Not Cinderella's Type

I enjoyed the fresh, realistic take on the Cinderella trope. The Àctriss who plays Indy carries the movie. The girl next door you wish was next door. She handles scenes of confusing and intense feelings well.

Not Shakespeare, but I didn't expect it to be. It actually far exceeded my expectations.

Full Disclosure: I'm a 60 something male who generally likes Westerns (with John Wayne, James Garner, Clint Eastwood, ...), the Dirty Harry movies, Police dramas, and so on . . . Normally this is not my type of movie. But I really enjoyed this modern retelling of the Cinderella story when I watched it with my wife. It's quite moving with some strong acting by the actors playing the three main teenage characters: Indy, Bryant, and Max. Obviously the evil aunt and uncle are caricatures, but that's a bit of a vehicle to help move the story along. And it's more than just the Cinderella tale, it's also very much about being a teenager and the trials kids face during those years.

If you're like me (or not like me?), I would say give it a try. You may very well be surprised by this little gem.

Imagine what a Cinderella story would be like if it was set in modern suburbia with high school students. Okay, now you are imagining this incorrectly. So imagine it was a realistically based story that addressing the issues and mechanisms associated dealing with abusive foster parent environments. Now you are getting the picture.

This story of Cindy Ella (get it), who lives with her aunt and uncle and their daughters, while going to school, and there is a handsome guy involved.

This is not exactly a well written story, and while the acting is okay, it is all a bit superficial. But it addresses some important issues intelligently enough. So yeah, it is a good one for teens to watch.

This was surprisingly good for a hallmark movie. Do not be fooled by the poster and the summary, this isn't your typical indentured servant girl with a teenage romance. Sure some of the dialogue is corny but what do you expect? It's a Hallmark movie.

What I really appreciate though, is the fact that they took time to develop the element of friendship between Indy and Bryant. He wasn't just her prince, he was also her fairy godmother. Most Cinderella adaptations I've watched just focused on her hardships and her romance at the big nice ball, but this movie delivered a more fleshed out prince in the form of Bryant. In particular, I really liked how they highlighted the difference between him and Max, and I enjoyed looking out for Indy's reactions to both of them. Cinderella's character was true to the original. You find out how kind and patient she is through her actions in the movie. Obviously, the acting could have been better but it didn't bother me that much.

The surprising thing was they actually touched on the abuse in Cinderella and treated it very seriously in this modern retelling e.g. the signs, the different types, the process of handling it, so if you're not comfortable with that sort of thing and want more of a fairytale romance, then I suggest you watch another adaptation. But personally, I thought it was handled sensibly.

Overall, I think it's nice that they've managed to make a heartwarming movie about family and friendship, and some romance to finish things off. The beginning is quite corny but if you stick around, it gets better.

We enjoyed it in spite of the terribly broad acting, particularly of the aunt and uncle. The reality is much grittier, but the emotional abuse suffered by the title character is not as rare as you might think. 'Want to be the hero yourself? ...then consider serving as a CASA. Just Google it.