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Back Shelf Beauties
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A Cinderella Story I'm too old and too much of a man to enjoy this movie. I'd try to bring some high school girls to the movie to be my barometer, but that would be creepy for everyone involved. Hilary Duff (with one "L" because her parents don't know how to spell) stars as Sam - a delightful, intelligent, hard working, San Fernando Valley kid who has caught a few bad breaks along the road of life. When she was young, her single father doted over his only daughter, and made her feel like a princess, until he remarried and died in an earthquake (An earthquake???? Are we running out of ideas? Isn't that a bit melodramatic?). Left behind to deal with an evil stepmother, Fiona (Jennifer "Dude, Where's My Career" Coolidge) and two equally evil stepsisters, Brianna (Madeline Zima) and Gabriella (Andrea Avery), Sam is forced to wait on them hand and foot, work oppressive hours at the family diner, and live in the attic (which used to be cool, that's why Greg and Marcia fought over it). All the while, our young heroine dreams of escaping this drudgery, attending Princeton University, and meeting the mysterious secret admirer who communicates with her via cell phone, text messaging and e-mail (letters and notes are So Yesterday). Will she meet her Prince Charming? Will he still love Sam when he discovers she's the diner girl they all mock? Beyond the obvious use of Cinderella (even I figured that one out), A Cinderella Story is a formulaic movie that strives to hit all of the expected notes, but it's a safe movie for the 8 year olds to see. We have the nerdy, destined-only-to-be-platonic boy pal, Carter (Dan Byrd); the sassy mother/sister role model, Rhonda (Regina King); the evil and imbecilic nemesis, Fiona (Coolidge); boy band-like cutie/romantic interest Austin (Chad Michael "He's Not Related To Bill" Murray); the sci-fi freakazoid; and the formerly funny 80's-era comedian, Paul Rodriguez as Bobby the Cook. No safe, inoffensive, socially acceptable stereotype is left behind. Writer Leigh Dunlap doesn't strain herself to script meaningful dialogue, shock us with surprises or make anything in this movie memorable. However, she does provide some implausible situations that only happen because they help move the limping plot along, even when it's not realistic (not even "movie realistic"), like Austin being unable to recognize Sam because she's wearing a mask that covers only her eyes (I guess he's not too observant), or Duff playing the outcaste, ugly duckling even though she would be the head cheerleader and coolest girl on campus at any high school on the planet. And, don't get me started on the ending. You'll notice some obvious symbolism like Austin being the son of the "Car Wash King," hence, he must be a Prince (Charming, get it?!), or the painful modern twists such as Sam losing her cell phone instead of a glass slipper. None of it is very original or witty, and leads up to the worst conceived ending of the year (there I go talking about that ending again). Remarkably, Duff is not annoying, which is a major step forward for her career. For about 15 minutes in this movie, a critical turn of events that leaves Sam horribly embarrassed, everything comes together as Duff shows us her character's heart breaking in two. Throughout the rest of the film, she shows a spark of comic timing and the ability to keep us interested as the material fails her. Maybe she has some hope. Coolidge is wearing out her welcome with a series of idiotic movie appearances that leave me wondering why we liked her in the first place. She lacks the devilish charm that would elevate her character above obnoxious. As far as Murray, his hair is appropriately frosted, and he has the non-threatening, teen dream idol pout down to a science. He doesn't have to act, Murray just needs to swoon and simulate a pained expression on his face at the appropriate time, so he deserved his paycheck. While A Cinderella Story refreshingly is free from the harmful messages and behaviors that have ruined other movies aimed at younger people (see Sleepover and Catch That Kid for example), I still found one theme that bothered me. In this movie, which is 99% safe for kids, writer Dunlap and director Mark Rosman strain to tell us people deserve a chance to overcome stereotypes and show us who they are on the inside. However, the movie very subtly tells the audience only pretty people get that chance. While Sam (a hottie) gets to show she is more than a working class girl, and Austin (a hottie) gets to show us he's a reluctant big man on campus who's intelligent and deep underneath the jock image, others are not so lucky. Our poor sci-fi freakazoid isn't allowed to show us his inner-self, even when he might be Sam's secret admirer, who has written the touching, wonderful love notes that captured her heart, and Carter is not allowed to get the girl until he puts on a mask to cover his "hideous" face. It has to be a two way street to convince me the sentiment is genuine. A Cinderella Story is not for adults, but that isn't much of shock. 1 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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