Film
Beastly
A sleek, contemporary Beauty and the Beast adaptation set in Manhattan, where a vain jock is magically cursed into monstrous form and imprisoned in a penthouse. It's a stylish wish-fulfillment fantasy with romance at its heart—designed for viewers who love the fairy-tale framework but want it served modern, pretty, and quick.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like a teen fairy tale played straight, where the magic is an excuse to ask how looks shape the way people treat you at school.
Skip it if you want sharp wit or a fresh take, since the dialogue leans earnest and the modern-day gloss can feel more like a costume than a reinvention.
What it asks of you: Under 90 minutes, it moves briskly and keeps its tone earnest rather than ironic, so you give it an easy evening's attention and let the sincerity land.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
A Cinderella Story2004
The same DNA: teen romance layered over a fairy tale, high-school social hierarchy as the real curse, and a lead character learning to see past surfaces. Brisk, charming, built to charm rather than challenge.
But It's fairly slight and relies heavily on Disney-adjacent sentimentality. The plot moves in very expected beats.
10 Things I Hate About You1999
Similar energy—a Shakespeare adaptation remixed for American high-school life, witty banter masking real emotion, a jerk learning to be better through love. It actually earns its sweetness.
But Faster paced and sharper than Beastly, which might make Beastly feel slower in comparison.
Enchanted2007
Fish-out-of-water fantasy romance with earnest emotion beneath the gloss. A real princess discovering the ordinary world—the inverse of your curse, but same tonal territory: funny, sincere, invested in transformation.
But The musical numbers and chipmunk sidekick might feel actively annoying depending on your tolerance for fairy-tale whimsy.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Beastly
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Beauty and the Beast1946
The source material itself, but approached as high art rather than commercial fantasy. Cocteau's Beast carries actual tragedy; the curse isn't just a plot device waiting to be cured.
Jean Cocteau's definitive French original—dreamlike, erotic, genuinely unsettling in ways the modern versions never dare. The Beast is tragic rather than reformable; the magic is texture and atmosphere, not special effects. Hypnotic.
But In French with subtitles. Shot in 1946, so visually stark and slow. The sensuality can read as dated or strange depending on your familiarity with arthouse cinema.
More like this (8)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones2013
Urban fantasy with a similar target demographic: beautiful teens, hidden magical worlds, romance threaded through action and mystery. Lush cinematography and production design you can sink into.
But Overstuffed plot that never quite gels. The exposition can feel clumsy, and multiple character arcs compete for screen time.
Vampire Academy2014
Another teen supernatural romance where the leads' banter matters as much as the spectacle. Self-aware about its genre, visually confident, unapologetically fun without winking too hard.
But Swings for irreverent comedy sometimes, which doesn't land. The mythology is intricate and can feel distant from the actual romance.
Twilight2008
The obvious reference point: brooding supernatural love story, ordinary girl/extraordinary boy, cursed isolation that love might break. Massive cultural footprint if you want to understand what this movie was trying to ride.
But The pacing is glacial compared to Beastly's briskness. Bella's passivity can feel frustrating if you didn't grow up with the books.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005
Same demographic target, similar timeline. Four friends bound by magical circumstance—warm ensemble cast, genuine stakes hidden inside fantasy mechanics, feels more sincere than most teen fare.
But The magic is understated to near-invisibility. If you want spectacle, the fantasy elements feel almost apologetic.
Goats2012
A transformation story about shedding a false self—rich kid learns to be human through hardship. Quieter than Beastly but structurally similar: curse as gift, isolation as education.
But Slow-burn indie that prioritizes reflection over romance. Some viewers will find it contemplative; others will find it aimless.
Stardust2007
A fairy-tale romance with genuine wit and darker edges. Takes the Beauty and the Beast template seriously enough to complicate it. A good film if you're hungry for something with actual stakes.
But Significantly more complex plot, more action-oriented. If you want simplicity and straightforward romance, this demands more attention than Beastly asks for.
Cruel Intentions1999
Same urban teen world, same theme of inner worth versus outer presentation, but Cruel Intentions argues that seduction and transformation are weapons, not redemptions.
Beautiful, privileged teens using seduction as currency in Manhattan. Verhoeven's psychosexual edge meets fairy-tale plot mechanics—you watch characters perform themselves until real feeling cracks the mask open. Genuinely unsettling and alluring.
But Significantly darker and more sexually explicit. The morality is messier. If you want uncomplicated romance, this is the opposite direction.
Beauty and the Beast2017
The same story but stripped of the teen-romance gloss and played as genuine Gothic romance. Shows what happens when you trust Beauty and the Beast to mean what it says rather than remake it for MTV.
Emma Watson's Belle is an intellectual who reads; the film lingers on the library, on curiosity, on how both characters are isolated by their own brilliance. A more serious, somber take that trusts the original's depth.
But Visually darker and heavier than Beastly. Longer runtime, more songs, more spectacle. If you want lean and quick, this is the opposite choice.
People
Cast
Alex PettyferKyle Kingson
Vanessa HudgensLindy Taylor
Mary-Kate OlsenKendra Hilferty
LisaGay HamiltonZola Davies
Neil Patrick HarrisWill Fratalli
Dakota JohnsonSloan Hagen
Erik KnudsenTrey Madison
Peter KrauseRob Kingson
David FrancisDr. Davis- Gio PerezVictor Barrel
Karl GraboshasMale Teacher
Jonathan DubskyStudent at Green Party
Directing
- Daniel BarnzDirector
Writing
- Alex FlinnNovel
- Daniel BarnzScreenplay
Production
- Randi WellsCasting
- Sarah Halley FinnCasting
- Michael FlynnExecutive Producer
- Roz WeisbergExecutive Producer
- Susan CartsonisProducer