The guilty pleasure of 'cute'

Movie review: Mirror Mirror

MANILA, Philippines - Beware, the season of Snow White is upon us! Mirror Mirror is the first of two Snow White-inspired films this year, with Snow White and the Huntsmen following in June. If the June release will have Kirsten Stewart as the “warrior princess” Snow White and Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, the much lighter romp Mirror Mirror gives us Julia Roberts as the Queen and Phil Collins’ daughter, Lily, essaying the role of Snow White.

As directed by Tarsem Singh, who first caught our attention with The Cell and directed last year’s The Immortals, there’s much more of a sit-com and rom-com feel to his interpretation — the trailer for Huntsmen would have us anticipate a film that’s action-driven and much darker. Sit-com because no stone is left unturned in milking each line for its potential comedic, one-liner value. And the romantic comedy element comes into play with how the relationship between Snow White and the Prince is portrayed, with the love triangle completed by the “widowed” Queen.

Nathan Lane as Brighton, the Queen’s courtier, is another bright spot of comedy in the proceedings, as are the requisite seven dwarves and the “small people” jokes that fly all over the place.

One production detail that can be enjoyed is the costume design, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. The royal ball and the wedding are two fine opportunities for the film’s costume designers to show off their imagination and flair.

If there is a problem with the film’s treatment of the familiar fairy tale, it’s that the very Hollywood approach to the humor and comedy seems at odds with the lavish attention to fairy tale detail and the medieval setting.

A light, frothy, diverting film is what we have here, one that we can’t help but be smiling at and laughing along with. The Bollywood closing credits shows just how much of a lark is the film’s intent.

Child-friendly, the film is like a “Disney-fied” version of a fairy tale that has much darker and more sinister roots than in the original story.