A Nova Cinderela

....okay, actually it's neither, but the jury seems to be out on which it is. Everyone under eighteen loves it, everyone over eighteen slams it. I'm forty-two and found it a tad silly, but a great soundtrack and charming stars (Duff and Murray) save this one from the "straight to video" file. Yet another rehashing and modernizing of the classic "Cinderella", our heroine must battle all odds (evil stepmother and wicked stepsisters, etc.) to win her "prince". The setting this time however, is modern day high school, complete with the nerds and the Barbie-doll cheerleaders who taunt them. Can the nerdy girl (Duff, completely miscasted) win the most popular boy in school? This movie isn't that bad, but for a better look, please give the John Hughes teenage angst films from the 1980's a look instead.

I haven't looked at other reviews of A Cinderella Story yet, but especially because it's a Hilary Duff film, I'd expect there to be a lot of scathing comments. That's because Hilary Duff is, or was, at least, popular with tweens and teens, and lots of slightly older folks have a tendency to hate commercial or popular stuff just because it's commercial or popular. Of course, they find other ways to justify their effectively institutional hatred of this stuff, and I'd guess that the main complaint would be the clichéd and predictable nature of the material here.

And that's true. A Cinderella Story is clichéd and predictable, but that's not a great reason to dislike it. It is a Cinderella story, after all--it tells you right there in the title--retooled as a contemporary Los Angeles-area high school romance-comedy. We all know the Cinderella story fairly well. And any film fan at least old enough to almost be through with high school is surely familiar with the clichés of rom-coms and high school films. Most of us could write the basics of A Cinderella Story's plot without even seeing the film's trailer. So for adults, at least, A Cinderella Story is going to be successful or not dependent on how well it hikes its well-trodden path.

For me, the best material was the more traditional Cinderella-based stuff. Jennifer Coolidge (voluptuously) fills the role of the wicked stepmother. I like Coolidge a lot. She has tremendous charisma and performs her infamous, quirky sarcastic act here with verve. I also like Duff. The two actresses playing Duff's stepsisters were new to me, but just as charismatic as Coolidge. Director Mark Rosman quotes some of the cartoonish visual gags of Disney's Cinderella (1950) more than I expected, and it works amazingly well. It's one element that pushes the film into a welcomed, absurd-surreal territory.

What didn't work as well for me was the material when Rosman and credited writer Leigh Dunlap forgot about doing a pumped up remake of Cinderella. Too much of A Cinderella Story deals with Sam's (Duff) budding cyber-romance, her typical high school problems and the caricatured, stereotypical high school cliques. It's not that these other segments are bad, exactly, but they just don't have the spark or humor that the Cinderella material has, and especially for something like the cliques, we've seen this tens of times before. These scenes would be right at home if we edited them into any of those other films or television shows--sometimes I had to remind myself that I wasn't watching, say, a Cordelia scene from the first season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997).

So A Cinderella Story has a bit of a split personality--as a funny and wacky remake of Cinderella and as a far less humorous, pretty generic "getting through adolescence and finding yourself" message film. That After-School-Special-styled message may be a worthy one, but intercut with a great version of Cinderella, it doesn't quite fit, even though Rosman does finally start to find a unique and admirable groove while still alternating modes towards the end of the film.

Although, I agree that Yes, this movie is quite cheesy. It is a cute movie. For the girly-girl in all of us, it isn't a tear-jerker but it isn't laugh out loud. I rate it 7 out of 10. Hilary Duff is not my favourite actress...yet by far...however, she pulls this one off. Slightly. But I would rather her in this movie than Ms. Wannabe Teen Queen Lindsay Lohan. I mean, come on....you got a boob job honey, we all know. I applaud Hilary for being herself and not feeling pressures to go under the knife. I think that this movie shows girl power to the fullest, and when Hilary's character 'Sam' stands up and tells off her step-mom, it really shows how far confidence can go. Also, when she tells Chad Micheal-Murray's character where to go, I applauded her. I also think that this quote in the movie, is a great message: NEVER LET THE FEAR OF STRIKING OUT, KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THE GAME.

I did fear that I would hate A Cinderella Story. I honestly it would be predictable and contrived, problems I have had with some of the Mary Kate and Ashley movies. Actually, while by no means perfect, but as an update of the fairytale this exceeded my expectations. I have heard and read complaints that the film is very unoriginal. I don't think it is. While I like films to be original, I don't like it being too original. The film does follow the skeletal premise of the timeless fairytale, that I grew up reading, as well as loving the Disney film and Ever After with Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston.

A Cinderella Story does have its flaws. There are a lot of over-familiar elements in the script, and the plot falls into the oft-danger of being predictable. There are one or two pacing problems and the odd clichéd character, and while there are some mildly funny moments with the stepsisters especially(ie. the scene in the swimming pool) there is nothing uproariously funny. I liked the idea of the two lead characters being internet pals, somewhat reminded me of You've Got Mail.

On the plus side, there are some things I really did like about this film. While they had some in general superficial material to work with, the entire acting ensemble did more than adequately. Hilary Duff does a good job in the lead as Sam, she is definitely not the best actress ever, far from it, but she is better than Miley Cyrus. Plus I thought she looks lovely here. While he looks like 5 years older, Chad Michael Murray is an appealing love interest. And Jennifer Coolidge makes the most out of the role of the wicked stepmother here. The camera work is decent, and the sets are colourful. And I have to mention Sam's dress, it was gorgeous! The film's finish is satisfying too, and the soundtrack is cool.

Overall, one may dismiss this film as a silly piece of predictable fluff. While it is definitely not perfect, it is watchable, and good undemanding fun for teenagers. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I will admit I like Hilary Duff. She's perky and giggly, and certainly sweet. So when I bought this movie, I was expecting a light and fluffy movie.

The movie was light and fluffy, but it was also endearing as well. Duff shined in this role; definitely her best one yet. She played Cinderella (aka Sam) perfectly and with such innocence and poise. Chad Michael Murray was the surprise of the movie, however, playing Prince Charming (aka Austin) with all the charm and charisma you'd expect from one.

The music was an added touch to this cutesy film, every scene memorable in it's own way (particularily at the end during the football game).

Jennifer Coolidge's character was the only disappointment in the movie. Fiona could have had so much more depth to her character in this film and the way she was portrayed clashed with the overall feeling of the movie.

Who knew that if you substituted a glass slipper with a cell phone you'd get such a wonderfully sweet re-make? Definitely recommended to those that can watch a movie with girl-y fluff.