Review of Cinderfella

Cinderfella (1960)
6/10
Shtick and mugging galore couldn't save this movie.
29 August 2024
I wanted to like this movie soo bad. I had only seen bits and pieces over the years, yet only now am I watching it from start to finish.

Disappointingly, the movie does not really delve into the "Cinderella" nuts and bolts until literally 45 minutes into the film - after multiple long and drawn out tedious shtick pieces, most notably however is his iconic Count Basie music mime in the kitchen. There was an inordinate amount of "mugging" in this film - even for a Jerry Lewis film, which left me wondering whether they were simply padding out the thin plot to get to the lean 91 minute running time.

The Cinderella theme or "lore" - embodied by legendary Ed Wynn (who looks like he just stepped off the set of a 60's animated Christmas TV special) - involving apparently a distinction between "people" and "persons" was both convoluted and frankly incomprehensible.

Aside from the kitchen scene, perhaps the only other scene that you'll remember is the zany ballroom dancing - not unlike in Ladies Man.

The romance with the Princess was odd, forced, rushed, reconciled and "happy-ended" over no more than about 3 minutes, and in the end simply un-believable. The beautiful young starlet (an accomplished actress and singer in her own right) sadly was reduced to essentially a sight prop.

The stone-faced "evil" stepmother and stepbrothers have very little to do but whine and take up space.

It seemed like a lot of money and talent wasted.
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