A
Cinderella Story
Britney Spears, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary
Duff...sometimes I'm convinced they're all the same person,
throwing on different wigs and going by varied names to increase
profit and exposure possibilities. Heck, the movies they star
in are often carbon copies of one another, with predictable
plotlines and cardboard characters.
Sadly, A Cinderella Story doesn't stray from the pack. But
several charismatic actors and fleeting moments of genuine romance
gracefully survive this modern thrashing of the age-old fairy
tale.
Duff is the perpetrator this time, starring as high school
senior Sam Montgomery. When Sam's affectionate father dies in
an earthquake, she's forced to live with her selfish stepmother,
Fiona (Jennifer Coolidge of American Pie) and idiotic stepsisters.
Although Sam earns straight A's and isn't exactly hard on the
eyes, her miserable existence consists of scrubbing floors at
the family diner and swapping stories with her thespian best
friend, Carter (Dan Byrd).
But there's one jewel in the rusted crown: Sam has been falling
in love with a mysterious high school senior, thanks to the
magic of the Internet and cell-phone text messaging. When the
faceless fellow asks to meet at the Halloween dance, Sam gets
help from her fairy Godmother (Regina King) and throws together
a gorgeous Cinderella costume.
Ah, the wonders of cinematic romance. Turns out Sam's stud
is none other than the handsome captain of the football team,
Austin Ames (Chad Michael Murray). The two share a love-at-first-sight
kind of evening, with Austin oblivious to Sam's true identity
(even though they've met several times before) thanks to a simple
eye mask. But Sam has to duck out as the clock strikes midnight,
leaving behind only her cell phone as a clue to help Austin
discover who his dream girl really is.
Murray, with his leading-man charm, and Byrd, with his quirky
comedic appeal, steal the show. King, too, is a treat. Her take-no-nonsense
approach elicits plenty of laughs.
Parents are given a tremendously bad rap. Austin's father is
a hard-nose football fanatic oblivious to his son's true interests,
and Fiona is lazy, greedy and, well, wicked. Duff is a let-down
as well. Her acting feels stilted and not unlike many of the
characters surrounding her -- superficial.
Trying to put a modern spin on Cinderella now feels like nothing
more than a fairy tale.
Rating: PG for mild language and innuendo. 1 hours, 37 minutes.
--Tyler Hanley
