Mirror Mirror (2012)

Mirror Mirror - 2012

Rounding out our trio of Snow White-themed films is 2012's "Mirror Mirror", starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins in that famous story about a young lady horribly mistreated by her evil stepmother.  This telling of the tale comes with an unexpected twist.

The film's supporting cast includes Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Jordan Prentice, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, Ronald Lee Clark, Mare Winningham, Sean Bean, and Michael Lerner.

A narrator (The Queen) begins the story.  "Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away, a baby girl was born.  Her skin was pure as snow.  Her hair was dark as night.  They called her Snow White.  Probably because that was the most pretentious name they could come up with."  Snow White's mother dies in childbirth.

The Queen continues: "The kingdom was a happy place, where people danced and sang day and night.  Apparently, no one had a job back then.  Just singing and dancing all day and all night."

The King gets married again.  His wife, the new Queen, produces matching necklaces in the shape of a crescent moon.  The King goes off to the woods to fight some dark magic and is never seen again.  Before he goes, he gives Snow White his favorite dagger ("a strange gift, but more on that later," says the Queen).

Ten years pass.  Snow White is a virtual prisoner in the castle.  Her only friends are the birds who visit her.  She hears music from downstairs and decides to go and see what's going on.

It turns out that the Queen is in the Throne Room playing a game of living chess.

The Queen sees Snow White and asks, "Snow White, is there a fire?"  A confused Snow White asks for clarification.  "Is your bedroom on fire?  Because I'm searching for an explanation as to why you would be out of your bedroom and in here, and my first guess was fire."  The Queen belittles Snow White in front of the court.

Traveling through the kingdom is Prince Alcott and a companion, who are seeking an adventure.

The adventure proves to be a little too much when a band of dwarfs surprise them and quickly overcome them, tying them upside down and clad in only their undergarments.

Snow White decides to leave the castle and see a little bit of her father's kingdom on what is her eighteenth birthday.

The Queen goes to her mirror.  "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall," she says and steps through the mirror into a strange sort of netherworld.  She comes face to face with the mirror who tells her that she's spent all of the money in the kingdom and she needs to find a rich husband, "because one day you'll ask me who the fairest in the land is and you won't like the answer."

Snow White (concealing her identity) comes across Prince Alcott tied up in the forest.  She teases him a bit before setting him free.

He goes to see the Queen, who is very captivated by the handsome prince.  Suddenly, an idea sparks.

"Send out the invites.  Alert the caterer.  I want you to organize a ball like this kingdom has never seen before.  We are going to sweep this kid right off his feet."  She tells her servant Brighton that she intends to marry the prince and then all her problems will be (snap of the fingers) "solved".

In town, Snow White finds the citizens are starving and have no money.

She finds out that the Queen has been taxing them to death and uses the taxes in order to "ensure" that the people are kept safe from a beast that lives within the forest.

Meanwhile, the Queen prepares for the ball.  In getting ready, she endures some horrific beauty treatments.

The ball is a sort of costume ball, and even Snow White seems to have snagged an invitation.

Of course, the Queen only wants to dance with Prince Alcott, who feels very uncomfortable in his costume.

She's sadly disappointed with her array of dance partners, none of which are the prince.

He dances with Snow White who reveals herself as the princess.  They chat animatedly together.  Snow White tells him that the Queen is an enemy and is starving the people.  Before she knows it, the Queen is watching her and overhearing everything she tells the prince.

She sends Brighton (dressed as a lobster) to seize Snow White and the two have a showdown.

When Snow White reminds the Queen that it is she who is the rightful ruler in the kingdom, the Queen gets angry, her necklace begins to glow, and she tells Snow White that that probably wasn't the wisest thing she could've said.

She has Brighton take Snow White into the forest.  Fearing the beast, Brighton sets her free and runs away.  Snow White runs deeper into the forest and collapses at the doorway to the residence of some dwarfs.

Brighton returns to the Queen and tells her that Snow White is dead.  "Glory!" shouts the Queen as she falls back onto her bed in happiness.

When Snow White wakes up, she finds she is inside the dwarfs home.  They allow her to stay with them once she tells them who she really is.  They tell her the Queen had them banished because they were "undesirable".

The Queen, meanwhile, tells Prince Alcott of Snow White's death.  He takes it very hard.  He goes to the forest to confront the band of dwarfs who attacked him after it turns out they attack Brighton as well.

After she rehabilitates the dwarfs in the eyes of the townspeople, they begin to train Snow White in combat.

She even takes on Prince Alcott.  She's successful, too.

He returns to the Queen in just his underwear, and he tells her that Snow White is alive and living with a band of dwarfs.

She smiles and laughs.  "Confusing?  A fine word.  A grand word for this situation.  In years to come, when people look upon the word confusing, they will point to this very afternoon, when the world learned that a dead girl was alive, leading around a band of giant dwarfs.  And here I was having such a good day!"

She goes to her mirror and orders Snow White to be killed, Brighton to be dealt with, and the Prince to fall in love with her.  The mirror reminds her that all magic comes with a price.

Brighton is turned into a cockroach, and the Queen uses a love potion on the prince.  When his mood becomes more than she can handle, she finds out that she used a puppy love potion.

Snow White finds out that the Queen intends to marry the prince, and she's heartbroken.  The dwarfs try and comfort her.

That's just when the mirror begins to use her magic to destroy the dwarfs and Snow White.  Snow White, however, triumphs and saves them all.

At the wedding, Prince Alcott's strange behavior repulses some of the guests.

Snow White plans to leave the dwarfs quietly.  But they find out and manage to convince her to fight for the prince.

She takes their advice, and they begin their siege on the wedding.

The Queen is excitedly on her way to the ceremony.  "No matter how many times I do it...I still get excited on my wedding day," she tells Brighton.

Once she arrives, the Queen is horrified to find out that everybody's clothes are gone and someone has stolen the groom.

Back in the forest, the dwarfs and Snow White work out that the prince is under an enchantment.

She kisses him and breaks the spell.  Naturally, they fall in love.

The Queen arrives in the forest, her necklace glowing.  She's brought with her the beast that everyone is so afraid of.  She tells Snow White that she is in command of it.

The beast moves quickly at doing the Queen's bidding.

With the flick of her wrist and the click of her tongue, the beast begins its attack.  The Queen goes back to wait for the victory with her mirror.

Snow White notices the beast's eyes soften when they behold her.  She also notices that it is wearing a necklace that matches the Queen's.  She uses her father's dagger to cut the necklace from the neck of the beast.

In that moment the beast begins to transform.  Simultaneously, the Queen's necklace glows and she begins to change.

Her mirror looks at her and says, "are you ready to find out the price for using magic?"  The Queen begins to age rapidly and her power in the kingdom is broken.

The beast transforms into Snow White's father, the King, and Snow White runs into his arms.  Prince Alcott immediately asks his permission to marry Snow White.

They are married in a splendid ceremony with much rejoicing from the gathered guests.

An old woman approaches Snow White and offers her an apple as a wedding gift.

Just as she's about to bite into it, Snow White looks into the eyes of the old woman and recognizes the Queen.

She cuts the apple into slices and offers one to the old woman.  "Age before beauty.  It's important to know when you've been beaten.  Yes?"  she remarks to the Queen (a line the Queen herself used on her earlier).

As the Queen walks away, her mirror and the world it contains is shattered.

Snow White turns and smiles with a glimmer in her eyes.

Cast rundown:

   Julia Roberts....................................The Queen

   Lily Collins.......................................Snow White

   Armie Hammer.................................Prince Alcott

   Nathan Lane.....................................Brighton

   Jordan Prentice.................................Napoleon

   Joe Gnoffo........................................Grub

   Danny Woodburn...............................Grimm

   Sebastian Saraceno............................Wolf

   Martin Klebba....................................Butcher

   Ronald Lee Clark................................Chuck

   Mare Winningham..............................Baker Margaret

   Sean Bean........................................The King

   Michael Lerner...................................The Baron

And that's it for Mirror Mirror.  It was the first of two Snow White-themed films released in 2012.  The second was "Snow White And The Huntsman".  Lily Collins had auditioned for the role of Snow White in that film, but she lost out to Kristen Stewart.  Sam Claflin auditioned for the role of the Prince in "Mirror, Mirror", but lost out to Armie Hammer.  He starred in "Snow White And The Huntsman" as William.  This film was known for its lavish sets and costumes.  Julia Roberts's gowns were so large that her children would hide under her skirts without anyone knowing.  Her wedding dress weighed a whopping sixty pounds.  She turned quickly while wearing it and tore a thigh muscle.  Yikes!

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