Content Warning: This article contains spoilers for Cinderella (2021)
Amazon Prime's new film Cinderella takes a new approach in telling the familiar story by adding a light and comedic tone and mixing it with modern dialogue and music. The film is certainly different than previous adaptations of Cinderella and puts some interesting twists on the characters as they are a lot funnier and more progressive in this version.
Not every character is meant to be funny, and some are more successful at their comedic attempts than others. However, there are some that manage to stand out as memorably funny characters.
Prince Robert
One of the biggest changes the movie makes from other adaptations of Cinderella is the character of the prince. He is given more personality and more to do as he ends up giving up the throne to be with Cinderella.
While Prince Robert is a more developed and three-dimensional character than Prince Charming is in other versions, he is mostly a serious character who does not get many opportunities to be comedic. Defined more by his angst than his humor, he is the least funny character in the movie.
Vivian
Vivian is this movie's version of the evil stepmother, though she is less cruel than in other interpretations. She is more of an obstacle than an antagonist as she pushes her daughters to marry someone rich. As such, most of her humorous contributions come from situational comedy and ironic advice.
Perhaps her funniest moment in the movie comes as she teaches her daughters the value of marrying someone rich by bursting out into a rendition of Madonna's "Material Girl," while hanging laundry in the yard.
Queen Beatrice
As the relationship between King Rowan and Prince Robert is one of the more prominent subplots in the movie, Queen Beatrice does not have as large of a role in the film as some of the other members of the royal family, but she does make the most of the scenes she is in.
Queen Beatrice finally gets her moment to shine towards the end of the movie as she humorously stands up to the king in front of everyone by singing the Gloria Estefan song "Let's Get Loud." She does not get too much screentime, but she manages to provide a couple of chuckles.
King Rowan
As the embodiment of resistance to progress and modernity, King Rowan is mostly a serious and harsh character. He is fairly set in his ways but slowly learns to let go of tradition and embrace the future over the course of the film.
While he is one of the best characters in this version of Cinderella, he is not really the funniest as King Rowan's comedy comes from him quickly shooting down Princess Gwen's great ideas for how to improve the kingdom.
Princess Gwen
In an attempt to address some of the problematic and dated issues with Cinderella, Princess Gwen is a progressive character; she is constantly pitching ideas that get shot down by her parents until they realize that she would be a great leader and make her the heir to the throne.
Some of the funnier running jokes in the movie are the speed with which Princess Gwen's ideas are dismissed and the way she lurks around in the background, hiding behind portraits and other objects.
Cinderella
Cinderella is a driven and ambitious character who tries to fight through the obstacles in her way in order to achieve her dreams and become a successful designer. Because of these lofty goals, Cinderella is a fairly no-nonsense character who only occasionally makes jokes.
Some of her funniest moments come as she tosses out meta jokes and quirky humor, such as acknowledging that she was singing about her desires and doing an impression of the king after climbing up a statue of him.
Fabulous Godmother
In place of the traditional fairy godmother, this film has the Fabulous Godmother, a vibrant and sassy character who helps Cinderella go to the ball. They do not really have many jokes in the scene, but their energy and attitude lead to some fun and humorous moments including one of the best musical numbers in any Cinderella movie.
Fab G also has a funny reaction to Cinderella and the mice's conversation about rats being boys and mice being girls. They are a delightful and fun character that injects some fun into the film.
Malvolia & Narissa
In this version of the story, the stepsisters are not evil and cruel the way that they are typically depicted. The pair provide comedic relief throughout the film, interjecting funny comments or reactions whenever they don't understand their mother's suggestions.
What makes their scenes better is the natural chemistry between Maddie Baillio and Charlotte Spencer, who easily bounce off of each other in every scene they are in together.
The Mice/Footmen
Despite only having a minor role, the funniest characters in the film are the three mice that Fabulous Godmother transforms into footmen to escort Cinderella to the ball. The mice struggle to adjust to being human and make some startling and funny discoveries about their new forms.
As mice, they provide humorous observations and commentary about Cinderella's situation and as men, they have several funny lowbrow moments. Without a real function in the story, the characters are allowed to be purely comedic, easily making them the funniest characters in Cinderella.