While the reviews for Amazon Prime's Cinderella (2021) have been mixed at best so far, one thing that most audience members can appreciate is that the film has fantastic musical numbers. Being directed by Kay Cannon (Blockers, Girlboss, Pitch Perfect) is one thing but another reason these scenes worked likely lies with the choreographer.
Ashley Wallen has an impressive track record, being behind the tremendous musical numbers of films like The Greatest Showman. He helped ensure that Cinderella would deliver the goods in that department, bringing this jukebox musical to life and making this version of the classic tale unique.
Dream Girl
As a jukebox musical, the majority of the songs used in the film are popular in the real world. The movie still has an original song or two included, with one of them being "Dream Girl." Even if the big musical number for this song wasn't great, it still shines because Idina Menzel gets to sing it.
Co-written by Menzel, "Dream Girl" makes perfect use of her big voice and it also manages to incorporate the other ladies of the movie. It helps that this song adds layers to Menzel's Vivian, showing her desires from her youth and proving that she's more than a simple wicked stepmother in this iteration.
Material Girl
If Idina Menzel gets the opportunity to belt one out, it's almost guaranteed to be something worth listening to and watching. That's the case with the early performance of "Material Girl," where Menzel takes a different approach from Madonna's version, which is fitting with the theme of this movie.
For the most part, this use of "Material Girl" is kind of ideal because it details one of the main plot points. While Vivian, her daughters, and most of the ladies of the film are interested in material things, Cinderella is different in that she dreams of running a business and being an independent woman.
Perfect
One of the most important scenes to nail in this film was the first dance between Cinderella and Prince Robert. The two danced at Robert's ball in front of everyone in attendance and it had to feel like an epic romantic moment. That made the selection of a track by Ed Sheeran a fantastic choice.
"Perfect" is not only one of the pop singer's bigger hits but it's also one that happens to work well for a duet. Camila Cabello is someone everyone knew could sing but Nicholas Galitzine manages to more than hold up his end of the bargain. It's not an extravagant number but it's a sweet and pivotal one.
Shining Star
A spirited decision in the making of this movie was casting Billy Porter as the fairy godmother, known as Fab G. The actor, who is most known for his work on FX's Pose, brought a flair to the role and looked like he was having a blast while nearly stealing the show despite only being in one scene.
During that appearance, Fab G delivered a show-stopping performance of "Shining Star," a classic from Earth, Wind, and Fire. The song sees Fab G detail that Cinderella is a star while transforming the things around her into her dress and items for the special night at the ball. Simply seeing Porter and Cabello perform together was enough to make this great.
Whatta Man/Seven Nation Army
Mashing up songs for the purpose of numbers isn't anything new in jukebox musicals but these are two songs you might not expect to put together. "Whatta Man" is Salt-N-Pepa at their R&B height, while "Seven Nation Army" is The White Stripes's modern rock classic. However, the songs worked masterfully together.
"Whatta Man" is performed by various women at Prince Robert's ball as they fawned over him when he walked in, while he and his buddies performed "Seven Nation Army" as they discussed keeping the ladies at bay so he could have his time alone with Cinderella. These versions are sure to be downloaded on your favorite music app.
Am I Wrong?
As noted, the majority of the tracks used in this film are from popular artists. One of the few that didn't is "Am I Wrong?" which is a deep cut from Nico & Vinz, a Norwegian group. It was good to use that lesser-known song though since it fits in well with Cinderella's story.
It works on multiple levels as several characters take part in the number and all sing about the various things that they want on the night of the ball. Is it wrong for Cinderella to believe that this special evening could be true? Will this really be the night that Robert gets the girl? They all have to believe.
Million To One
If there's a theme song for the movie, it's likely "Million to One." Another original track, the song was co-written by Camila Cabello, which might explain why it feels so perfect for her vocals. The song has a simple premise as it focuses on Cinderella being the exception to the expected rule.
"If it's a million to one / I'm gonna be that onе." Everyone tells Cinderella that her dreams of doing more than simply being a housewife are a longshot because it just doesn't happen. That doesn't deter Cinderella, who sings that she is still going to work hard to be the one in "million to one."
Somebody To Love
Covering Queen is a pretty tall task but Nicholas Galitzine manages to do a good job with his rendition of "Somebody to Love." After arguing with his father about who he should wed, Prince Robert sings this song, explaining that he wants to marry for love and not for power.
The Queen song is used in a lot of movies but there's just enough of a fun spin here to make it stand out from the rest. The musical number gets bigger over time with more people being added and the song getting better with each verse.
Let's Get Loud
A lot of musicals need to end with a bang and Cinderella did thanks to "Let's Get Loud." The Jennifer Lopez hit has often been used as something of a celebration, which makes it a great way to wrap up the film, with everyone coming together for a joyous performance.
Characters like Princess Gwen get in on the fun as this number ends the film and sees nearly the entire cast as part of it. There's even some emotion thrown in as Cinderella talks with Vivian, leaving them on a better note than pretty much every other combination of the titular character and her stepmother.
Rhythm Nation/You Gotta Be
Almost more important than finishing strong is starting hot when it comes to a musical. Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation" was a great way to do that, with pretty much the entire town getting the chance to strut their stuff in an opening number that lays the foundation for how much music will be in the film.
The dancing here is memorable and it's a huge choreographed number like the start of The Greatest Showman or In The Heights. The whole thing is also intercut with Cabello singing her version of Des'ree's "You Gotta Be," which is the perfect emotional underdog track.