Mirror Mirror
Directed by: Tarsem Singh
Cast: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane
Running Time: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: March 30, 2012
PLOT: The evil queen (Roberts) takes control of a kingdom and attempts to rid the land of the king's daughter, Snow White (Collins). A prince (Hammer) and seven dwarfs are Snow's only hope against the queen's magic.
WHO'S IT FOR? It's a weird combination between teenage girls and moms. I think that is the core audience. It's a fairy tale comedy with some action.
EXPECTATIONS: I couldn't keep straight who was in this version of "Snow White" and who is starring in Snow White and the Huntsman. Once I heard this was rated PG, I realized this might not be as "adult" of an adaptation as I thought.
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS: Julia Roberts as The Queen: If you've accidentally sat through a "Real Housewives" marathon, you know what type of character you are getting with the Queen. Luckily, Roberts has much more talent, and uses it quite well. This actually reminded me a good bit of Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel from Tangled. Roberts is narcissistic, dismissive, arrogant, and flippant. Ultimately, you realize she's having so much fun in this role, that you end up enjoying her performance. It's almost like she's playing a pop culture version of an aging actress, trying to hold on to stardom. It's unfortunate when the focus shifts away from her. Score: 7
Lily Collins as Snow White: Turns out, this is Phil Collins' daughter. It would have been much easier for me to believe she was the daughter of Peter Gallager (eyebrows), but oh well. Win some, lose some. At times it seems Snow is even younger than 18. Some of that is from Collins' look, some is from the sheltered life of Snow White. Snow speaks her mind, yet needs to learn how to be a leader. Somehow this occurs through the help of the dwarfs. When the story shifts to Snow's direction, I didn't feel like the film was as strong. Score: 5
Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott: Hammer kind of has a natural prince-like quality to him. He plays the role with plenty of charm, and gets in some good one-liners. I was not a fan of the "puppy love" potion that occurs later in the film. It feels like something that should have lasted 30 seconds, but keeps going on. Score: 6
Nathan Lane as Brighton: Brighton is Lane. Lane is Brighton. It really is as simple as that. Every line of dialogue feels like it's his comedy, just like when he's telling stories on "The Late Show with David Letterman." He's in this a good bit as the Queen's sidekick. Luckily, he plays along with Roberts quite well and adds to the humor in this flick. Score: 6
The Seven Dwarfs: Half Pint, Grub, Butcher, Wolf, Grimm, Napoleon and Chuckles. While I very much liked their introduction, I didn't feel there was much fun after that. Each dwarf has a chance to become very one-note, hitting home exactly who they are. Unfortunately, it felt flat after that first note. Half Pint loves Snow. Wolf howls. That's that. Score: 5
TALKING: It's all very sarcastic and playful in the beginning. In fact, until the dwarfs show up, I wonder if kids will get a kick out of this "family entertainment" at all. If any jokes are mean-spirited about the dwarfs, there are eventual apologies. The same can't be said for the queen, who cuts everyone down to size. Otherwise, the main theme is that Snow is a born leader, she just needs to learn how to do everything else (besides cook and clean). Score: 6
SIGHTS: The look of the film throughout is pretty impressive. The costumes are probably going to get the most attention. At a fancy ball they even show Bjork how there is an appropriate place to dress up like a swan. Even when it comes time for some special effects, Mirror Mirror rises to the challenge. Nothing about the look of this feel seems cheap or childish. Score: 8
SOUNDS: It's very playful and sometimes borders on too much. The special effects show up in some odd places, like when a dwarf takes a tumble, it's met with wacky cartoon noises. The musical score seems straight out of a 1940s fairy tale, which is pretty appropriate. Score: 5
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: When the queen enters the mirror, I thought "game changer." It didn't turn out to be, but for that moment, I was truly excited.
ENDING: It's a nice touch to through in the apple moment at the end, and that wasn't a bad cameo for the king either. The Bollywood musical number at the end was shockingly out of place.
QUESTIONS: I know he's a paid actor, but there was something painful about watching Hammer continue to act like a dog, right? Why didn't the film stay focused on the evil queen's side of the story? I figured that's where the new angle would come from. Did you notice Hammer didn't seem to enjoy the Bollywood dance number at the end?
REWATCHABILITY: I don't think so. I'd watch Enchanted or Tangled again before going back to this film.
OVERALL
With Mirror Mirror you immediately think you're going to get something different. After all, it starts from the perspective of the evil queen. We'll finally get to hear her side (like "Snow White" getting the "Wicket" treatment). It starts out like a fairy tale slapped together with some modern humor poking fun at our society. That gives way to some bland moments, mainly with Snow White and the Dwarfs. Oddly, that's the weakest part of the film, and the longer it goes on, the more it focuses on that.
We've seen a young woman step up and be the hero. That's actually pretty common now in films. Mirror Mirror acts like that's a new concept just because it's a new slant on "Snow White." The fun of the film comes from Roberts and her cougar-like antics. She's desperate to stay in power and I would have liked that focus a little more. All in all, it's a pretty good time, that wears a little thin at the end. I don't think you'll feel happily ever after when Mirror Mirror ends, but you'll be pleased enough by its magic.
FINAL SCORE: 6/10