Not what I was expecting!

Rating: 8/10 (24 December 2010)

I'd like to begin by saying it's extremely annoying to look at the reviews and see people talking about OTHER movies for two, maybe three, paragraphs, so I'm just going to dive right into it. So, I walked in wanting to hate it. Trust me, I did. In fact, I was dragged against my will by my mom with blackmail of my little cousin begging to spend time with me. I haven't liked Disney lately, so I expected something very cliché, along with crude and desperate attempts for laughs, such as butt slapping or minor sexual innuendo to attempt (and fail) in connecting with the older groups. Well, I loved it. I sat with my arms crossed for the first twenty minutes, holding back as many laughs as I could, and then I couldn't help it. I'm fourteen-years-old, and I was laughing at a Disney princess movie. The beginning was slow, and the songs were not memorable in the slightest, but about near the part where the big bad goons began to sing about their dreams, it began to pick up. Flynn's dry and sarcastic humor appealed to the older audience, but it wasn't trying too hard to the point where it became annoying. Repunzel was likable, though my five-year-old cousin thought it was Cinderella, claiming that they didn't say her name enough. Mother Gothel (though she did look/sound like a combination of Cher and Susan Sarandon) was...well, a bit too nice for my personal taste in the beginning of the movie. Sure, she stole the kid, but it had a better bedroom than I did, had more possessions than I did, and well, she was living a pretty good life. The "villan" was also a bit harsh in her teasing, but whose mother wasn't like that every once in a while? She still cooed at Repunzel the entire time, babying her even. Thankfully, in the middle/end, she got far more evil, and I was satisfied in what became of her. One thing I was a little concerned about was the fact that Repunzel was under aged when Flynn, who was, what, late 20's, early 30's, was constantly hitting on her and there was clearly some romance sizzling before they finally kissed. Sure, it's the olden days and she is technically (only hours) into legal adulthood, but still, it's just a tad bit too uncomfortable for me to watch them make out. Onto music. I was so, SO relieved that they didn't pop in Tik Tok or Teenage Dream or God knows what else is in with pre-teen girls these days. They stuck to original music, just like the classics. That alone nearly won me over, but none of it was truly memorable. In fact, the songs were a minute, maybe less, each and everyone was constantly bursting into song in every scene. It became annoying after a little while. Especially in the beginning, when Repunzel was singing about her days. I mean, really, why do we care that you make candles, read six books a day, paint on walls, play chess, and do paper miche (by the way, what exactly does Mother Gothel do for a living to provide all of this?) on a daily basis? I get the gist of it was to prove that she was in a rut and wanted a way out, but they could've done it without a lame song. None of it will get stuck in your head the way you want it to (except the Mother Knows Best Reprise; that and that alone I still hum). It has VERY mild and innocent crude humor. Such as, in the end, Flynn says that there was a "week long party" and he "doesn't remember half of it", or the short old guy hitting on Mother Gothel, or Flynn hitting on Repunzel (while she's under aged!). I'd suggest to bring older kids, 8 - 12. Well, I'm 14 and I greatly enjoyed it, so knock that up to immature teenagers as well. You'll have fun, the kids will have fun, and no one will be scarred too dramatically from it. Go for it; it's definitely a full price film.