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First comes the nasty, eye-opening revelation that her stepdaughter, of all people, is destined to get the Prince every time. Then Frieda discovers that Fairy-Tale Land is bigger than just their story: There's also Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, etc. And finally comes the realization that the whole ball of wax is controlled by the scales, along with an all-powerful wizard's staff.

Naturally, Frieda takes matters into her own hands. Like a malevolent version of Jack Skellington rallying the citizens of Halloweentown to seize Christmas for their own, the evil stepmother summons the villains of all the fairy tales to rise up and create their own Happily N'Ever After, with her own heavy hand on the scales of justice to seal the deal.

In this new fairy-tale world, when Prince Charming kisses Sleeping Beauty, instead of rousing her, the kiss puts him to sleep. Rapunzel's Prince fares no better. The Wolf and the Giant make short work of Red Riding Hood and Jack. Oh, and Rumplestiltskin finally steals the baby.

Rick (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Ella, all cute n' cuddly ever after

So far, so-so. As archvillainess, Frieda is at least more interesting than her opposite numbers, even if the most fanciful thing about her is her outrageous comic-book villainess figure. The script bounces along acceptably on decent throwaway gags and one-liners that will make kids laugh, and may get occasional chuckles from adults.

But the story stalls, and never recovers. For much of what follows—too much—Rick tries to persuade Ella that the man for the job at hand is not the Prince, but him. Granted, the Prince isn't the man for any job, anywhere, ever—but what makes Rick such a qualified hero? Why does he think he's so special?

Better yet, why does the movie think he's so special? Why is Rick the hero? Like Shrek 2, with its arrogant, Gaston-like Prince Charming, Happily N'Ever After proclaims that just being a prince doesn't make you a hero—and that a hero doesn't have to be a prince. Fine. But does just not being a prince make you a hero? Or is it Rick's cynical, ironic attitude that qualifies him?

Perhaps a hero doesn't have to be anyone special—perhaps he can be an ordinary guy, without extraordinary courage or skill in battle. Fine. Even so, shouldn't a hero at least be committed to the cause of good? When evil bad guys start taking over the world, starting with the castle you work at, does a hero just shrug and go to work for the new administration?

Even Rick's attitude toward the Prince is ultimately grating. Unlike Shrek 2's Prince Charming, this Prince isn't insufferable, merely helpless and clueless. A better film would have eventually humanized the Prince a bit, maybe even slightly redeemed him, and given Rick a chance to realize that he'd been unfair to him.

Not here. With characters this indifferent, what difference does it make whether Ella winds up with Rick or the Prince?

Talk About It

1. What are your favorite fairy tales? Do they have happy endings? Do you have any least favorite fairy tales? How do they end?
2. In the original Cinderella story, Cinderella is set on the path to happiness by her fairy godmother, and rescued from her stepmother and stepsisters by the arrival of the prince (or his servant). What does this suggest about finding happiness? What problems might there be in this picture? Does this movie improve on the original fairy tale in this respect? Why or why not?
3. How does the comic behavior of the villains once they take over Fairy-Tale Land reflect on the nature of good and evil? What about the relationship of Rumplestiltskin and his kidnapped baby?
4. Romans 8:28 tells us that in all things God works together for good of those who love him. How is the movie's picture of the wizard watching over Fairy-Tale Land with his scales similar to that? How is it different?

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