Julia Roberts steals the show in Mirror Mirror

By Michael Huckaby / movie reviews

Julia Roberts makes a charming wicked stepmother only the tongue-in-cheek kind of course. Meant for children, Mirror Mirror, is Hollywoods latest live-action take on the Snow White fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. Adults should be amused by the sly humor, while audiences of all ages will appreciate the slapstick and appreciate the outstanding visuals. Director Tarsem Singh (The Cell and The Fall) is among the best in the business when it comes to creating fabulous sets, spectacular landscapes and memorable costumes. Despite cornball dialogue, Roberts is allowed to shine and steals the show.

Narrated by the Wicked Queen (Roberts) with a droll humor that sets the tone, her back-story prologue uses animated porcelain dolls. With Snow Whites mother having died in childbirth, she accuses the King (Sean Bean) of coming up with a pretentious name for the newborn princess. A witch adept at black magic, she marries the King and he soon vanishes in the nearby forest. Now the reigning Queen and Snow Whites guardian, she rationalizes keeping her stepdaughter a captive in the kingdoms storybook castle. Vain about her looks, she fails to mention the truth that in reality shes an ancient crone with a prune face.

Approaching 18, Snow White (Lily Collins, daughter of singer Phil Collins) slips into the forest and encounters a band of outlaw dwarfs. The seven brigands Napoleon (Jordan Prentice), Half Pint (Mark Povenilli), Grum (Joe Gnoffo), Grimm (Danny Woodburn), Wolf (Sebastian Saraceno), Butcher (Martin Klebba) and Chuckles (Ronald Lee Clark) wear accordion stilts that allow them to outpace and ambush horse-drawn carriages. Impressed with Snow Whites cooking, the seven befriend her and teach her their acrobatic fighting skills.

A handsome adventurer, Prince Andrew of Valencia (Armie Hammer) enters the kingdom, is humiliated by the dwarves, meets Snow White and is charmed.

Meanwhile, the Queens groveling chamberlain B! righton (Nathan Lane) informs her she is broke, having bankrupted the kingdom with her extravagances. So she imposes a cruel tax on the villagers, schemes to marry Andrew for his money and plans a grand ball.

When the Queens magic mirror predicts that Snow White is a threat, she orders Brighton to have her murdered. But she escapes, converting the dwarfs to her cause. They waylay Brightons carriage and return the unfair taxes collected to the people. Discovering that Snow White is alive, the angry Queen turns Brighton into a cockroach.

One of the cleverest scenes details the Queens makeover for the ball. She gets a parrot poop facial, a mealworm manicure and bee-stung lips from real bees. Not so subtle is the scene that ensues when she connives to seduce Andrew and mistakenly gives him a puppy love potion. And look for what happens when the Queens mirror double unleashes her magic marionettes.

An interesting twist is the third act role reversal that comes when the Queen snares the seemingly helpless Andrew and an empowered Snow White must come to his rescue.

Compared to Disneys revered 1937 original, the first full-length animated feature, this whimsical update is fresh and lighthearted. A truly dark adult version, Snow White and the Huntsman will premier in June.