone about it. A few years later, after her father remarries Dame Olga and is subject to humiliation by Olga's daughters, Ella sets out to find Lucinda and undo the curse. This puts her in the path of the famous Prince Char, who is due to take control of the kingdom after the untimely death of his father. Char agrees to help Ella if she accompanies him on his travels across the kingdom to better understand those he will be ruling. With Lucinda proving to be hard to track down, Ella begins to lose hope that she will be able to shed her curse as Char learns that the truth behind his father's death is closer than he ever expected.
The Script:
The inevitable has happened. I was not able to get my hands on a copy of the script for this one. As there are multiple writers credited, I am sure one of them did not approve the script to be uploaded online. The only thing I could find was a transcript, which is not the same thing. That is someone writing down what is happening on screen.
What I instead have done in its place is read the book, written by Gail Carson Levine, on which the movie is based. Adaptation is always a double edged sword that the writers have to grapple with. Do you stick closely to the source material to appease the fans of it or do you make a loose adaptation and take the basic plot and make it your own creation to bring in a wider audience? With this adaptation, the basic structure of the book's plot is present in the film but they are vastly different.
If you are going to do a loose adaptation, make sure the creative liberties bring something to the table. The movie features lots of anachronistic jokes, mostly in its musical choices, but does so at the sacrifice of character. Ella is a sad character and her “gift” isn’t an easy thing to grapple with. The book definitely scores lots of sympathy points for her character whereas the movie mostly uses her “gift” for light hearted family laughs. We do feel bad for her in the film due to how she is taken advantage of by her step sisters and Edgar, but the book gives us more of a reason to care. In the book, her relationships with Mandy, her mother before she dies, and her verbally abusive and ultimately absentee father is given ample spotlight and paints a much more sympathetic backstory for Ella. Instead, the movie changes her father to clueless, pushes her relationship with Mandy way into the background, and gives us little time with the mother. While it's not the worst outcome imaginable and the movie does entertain, reading the book afterwards just highlighted a missed opportunity character wise.
While I was glad I read the book, I do wish that I could have gotten my hands on a script to see what McKullah and Smith added. This was their first time not being sole credited writers on a script, sharing it with three other writers. Having seen their previous two films, I would guess that their contribution was the previously mentioned anachronistic humor, with songs and references that definitely were not period appropriate. It did bring some quiet chuckles and I am not one to balk at the opportunity to throw some Queen into the mix. Edgar, who isn't a character in the book, is added to bring some intrigue and a villain to the story. The film also has a much more action oriented finale, something the book forgoes for more of a romance. These changes were honestly added to keep the parents invested.
Like I said, adaptation isn't something easy and regardless of what you do, there will always be someone who isn't happy. But make sure you leave enough in to do the source justice.
My Review:
Anne Hathaway, hot off The Princess Diaries, is very charming as Ella. The film does get some laughs from its non era appropriate humor but it isn't enough to distract from the fact that she doesn't have a lot of romantic chemistry with Hugh Dancy. Cary Elwes is on hand to twirl his mustache as the cartoonish villain but that honestly wasn't a detractor. I had fun with his over the top performance. While nothing to write home about, this was fun and better than I was expecting.
Critical reception:
50% on Rotten Tomatoes
Up Next: She's The Man (2006)