Movie 3- Ella Enchanted and Charlla

I'm about a day behind in my blogs! Yesterday, my sister and I watched Ella Enchanted. This was inspired because I had just finished reading the book (all in one day). It's a great book and really nothing like the movie, so if you're interested in chick flicks, read it! I'm going to go more off of the book, because I liked it better. :) Ella has been cursed with the requirement to be obedient. She is forced to do anything anyone tells her to. This knowledge is found out by her cruel stepsisters (one smarter than the other) and Ella is forced to be miserable. Along the way, she meets the prince (this is where the book and movie differ greatly). In the book, Ella and Prince Char become pals. They're friendship grows when Char repeatedly saves her from danger as she goes along her quest to find her fairy godmother. Her fairy godmother is the one who can remove the curse. Char and Ella fall in love. Char asks her to marry him. She says no for fear someone might find out her curse and use it against Char and the kingdom. Ella pulls a Cinderella move and (anonymously) goes to a ball, loosing her slipper (or slopped her dripper!). Char finds the slipper. Ella fits. She breaks the curse in order to say 'no' to marrying Char, for his own safety. The curse is broken. They kiss. They wed. They're happy.

What did I learn?

First off, don't get cursed.

Secondly, and more importantly, Ella has an incredibly strong willpower. She may be cursed, but by golly she does her best not to be. Most of the time she seems ornery, but it's her way of rebelling against the curse. (I do have to say, I felt like I could relate to Ella because she is definitely a sarcastic person and anyone who knows me at all, knows that I am an extremely sarcastic person!) Not once does Ella sit down and say, "Aw shucks. I guess I'm stuck with this. I might as well give in now." No. She is determined to get her way and break the curse, even if it means running away from finishing school and facing the ogres.  Sometimes, I feel like I face things in life like a curse. "Why do I have to have a job? Ugh. Do I really have to be responsible? Can't I just skip this class?" And, maybe some of it is. No one wants to be weighed down with school. But, instead of whining about it, I can change it. Now, I'm not saying that I should go out and quit my jobs and leave school. I'm saying that I should change that 'curse' into something beautiful. I have the opportunity to learn and improve myself through education. I have the gift of being able to work in a clean, safe environment. I have the privilege of making my own money and putting it where I want it to go (like a new camera or a trip to London!). So I want to view life as an opportunity, no a curse. And use my strong willpower, and sarcastic nature, to make the best of every situation!

Oh, Char. He is extremely charming (in the book...). Plus he's surprising. Ella had him stereotyped from the get-go and Char would have none of it. He slid down banisters. He laughed at jokes. He even fell in love for love, not money or status. He has a kind heart and a caring personality. It's the whole selfless thing again. He had a personal gain only because he gave, before he received. All through the book, his heart was his biggest motivation. I want to be true to my heart the way Char was. Nothing deterred him. I want to do things because my heart tells me to (within reason). Char lived a life with Ella because his heart longed to, not because society dictated it. Wouldn't that be a nice life!

Ella and Char--sittin' in a tree. I've nicknamed them "Charlla". ^_^ They had a friendship more than a romance. They were childhood play buddies, pen pals, and eventually, lovers (in the purest sense of the word). I want to start looking for friendship, instead of romance. I've always had the idea that romance should grow out of friendships, but I think I've been motivated by romance instead. First comes trust, then comes companionship, and then love just grows from there. That way, there's a foundation for the love, rather than just infatuation. I wish to be a friend to others, before I would become anything more.

Life's an opportunity. True to my heart. And Friendship. That's what Ella and Char taught me.

“And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after.”- Ella Enchanted