The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

Review: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira battles to compete with her incredibly beautiful stepsister, and she will go to any length to catch the prince’s eye. Now I don't think you'd have kicked "Prince Julian" (Isac Calmroth) out of bed for eating herring, but from the very beginning, this girl who everyone seems to like looks pretty boring. I'm not sure if the infatuated "Elvira" (Lea Myren) realized that when she started a really tough transformation to change her round face and big teeth into something that might catch the attention of this royal prince, but you have to do what you have to do when the money people are coming after you. This is probably the most ugly version of the "Cinderella" story you'll ever see, as it shows the life of this young girl, her stepsister, her mom, and her really cruel Svengali who doesn't care about hurting her—like sewing her eyelids on or moving her teeth around without any painkillers. What also makes this different from the usual version is how dirty and money-driven everything is. "Elvira" is definitely a victim of greed, but it's more about her guardian being rude and not very smart rather than being mean or really evil. Is that a big deal? Not really, because in the end, it's hard not to feel a little sympathy for this family that's so desperate to climb up the social ladder. I almost felt sorry for them all. It's pretty bloody, there's some sex stuff, and even the prince can write poetry—though not the kind that Yeats would worry about. The production is very well made, with lots of detail in the sets and costumes, and the main message about caring more about looks and fitting in than about who you really are is clear throughout. It turns out there are more ways than one to get into that slipper, and not everything here is safe for people who are easily shocked. I enjoyed this dark, sometimes funny and heartfelt look at what people will do for love, lust, and money.

Story Overview

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

Watch Official Trailer: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)

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