Once Upon a Mattress (2005)

Surprisingly Good

I hadn't heard much about this adaptation of the stage musical when it was on TV and it's taken me this long to see it. I thought it was entertaining, well-cast and not overacted. Delightful dance numbers, too. Tracey Ullman isn't always my cup of tea, but she doesn't overdo her role here and is charming. I thought the whole cast was fine, and it was nice to see Carol Burnett in a role that suited her. Denis O'Hare is perfect as the prince.

I know the score very well and they included most of the songs, though I wish they had left in the jester's song. Kathleen Marshall as choreographer/director can be wonderful or just professional but here she captures just the right tone--the film is not too precious or too broad; instead she evokes a sweet, off-kilter and gently humorous world. April 22, 2008

Great singing and dancing

This is a great family video with lots of singing and dancing. Who knew that Tracey Ullman could sing like that? No violence but a few mature themes (someone gets pregnant, the prince wants to know about birds and bees) but it a favourite of my four year old and me too. April 17, 2008

Not the original show

I thought I was buying an original off-Broadway rendition of the show starring Carol Burnett but this is NOT it. She appears in this version but isn't the featured star. It's a little glitzier than the original show but the music is still good. February 28, 2008

Once Upon A Mattress DVD

I loved this wonderful DVD showcasing Carol Burnett in her role as the Queen. This musical is awesome and the costumes are gorgeous. The storyline is enjoyable by all members of the family. A huge thumbs up for family entertainment. August 23, 2007

Had the chance to be great, but missed it.

Everything about the show had a lot of promise, but promises weren't kept. I feel the show had 3 fatal flaws wich ultimately ruined the chance to immortalize a wonderful, hilarious play.

#1: The movie was directed by a choreographer. While the dancing is great, the life of the show comes from the comedy. I felt like the show was absolutetly stripped of the natural comedy in the origional script.

#2: The movie was made 8-year-old-child friendly. A vast majority of the humor that derives from the origional script (which they completely hashed for their PG rating) was without ambiguation geared towards an adult audience.

#3: The casting needed some serious help. Just by listening to the 1997 Broadway Revival Cast recording, you could tell what the Broadway show had that the movie didn't: Talent, and Emotion.

All in all I'm a little sad that I devoured 14.50$ plus shipping on this movie. I couldn't find it to rent it anywhere, so now it will probably just sit and collect dust on my shelf. Like I say, it had the chance to be great, but missed it. June 13, 2007

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