El, an aspiring teenage sneaker designer, meets Kira, the daughter of a former basketball player, who now runs a major shoe brand. With a little magic and a lot of perseverance, El’s sketches will become reality.
Posted yesterday at 7:30 a.m.
When he was younger, the author of these lines dreamed of wearing Michael Jordan’s shoes. An adult salary and a poor sense of priorities have allowed him to recover in recent years. So it was easy to understand the teenagers’ passion for Sneakerella for sneakers, pumps, kicks, sneakers and other cool words repeated dozens of times. However, we are still trying to figure out who the film is for.
The idea of transposing the tale Cinderella in a colorful, vibrant New York populated by people from all walks of life is not bad. Turning the title character into a young man who works in the back room of the shoe store that belonged to his late mother can still go. The wicked stepmother and her two daughters are replaced by an intolerant stepfather and his two insufferable sons, while the good fairy godmother is now a kind neighbor gardener. The roles have been reversed. You had to think about it… And the prince? The youngest daughter of a former basketball star who became a wealthy businessman selling sneakers – the Michael Jordan of this universe, played here by his friend and ex-teammate John Salley.
For the rest, it’s the usual story: a shiny car and stylish clothes to go to the gala, a disaster return before midnight, a lost shoe, a search… on social networks. There are still four screenwriters in the credits. Probably because there are songs. Lots of songs. Mostly candy rap that would make Will Smith – the one from the 1990s – proud. The choreographies are good, at least.
Sneakerella is therefore intended for children from 8 to 12 years old. However, few of them must be sneakerheads willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a single pair. These young people are generally over 15 years old. And if they see the film, they’ll laugh about it, but not because it’s funny. The scenario insists so much on “the passion of sneakers » that one would think that a lobby – we see Adidas, Nike and Vans among others – financed the film in order to convince elementary school students that what they wear on their feet defines their personality.
The film by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (specialist in directing one or two episodes of minor series) is cute at times, but above all mercantile and very long. Devyn Nekoda’s performance as Sami, the main character’s best friend, is definitely what Sneakerella offers better. This is little.
On Disney+
Musical comedy
Sneakerella
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
With Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood, Devyn Nekoda
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