Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

mark.waltz Of the TV versions of Broadway musicals they've made since 1992's "Gypsy", only "Once Upon a Mattress" had never been done as a film before, only as two television specials. Both starred Carol Burnet as Princess Winifred (nickname, "Fred"), Here (still top billed), she's cast as the domineering queen who is scheming to keep her son from getting married. Along comes swamp princess Winifred who is so determined to get into the castle that she swims the moat. The queen instantly is determined to prevent Prince Dauntless from marrying her so she schemes to come up with the ultimate way for Winifred to fail the test which determines if she is worthy or not.If you have been lucky enough to have seen the TV versions or any stage production of it (including a 1996 Broadway revival), you are already familiar with the many fractured fairy tale elements of the narrative. This is not your typical classic Disney tale, nor is it thought-provoking like Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods". Burnett is deliciously wicked, dressed out in gowns and head dresses designed by her old pal Bob Mackie. This feels like a full-length version of one of her TV show's musical spoofs, minus her cast of regulars. As Winifred, Tracy Ullman is very funny although she may not have been my first choice because of her age, but she is musically pleasant, and blasts "Shy" to the gills.Denis O'Hare as Prince Dauntless is appropriately shy and geeky, while Tom Smothers as the silent king does what he can with a rather thankless part. He lacks the facial expressions that Jack Gilford hysterically brought to the role that requires a lot of pantomime. Zooey Deschanel and Matthew Morrison are fine as the secondary romantic couple, but they are overshadowed by the more comical leads. Michael Boatman is amusing as the court jester, while Edward Hibbert is appropriately nebbish as the Wizard, who acts as the Queen's "Yes Man".The score is a lot of fun, most remembered for "Shy", but also contains such delights as "I'm in love with a girl named Fred", and "Happily Ever After", a great showcase for Ullman. While this production isn't technically as lavish as the most recent TV "Cinderella", or as memorable as "Gypsy" and "Annie" (also remade for TV), it still holds up as one of the better recent TV musicals. With Burnett having been crowned Queen here after having swam the moat two previous times, it's an important record of a show that might not be one of the all-time great shows, but it's a true crowd pleaser. Now if someone would get the other two versions out on DVD, as well as the early Julie & Carol specials.

katier-lang I have to agree with many other viewers... many things have been "Disney"fied. However, I want to point out that O'Hare needs a little more credit here. His character is somewhat weak, so his "sloppy diction" (which, all rabid Broadway fans knows he is known for) actually seems to endear him to the part. Burnett shines especially, and Deschanel is charming. All in all, it's good fun to watch, but don't get your hopes up too high. This is obviously a kid-friendly, super colorful, bit of fun. No off-color humor here, so for those of us with a more wicked sense of humor, we'll have to wait a little longer!

lauraeileen894 In the vein of the classic, 1997 version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella", Disney released another delightful piece of eye candy, "Once Upon a Mattress", the musical twist on "The Princess and the Pea". "Once Upon a Mattress" is actually quite risqué for a Disney film. Oh, it's hardly HBO-worthy stuff, but not many ABC family movies lightheartedly deal with premarital sex, latent homosexuality, and the most shocking Oedipal relationship since Angela Lansbury and Laurence Harvey in "The Manchurian Candidate".Hypersensitive/conservative parents better beware. For everyone else, it'd be a shame to miss the incomparable Carol Burnett (who originated the role of "Princess Fred" in the 1959 production of "OUaM") as the domineering Queen Aggravain, mother of meek Prince Dauntless (Denis O'Hare). When Prince Dauntless falls hard for robust, vivacious tomboy Princess Winnifred(Tracey Ullman), or "Fred" as she likes to be called, Queen Aggravain determines to sabotage the relationship by giving Fred a test she's convinced she'll fail. It's up to the mute King Sextimus (Tom Smothers), and dewy-eyed, pure hearted lovers Sir Harry (Matthew Morrison) and Lady Larken (Zooey Deschanael) to stop Queen Aggravain. The costumes nearly steal the show, rich with explosive colors and sumptuous designs (Burnett's jewel-drenched costumes are designed by none other than Bob Mackie). Ullman gets wears yummy gowns of red and gold velvet, and Deschanael looks every bit the fair maiden in delicate, candy-colored silk dresses and rosy cheeks. The songs are also catchy and hummable, ranging from bombastic to ironic. I was surprised at what an incredible belter and game dancer Ullman was! In the show stopping number "Shy", she slides down poles and gets tossed about, Eleanor Powell-style, without missing a beat. Burnett shows that, even in her '70s, she's still a performer to be reckoned with, delivering the rather disturbing number "That Baby of Mine" with the hip-swiveling conviction of a burlesque dancer. All the couples have just the right amount of chemistry and a hell of a good time is had by all. Join the fun and don't be shy!

Jvbway "Once Upon a Mattress" is a delightful musical. It is, however not big enough to be made into a film, so a television version would be a perfect solution. In fact, it was the perfect solution in two earlier versions, both of which starred Carol Burnett, who created the role of Princess Winnifred in the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. however, both of those versions were abridged and differed from the script slightly, so the third version would have been the perfect opportunity to remain faithful to the stage script,this is sadly one of the films shortcomings. A substantial amount of the score is dropped, not to mention some curious script alterations, such as lady larkin being sent to the dungeon, and the character of the minstrel is dropped. On top of that, the cast is a mixed blessing. Carol Burnett is delightful, using her trademark comedy to the best of her abilities, beautifully hamming it up. taking on Burnett's role is Tracy Ullman ("Hairspray"'s Marissa Jaret Winokour was originally considered, but she turned it down). On the whole, Ullman is a good choice for the role, charming but still not an obvious bride for a prince. Ullman's comedy is adept and her singing is good, but on the whole one can't help but think she is a but mature for the role. The same goes for Dennis O'Hare as Prince Dauntless, his over the top performance somewhat schticky. Matthew Morrison is charming as sir harry, and Zooey Deschanel is appealing as Lady Larkin, even if she is a bit too contemporary for the role.Still, after ABC's wonderful remakes of "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Annie", one can't help but feel that they could have done better.