The following are movie reviews of "Ella Enchanted" and "The Girl Next Door."

'Ella Enchanted' whimsically updates fairytales

Set in a fanciful storybook world, "Ella Enchanted" (Miramax) tells the tale of a plucky damsel who, in trying to rid herself of a mysterious curse bestowed on her at birth, discovers that love is the strongest magic of all.

Based on the popular children's book by Gail Carson Levine and directed by Tommy O'Haver, the film whimsically welds a hip contemporary sensibility to a traditional fairy tale romance with mostly amusing results.

Anne Hathaway, whose past tour on the Cinderella circuit included the lead role in "The Princess Diaries," sparkles as Ella of Frell, a politically minded young woman more concerned with protesting discrimination against elves and giants than wasting her time pining for some prince charming. But Ella has one little problem. On the day she was born, Ella was granted the "gift of obedience" by her incompetent (at times inebriated) fairy godmother, Lucinda (Vivica A. Fox).

From that day forward the unlucky beneficiary is unable to refuse any command. This, of course, creates all sorts of trouble for Ella, especially when her wicked stepsisters (Jennifer Higham and Lucy Punch) use her involuntary submissiveness for their own unscrupulous ends. Aided by a magic, talking book (Jimi Mistry), Ella sets out on a perilous journey through troll-infested forests in search of the AWOL Lucinda, hoping that she will take back her spell.

Hugh Dancy plays Frell's future king, Prince Charmont, the charming but clueless royal heartthrob whose eyes are opened to the injustices in his realm by Ella. Cary Elwes is delightfully devilish as Charmont's crown-coveting uncle, Edgar, who together with his serpentine sidekick, Heston (voiced by Steve Coogan), plots to rain on Ella and Charmont's happily-ever-after parade. Rounding out the enchanted ensemble are Aidan McArdle as an elf who wants to be a lawyer, Minnie Driver as a household sprite and Eric Idle as the narrator. Supermodel Heidi Klum plays a giantess, but her performance is as wooden as the hand-cranked escalator in the film's medieval mall.

Like past films which mixed fantasy and farce, for example, "The Princess Bride," "A Knight's Tale" and "Shrek," "Ella" follows the standard storybook formula while cleverly updating fairy tale conventions. Among the movie's more humorous make-believe modernizations are yellow-checkered horse-and-carriages, medieval classified pages, benefit dinners for bubonic plague victims and an anti-aging brew called "Bat-tox."

Together with the recently released "The Prince & Me," "Ella" is part of a growing trend in Hollywood to overhaul age-old fairy tales in an effort to make them more palatable to contemporary tastes --- in this case, giving the story a feminist slant. Light years removed from the damsels-in-distress of old, Ella is a postmodern princess who would just as soon knock a prince off his feet than be swept off her own.

And while it is wholly in keeping with the church's teaching concerning the dignity of each person to encourage young girls to develop a healthy sense of self-empowerment, parents should be aware of the views being espoused underneath the film's breezy fairy tale facade.

In his essay on fairy tales, J.R.R. Tolkien argued that they are not just simplified nursery stories invented to entertain young children but a form of serious literary art which conveys important moral truths. As director Tommy O'Haver readily admits, "We're creating myths here and forming young minds."

During the cleverly conceived opening sequence, the narrator, in true storybook fashion, informs his audience that what follows is a tale about "the perils of choices." Unfortunately, the filmmaker has made some choices that would have the Brothers Grimm turning over in their graves. Once upon a time fairy godmothers didn't have to sleep off hangovers and "obedience" was not considered a curse.

And while the movie closes on a rather traditional happy note --- complete with a castle ball --- when the fairy dust settles "Ella" may leave a few viewers feeling underenchanted.

Due to some mild crude language and humor, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested.

-- David Dicerto

The Girl Next Door

Vulgar and sneaky, "The Girl Next Door" pretends to be about innocent romance and lessons on loving someone despite his or her flaws. But, in actuality, the comedy's premise only thinly veils the film's soft-focus salaciousness and pretentious moralizing.

With a fine future ahead of him, straight-laced high school senior Matthew (Emile Hirsch) has his young world turned upside down when he falls for the beautiful neighbor, Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), who just moved in next door. The twist in this puppy-love comedy is that 19-year-old Danielle is a former porn star, now looking for a new start.

As the loopy script would have it, Matthew risks everything, even a scholarship to Georgetown University, to prove his love for Danielle despite her past. It's an adolescent male fantasy --- the sexy porn star who actually has a heart of gold falls for the nerdy fellow. She pulls the uptight boy out of his shell and he helps the fallen young woman find her innocence again.

The film's conceit is that it wants the audience to believe its tsk-tsk attitude toward the adult entertainment industry. Yet, director Luke Greenfield makes certain that the cameras linger longingly over Cuthbert's curvaceous body and features plenty of shots of topless women slinking around steel poles in the scenes at a so-called "gentleman's" club. While pretending to disapprove of the objectification of women, the movie does the same thing by showing voluptuous coeds giving the high school football team plenty of close-contact attention.

The script is painfully inept and chock-full of pathetic dialogue and stereotypes. Matthew's geeky friends (Chris Marquette from "Joan of Arcadia" and Paul Dano) are walking, raging hormones, frustrated by their lack of female companionship and addicted to porn movies. The adults in the film (parents, principal, teachers) are unilaterally dopey, seemingly unaware that the kids are off to Las Vegas attending a porn convention. And the film's overbearing music is used to telegraph to the audience what they should be feeling, in case the overdone script missed a note.

In the last reel, Matthew has managed to lose his scholarship to Georgetown as well as the $25,000 the school has raised to bring a gifted young Cambodian boy to the States for an education. The audience is then led to believe that Matthew and his friends are making a porn film on prom night with the help of Danielle's former colleagues in order to recoup the monies. It turns out the film is an updated sex education video that, not surprisingly, promotes the use of condoms without mentioning abstinence.

And the hits keep on coming as the moral of this cockamamie story is that doing something wrong (or possibly even illegal) is OK as long as your intent is pure and the outcome is all right. "Sometimes in life to do something good, you have to do something bad," one of the characters chimes in.

Because of steady, crass sexual references including a sexual encounter and same-sex kissing, sporadic nudity, objectification of women, brief drug content, underage drinking and constant rough language with profanity, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.

-- Anne Navarro

David DiCerto is on the staff of and Anne Navarro is a reviewer for the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.