Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale (2010)

Based on the Cinderella tale adapted to the modern time is a family movie, and (little) girls will probably like it. The story itself is a little bit predictable but that's OK with this kind of movie. Elle (Ashlee Hewitt) is a girl who wants to be a singer and lives with her uncle, the owner of a small independent record label, after her parents died.The songs in the movie are not bad and Elle sings pretty well. Ashlee Hewitt's scenes seem awkward at times, but she does her best to keep it under control.Technically, the film looks average. Anyway, if you are a fan of teen movies and music, and Cinderella kind of stories, you should definitely see Elle, a modern Cinderella.

This review does contain spoilers, but, trust me, I'm not really spoiling anything. This movie had a lazy plot, careless script, and sad acting. It's the Cinderella story we've all seen before. I don't know why they keep making these movies--or why we keep watching them--and this had to be the worst of them all.Someone else commented that the movie poster makes Elle look like a 40-year-old woman. She does. I'm sure the budget was low. I'm sure the graphics department got paid diddly squat, but Photoshop is not that hard to figure out.The montage of the relationship between Ty and Elle looked like it was run through instagram and smacked into Windows Live Movie Maker. Adorable, yes. Professional, no. I found myself wondering what they were saying to each other..."Oh Ty, can you believe we're getting paid for this?""Elle, they have to pay us! After this, we'll never be respected as actors!" They both laugh in unison as they pretend to eat ice cream.Alright, alright. These are all superficial things, they're not THAT bad. Sure. Hey, what about the standing ovation from the judges after Elle preforms her song at the scholarship audition? Check. The evil trio that smacks their gum and demands gourmet water? Check. The overly animated, rambunctious best friend who also smacks her gum and pushes the protagonist to go after her dream? Check. You've completed the list for worst movie ever, would you like to go for a bonus round? Just add in the judges and Uncle Allen jamming out like they're teeny boppers with the most horrifying smiles you've ever seen plastered to their faces during Elle's audition. Also, the guitarist and drummer should both know the music, even though it's an original song, so that they can do back up. Now, tell your actors to channel the type of acting that is usually left for plays instead of film acting. Their goal is over the top (in a bad way). Check? Oh no...The recorded music that Elle sang wasn't half bad, the lyrics better than other movies I've seen, such as Music and Lyrics, but that's the only thing that kept me from hitting myself in the face with the DVD case.

This story has been overdone to death, but what's worse, this version did it BADLY. Sure, it did switch up some things here and there, but, BADLY. It had horrible acting, awkward screenplay (Even the camera angles were awkward), an absolutely cringe-worthy script, and weak, flat characters. Okay, not all the actors were as bad as the lead, 'Cinderella'. Some were minimally better; then again, some were worse. It was the dullest, most eye-roll-inducing, face-palm worthy, predictable, cheesy, stereotypical movie ever. It wasn't even funny-bad, it was just stupid-bad. Side note: I'm not sure if the British accents that some of these American 'actors' put on are meant to sound fake, but fake they sound; and extremely so. If I seem overly harsh in my choice of words to describe this movie, I'm sorry. It's coming from a frustration at myself for watching the entire ridiculous thing all the way through. Huge waste of time, that. -_-

OK so the movie may focus around making music but it is completely unoriginal in a lot of ways it seems to a follow a similar path to that of another Cinderella story with Selena Gomez plus it copies from an actual great movie of save the last dance. You will know what I mean if you watch the movie and have seen the 2 movies I have listed. For example the similarity to another Cinderella story is about the band sensation who would i guess be the 'ugly step sisters' even if their not humiliating Elle the main character about her obsession for the main character Ty. Also Ty assisting Elle with her music is very similar to that of drew Seeley and Selena Gomez. Similarity to Save the Last Dance is the fact that her parents have died while trying to make it to her first audition to Berkley and because of this she stopped singing. EXACLTLY THE SAME to save the last dance!! Then she tries again with help from Ty like in save the last dance where Julia stiles auditioned again with the help of Sean Patrick Thomas.Not to mention lines are copied from save the last dance. For example when she is talking to Ty about the death of her parents she states 'My parents died trying to make it to audition, it's because of my singing they are dead' (something along those lines not exactly!) In save the last dance the line is 'my mother died trying to make it to my audition she died while I was dancing' as well as that at the final audition in both Elle and save the last dance they both fumble their auditions initially when they start and get asked by the judges 'are you ready' and then in works the romantic character of the story saying 'she was born ready!' and they gives the main character a bit of a pep talk and then they ace their audition. So it is VERY unoriginalFor this I give it a 3/10.