PHOTO PROVIDED Anne Hathaway stars as Ella of Frell in 2004’s “Ella Enchanted” which turned 20 this year.

I’m always a fan of movies that add a little fun twist to its story, and 2004’s “Ella Enchanted” does just that.

The movie, starring Anne Hathaway as Ella of Frell, follows a young woman who was given the gift (or curse) of obedience by fairy godmother Lucinda Perriweather (Vivica A. Fox) much to her mother and household fairy Mandy’s (Minnie Driver) wishes.

With her mother and Mandy’s support, Ella manages to live a relatively normal life — with only rare instances of her curse rearing its head. That is until her mother passes away and her father, who isn’t aware of her curse, marries Dame Olga (Joanna Lumley).

Olga, an uppity socialite who believed Ella’s father to be a very rich man, brings her two daughters — Hattie (Lucy Punch) and Olive (Jennifer Higham) — one of which (Hattie) discovers Ella’s inability to turn down her commands.

When Hattie causes a rift between Ella and her best friend Areida (Parminder Nagra) she decides she must hunt down Lucinda and regain her control.

A secondary plot point throughout the film involves the politics of the kingdom — where the nefarious Sir Edgar (Cary Elwis) has managed to convince his nephew Prince “Char” Charmont (Hugh Dancy) and the entire kingdom the late king was murdered by fairy tale creatures, leading to the segregation of these people from humankind.

“Ella Enchanted” was based on a book of the same name written by Gail Carson Levine. I’ve never read the book myself, but based on what I’ve read, it isn’t really very similar. In fact, Levine and others — including Hathaway — have commented it exists as its own separate story.

Personally, I’ve found the comedic nature of the movie to be extremely entertaining. It manages to balance this comedy — including Char’s fangirls and even human powered escalators — well with the very serious topics involved.

It’s pretty clear the story takes from various fairy tales, the biggest being Cinderella. There are so many versions of the classic tale — both literary and in film — but I’d say this is my favorite. Mostly because it took the story into a different direction and incorporated other fairy tale elements.

I’d certainly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a bit of a silly film that has heart. Because, at the end of the day, Ella’s story brings with it a serious message about the importance of one’s free will with many other important tid bits along the way. All of which is packaged into a fun story filled with laughter, a bit of silliness and served up in under two hours.

“Ella Enchanted” is rated PG and may be watched on Pluto TV.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.