This paper analyses Muriel's Wedding, a film based on and inspired by the story of ‘Cinderella’. Beginning with a discussion of fairy tales, it argues that interpretations of them are theoretically and culturally specific. Bearing this point in mind, Bettelheim's oedipal analysis of ‘Cinderella’ is compared with an alternative view developed in Muriel's Wedding. Hogan, the film's author and director, posits a different perspective; one where female friendship becomes integral to the psychological development of Muriel. The iconic significance of weddings is also discussed in relation to this. The paper draws on the pre-oedipal theories of Winnicott, and the more recent contributions of analytic feminist and relational theorists. Implicit in this is the contribution that can be made to clinical practice, and the notion there is a dialectical relationship between the fantasies of the inner world and the lived experience of the cultural world.